Gary, I'll have to slightly disagree with you on the "It's only as good as you make it" show. I would loved for it to be a great show for us. I loved that show from the first time I went. It was the first time I got to be face to face with so many of our suppliers out of state. Plus, we found new suppliers too. I loved that show.
However, we don't print, we don't have wide format printers, and we don't do channel letters or LED work.
So strip that out, and what was left for us to "make into a good show"? We do interior signs, that's our business. In the past, we've had many substrate suppliers, modular sign suppliers, touch screen directory suppliers, lobby directory suppliers, all there. This year. Nope. Maybe 1 or 2 little guys wanting to be big guys with inferior products compared to their competition. I picked up a couple of samples of a modular sign system I'd not heard of. Tried to get the lens off using the provided suction cup. Couldn't get it. Not something I could sell my clients.
So as much as I would have loved to have an amazing show, I just didn't see it there. Now, if I was into LED's or digital printing, I probably could have kept myself busier and even got some good deals.
No Oracal, 3M, nothing. Vista used to co-sponsor some of the event every year. No show this year. When your previous years sponsors aren't even coming, it's not a good sign.
We are in the process of buying a piece of equipment. We looked at it a month ago and figured we'd look at it at this show to make our mind up. The sales rep called me early in the week and I said "See you at the show on Thursday" and he said "Oh, we're not going to that show this year. It had very poor numbers for us last year, so we have decided to spend our marketing efforts at other shows".
I always enjoy getting swatch kits and various bits and pieces and finding substrates and substrate suppliers, but I just didn't see much of that there.
No doubt the value in the show this year was in the seminars, which I did not attend. However, it would have been nice to have great seminars backed up by a killer show.
Honestly, I don't get it. I don't get why vendors won't come to it. I've heard it's too expensive, but how expensive is it to have your competitor take sales from you on all those new latex printers? With the prices they had on those printers, I'm sure they sold a bunch of them. I know who didn't sell any at the show, because they weren't there. In todays market, where keeping your existing customers seems a priority, I can't imagine NOT being at a show like that, and allowing your competition to take your customers away from you. Let's be honest, those shows don't "cost" the big boys a penny. They sell enough equipment to pay for the trips, I'm sure. So even if it's a break even situation for them, they retain customers and ensure future supply sales for that equipment. To me, that's worth it, but I don't run the companies, so it doesn't matter.
I do know if I wanted to buy a printer, my normal company for that stuff, that wasn't at the show, probably lost my sale because I was impressed with the sales staff at one company.
I guess we'll have to move our trip from the Atlantic City show to Vegas or some place south. Is the big one in Orlando this year? Or is this year in New Orleans?
