Well, it’s been a while….postponed due to Covid and now in a new date of Nov 17-19, it has continued to tax us all as we recover. Last year’s Virtual Show was I think it’s fair to say, a steep learning curve for everyone involved. If anything I felt it highlighted that virtual business still has some way to go in replacing face to face meetings.
But before any of that can happen, the huge operation of actually building this show begins, something many never see. Our stand builders will start of the 16th, but there have been many zoom and phone calls and scribbled bits of paper to achieve the final result. We’re just one stand of many, most of which were created by different companies, just to add to the chaos of it all.
For me, I will be loading up a van of products, sales materials, chairs, tables and more to drive up to Excel. The setup day is always a long one, often waiting for the stand builders to get everything in place, such as graphics, electrics and carpet before the ‘fun’ part, dressing the stand can even begin.
But no matter how far from being finished the show looks when I leave, by Wednesday morning when the show starts, incredibly everything is done!
The long-awaited chance to ‘walk The aisles’ a practice that I know many will be very glad to get back to, will once again be the norm. That chance meeting of a past business contact can never be replaced by online and it’s that and more many of us will be pleased to experience again. Only at a show can you really showcase what your new products are for retailers, licensees and many others to truly understand and grasp what your brand is all about.
So, we look forward to seeing you at the show and we hope it’s a very successful show for you all.
Thanks – Brad
