To Exhibit or Not To Exhibit

ICFF + Surtex
Sunday flew by faster than the speed of sound. Andrew woke feeling like crap so I had to do the thinking for both of us. Luggage got packed, we missed breakfast, taxied ourselves to Javits to check our bags at the luggage corral. Shew!

We managed to walk NSS quickly and efficiently, keeping a close eye on time. We needed to find the people I needed to meet and keep those appointments made prior to the show. Managed to find [most of] my colleagues at Surtex and conducted a small personal trend report. Hey Robin! Hey Andy! Sorry we missed you!

It was great to hear that mfg were receptive to my work and I think that by not exhibiting at Surtex this year forced me to work differently than if I had -preventing me from placing my all marketing/advertising eggs in one basket. Upon returning home, we both surmised that not exhibiting was a smart move on our part.

I have to say that I got as many pre-show inquiries as I would have if I had exhibited at Surtex. While my eyes give away my exhaustion, I'm finally seeing a turnaround in spite of the economy.

The question whether or not to exhibit after 3 years wasn't a tough one. At the end of last year's stint at Surtex, I made a decision to commit us to the following show only if I had 3 great partnerships in the bag -not maybe because I've got a good feeling about this one, not send us your work and we'll show it, but 3 contracts signed, sealed, & delivered. Period. End of story.

August was also the deadline for the Surtex deposit -so the timeline made it easy to target. We had 1 in the bag, and second coming along, but the 3rd was anybody's game. After $30k in debt from the shows, I decided it was best to concede to the economy and play it a different way.

I believe that in today's world, one can make a success from any strategic vantage point.
Stay involved, but not necessarily in the way one had in previous months, years, and so on. Find what works today and tomorrow, but be willing to change the course of strategy the following month.

I also despise those mantras harnessed by mfg who walk thru the show and tick off companies that don't exhibit and boldly make myopic statements like, "After 3 years, I didn't think they'd return." Wow. How insulting. There are so many reasons small companies don't continue to exhibit, but to make them stick it out for 3 years before you 'pay any attention' to them is ludicrous. I wish I knew who those companies were so I could tick them off my list.

Do you have $30,000 to blow?
Say on travel, booth, time spent illustrating like crazy out of a crystal ball, and exhibit materials only to have folks arrogantly stroll by your booth? I know I'd much rather invest in my house, retirement, or hell, go to Vegas with it -I play a mean game of Roulette.

Pfsth! I sure don't miss those overpriced, less than stellar tasting tuna sandwiches at Javits.