During my career I have done trade shows all over North America. In every city there are different impediments that you must overcome. The word comes from the Latin which translates as baggage. And it certainly usually turns out to be baggage that must be carried.
One location was famous for the problems caused to exhibitors, Javits Center in New York City. When we exhibited there using our full-sized show booth, we weren’t allowed to assemble it ourselves. We had to hire union carpenters to do the assembly. WE had to pay them $40/hr and their skill at booth assembly left a lot to be desired. We resolved this by paying them to sit in our booth space while we assemble the booth.
My most memorable experience at the Javits Center came the year we promoted our training video. We used our tabletop display which didn’t require assembly. It just had one plug to power the lights. We needed a TV and a VCR to display our video. The facility was renting them for $125/day for a TV, $125/day for a VCR. Since it was a four-day show, that added up to $1000. I sent Don our East Coast Sales Manager out to purchase a TV/VCR combination. It was $300.
When the show ended the guys were wondering what I was going to do with the TV/VCR. I sold it to one of our customers Service Managers. He didn’t have the cash, but said he would send me $50 a month till it was paid off.
Back at the plant our CFO got wind of this and called me to his office. He wondered if I was running a rent a center. I explained to him what I had done. He said his problem was that our Glasgow plant had asked to purchase a TV/VCR and he had turned them down. I suggested I could call them and tell them how to do it. He wasn’t amused.
Tom Humphris
During my years with America
I did work Trade Shows, primarily
In Chicago. Fortunately my
Involvement was selling, not all the detail you were involved in.
You had the hard job