Top 10 Recent Observations

I’ll preface this with – no, I’m not kidding. Currently, I’m looking at the remainder of the year to try to figure out what’s going on in our industry, what’s trending, what’s the next big thing, and, ultimately, how can we all sell more, because without you, there’s no us. The following is a list of my top 10 industry observations . . .

Of Course He Has A Tail

Everyone knows Curious George has a tail; he’s a monkey, after all. I distinctly remember that book where he is hanging in the tree torturing that hat salesman dude.

Right? Nope – wrong! There is a book called Hats For Sale but it’s not even a Curious George book. George doesn’t have a tail but most everyone at first recall thinks he does.

Turns out we are all wrong about a lot of things we remember to be facts or thought had happened. What happened? Was it always that way or did some mysterious circumstance change the world as we know it? Freaky.  

Feel This

Without fabric we would truly be naked and afraid. The earliest forms consisted of animal skins draped across the body for warmth. Weaving of fabric dates back to 8000 B.C and woven wool rugs have been found near Turkey from around 6500 BC. Lastly, China is credited with opening trade routes with their production of silk around 2800 B.C.

History aside, the fact remains – we have come a long way with fabric. It is part of everyday life affecting many industries. In the tradeshow industry, fabric is a mainstay and the primary component in the creation of exhibits and displays. Not just the fabric itself but the need for colorful, true to life, attention-getting graphics is in demand.

So, What’s New?

I get this question quite often when I meet with my customers and I’m pretty sure the reason is we all live in a world where the only constant is change and if we don’t stay current we’ll be left in the dust.

So fortunately, most of my customers have come to rely on me as a resource toward that end and one thing I’m hearing quite a bit is: “It seems like customers are expecting so much more from their investment in their trade show and event displays.” Well, here are a few ideas that may help you differentiate yourself from the competition.

Coffee. Elves. Electronics.

WELL IT’S ABOUT THAT TIME AGAIN… No, not the holidays! Come on now, we’re in the tradeshow industry! CES is coming and the countdown is on!! In less than 2 months, the show will be open and our job will be done (until the next show that is).

I may be a bit biased since I am out here on the West Coast, but I think CES is the biggest show of the year. Even non-tradeshow people know about this one. It’s one of my favorite shows! Every year companies outdo themselves.

Did I Miss Something?

It’s been about 8 months since I switched roles at Optima when I accepted a position as Account Executive for our mid-mountain sales territory. When I came on board at Optima a little more than four years ago, I was tasked with developing customers who defined themselves as Event or Experiential Marketing Companies. Not so strange considering the previous nine or so years I worked for a company that worked with these companies, almost exclusively.

Well as many of you probably know we’ve been making some changes here at Optima and I now find myself working with a somewhat larger and more diverse group of customers.

2014 – To Infinity and Beyond

Now that we can say goodbye to 2013 and the seemingly never-ending holiday, we can look forward to a banner and robust 2014!

I believe we will see a few trends continue to blow up in 2014 and each will create selling and profit opportunities. I believe backlighting, attention to visuals / the desire for aluminum structure to be hidden behind those visuals, visuals on the floor (not logos and text, but imagery that collaborates with the exhibit and environment that is being created) and technology results will all be demands from end-users.

Must Be Lucky

Last week, Optima™ attended and exhibited at EDPA Access in Marco Island, FL. I know…you’re all probably saying “must be lucky”, and yes, I believe I am; however, even though this is a beautiful setting with warm weather, it’s also a lot of work – with long days and nights and limited leisure time. Let me tell you why it’s all worth it . . .

I flew in Tuesday and immediately started setting up our booth with the help of Kevin Kirbey, Dave Brown and François from Duo, and what a booth it was!