SkyGEM (Skyline Genesis Event Marketing) recently exhibited at the Business Council of Westchester’s annual “Mega-Mixer” trade show.  With nearly 150 exhibitors and 2,000+ attendees this is by far the biggest local trade show in the Westchester market each year.  As a local B-to-B show, the profile of exhibitors ranged from law firms, banks and insurance brokers to lawn care and limo companies.  Quite a mix.  The profile of attendees was even more diverse.  “Solo-prenuers”, sales people, small business owners (those who didn’t want to exhibit) and a few students filled the room.  I was staffing the exhibit for awhile and I like to ask “Why

At the 2011 Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) annual meeting everyone in attendance was there for at least one reason…to hear about how others in the trade show exhibit industry are doing.  Call it what you want but everyone wants to hear about everyone else's business as a way to measure the relative health of their own.  When someone tells you “Things are slow, new customers are rare and trade show budgets are tightening” you feel an instant rush of “Oh, so I’m not the only one” followed by “Oh boy.  Another struggling business.”  Occasionally however you’d have someone say things like “Everything’s good.  We had a great 2011 and looking forward to an even better 2012.”  So, after a moment of loathing and envy because they seem to be doing better than you, you’re actually encouraged that someone in the trade show display industry is actually doing better and that means there’s hope!  End result…the room was filled with conflicted people not knowing if they were happy or sad.

 

For those of us over 50 this may recall the Who hit from the 70’s.  It’s an appropriate question today as many businesses reassess who and what they are in light of the minute-by-minute changes all around us.  I realize this is a basic question, but forgetting your identity has been the demise of many companies, organizations and even countries.