October 18 Proofs Note from the Editor

By Kevin Henry
Editor, Proofs

"Oh yeah, now I remember this place."

That was my first thought when I walked past Marilyn Monroe, the Rat Pack, and Elvis and into the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Monday morning to start the ADA Annual Session. Our company's booth was in the 1400 aisle and I entered through the first door I saw, which was around the 3700 aisle. As I walked toward our booth, there it was ... the dreaded 90-degree turn that meant the hall was shaped like an L.

The L seems to make for some interesting traffic flows. One day I would hear from exhibitors on one side of the hall that it was dead while the other side flourished. The next day, it was reversed. It seems like the traffic flow was harder to figure out than which number would be the lucky one at the roulette table on a given spin (there's the obligatory Vegas gambling reference that you knew was coming).

How about you and your company? How did your booth fare? What did you think of the show and the traffic? I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can send them to me anonymously through this link and I may choose to use some of your quotes in a future electronic or print edition of Proofs. I thank you in advance for your help and honesty.

Now, before you think this is a "bash the exhibit hall layout" editorial, let me stop you. I don't think all that is wrong today with trade shows is the fault of the organizing committee. I think there is plenty of blame to go around. I think our industry's mindset has evolved into a "this week will suck" mentality and many people and companies go into trade shows thinking it's going to be horrible before it even starts. Let's face it ... I've already heard the complaints about the ADA going back to San Antonio. Come on folks, that's at least three years away and some are already thinking the show will bomb. It seems to me that many companies are defeated before they walk into the exhibit hall, whether we're in Las Vegas, Anaheim, Boston, or Seattle. Why bother to do anything different in the booth or offer any true "trade show specials" and promote them to your potential customers? Nobody is going to come anyway, right?

In this economy, if your company is going to spend the money to go to the show, why not do everything you can to make the show a success? Don't just show up, roll out the red carpet, and expect customers to beat down your door (unless you're giving away toothpaste or a power toothbrush). Make the necessary efforts to pull those customers in, whatever that might be.

Greater New York will be upon us in a little more than a month. What is your company doing to ensure its booth will be a success in the Big Apple? Will it be "business as usual" or are you doing everything you can to ensure customers will visit your booth inside the Javits Center? Yes, it's a four-day show. Yes, it takes up part of the Thanksgiving holiday. Yes, New York City is expensive. It was that way last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. It will be that way next year as well. We all know those things heading into the Greater New York. There are no surprises.

I'm calling you and your company out on this one. What are you doing to make Greater New York the best it can possibly be this November or are you already waving the white flag and surrendering the show as a loss? Think about it.

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