As the first full day of RIMS 2009 blurs by, one of the highlights was the opening of the Exhibit Hall.

Entering the Hall is always a breathtaking experience, even for someone who have been to plenty of RIMS conferences.

This year, the scene was especially interesting since one could imagine with the economy being what it was, perhaps the Exhibit Hall might be similarly lackluster.

Not a chance.

During my furst cursory tour of the Hall, I noticed that not only had many firms brought new booths to the show, but they had either expanded them or redesigned them entirely. In addition, I spied some new vendors who had never exhibited before, yet chose RIMS 2009 to make their debut. They say that in down times are the best opportunities to make fortune for those ready to commit. If that’s true, then the many exhibitors at RIMS 2009 seemed poised to succeed.

I’ll be in the Hall throughout the rest of the Conference, but please feel free to drop us a line to share your thoughts on the Hall or on the Conference itself.

And if you couldn’t make it to Orlando this year, be sure to pre-register for RIMS 2010 Boston. You can’t afford to miss it!