They say you never forget your first, and for me, Fruit Logistica 2006 will occupy a special place in my memory with the other "firsts" in my life.

When I joined The Produce News in February 1995 as an assistant editor, I had been with the publication for about eight months when I attended my first Produce Marketing Association convention.

That convention holds a special place in my heart as it was the first time I returned to the city where I had spent most of my 20s as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of San Diego. I was excited both to see old friends from my former life and meet new ones in my chosen profession.

While PMA has grown tremendously since that convention more than a decade ago, I still remember being awestruck by the size of the exhibit hall and the huge number of people gathered together under the common denominator of fresh produce.

I'll also remember it for the fact that while getting ready to turn in on my first night after an exhausting day combing the show floor for hot stories, I was placing my room service tray in the hall at the hotel and was locked out of my hotel room when the door closed behind me. As I stood in the hall in my underwear trying to find refuge and decide what to do next, a parade of nattily dressed produce folks passed by on their way back from a fancy night out.

"Do you need help?" one kind woman asked as the rest of her group stifled laughter. "No, I'm fine," I replied, obviously lying and wishing them to disappear, which they eventually did after a few more double-takes and snickers.

Repeated calls of increasing urgency to the front desk from the house phone in the hall finally produced a security guard, who emerged from the elevator. "Ah, the old tray trick," he said knowingly, and granted me long-overdue access into my room, where I retreated redfaced, feeling like a hazed fraternity pledge.

And while I am hardly the wide-eyed freshman that I was in 1995, I did find myself mouth agape upon entering the massive trade show floor at Fruit Logistica 2006 in Berlin, where over 1,600 exhibitors and more than 35,000 members of the produce industry from all over the world gathered. To me, Fruit Logistica is a microcosm of the produce world, with fruits and vegetables of every size, shape and flavor from all corners of the globe being discussed and dissected in languages almost too numerous to mention.

As I walked around the exhibit floor on the first day of the event, I naturally compared it to other U.S. shows I have attended. In some ways, it was similar, especially for the fact that it contained booths of various sizes, some with gimmicks to attract the attention of passersby.

In some ways, however, it was very different, as the Fruit Logistica hall had a ubiquitous haze of cigarette smoke hanging overhead as people lit up whenever and wherever they pleased.

Other notable differences between Fruit Logistica and other major shows I have attended are the number of hours that the exhibit hall is open and the limited number of workshops and educational sessions available.

I can't say whether those differences are good or bad. As a member of the press, I might have liked Fruit Logistica to provide more options for sessions to broaden my knowledge of the European and worldwide trade. But the nine hours of exhibit time each of the three days provided ample opportunity to work the floor and speak with people I might not have otherwise met.

I would imagine that exhibitors appreciated the 27 hours of time provided to them to forge new business relationships and re-establish existing ones. Many whom I polled praised the show for the high quality decision-makers in attendance who actively looked to conduct business, making the time and money invested by them worthwhile.

And lest one think that the show floor is all business, the clinking of glasses told a different tale, as deals were consummated with a glass of wine or beer in pure European tradition.

Another notable difference was the rather risqu? promotional materials seen at many booths. While they did not approach what can be seen on late-night European television, I could not help but chuckle at the probable outcry that would result if the same signs and materials were to appear at a PMA convention or United Produce Show.

Overall, I found Fruit Logistica to be an experience that will stand out among the "firsts" in my produce career. It has given me a more global perspective of the industry that can only be gained by attending a show of this magnitude in the epicenter of what many consider to be an important burgeoning market for the industry. I look forward to attending next year and in years to come, but a non-smoking show certainly would be welcome, especially for an industry whose biggest attribute is health.

Auf Wiedersehen!

(Additional coverage of Fruit Logistica appears in the Feb. 13 issue of The Produce News.)