Singing that Willie Nelson song in my head….”I can’t wait to get on the road again…” I actually enjoyed my 5 1/2 hour drive down to LA on Thursday afternoon. Got to see a different part of I-5, the California segment, after my many years of schlepping carpet and doing the Seattle to Portland shuffle on I-5 in the Great Northwest! Joan, my cousin, is a perfect hostess and even went to the show with me yesterday. Having someone to help set up is a big plus. We arrived at the show by 7:40am (thank god for the carpool lanes) and was nearly up and ready by the 9am doors open time.
It appears that the Gift Industry trade shows are in transition along with everything else in our worlds. I talked to a few veteran booth exhibitors and all said that the shows are down in attendance. One guy concerned about covering his costs of booths. I’m wondering how things are sold these days. Internet plays a huge role, I’m sure, and it is imperative to get the website up and going. That I can see. That and there is a new world order emerging, we just have to be able to ride the waves and roll with it!
No orders received yesterday but I did get many compliments and handed out catalogs as I gathered the business cards to follow up with in a few weeks time. Was told that today and tomorrow are actually the busiest days at the show. We’ll see…now to go eat my banana and bagel…fortify myself for the day ahead!