Housewares - Chicago - 2009

And so it begins...
My first big trade show of my Vornado career. I should just say it's my first BIG trade show appearance. I have been to trade shows- mind you, but this one is probably the coup de grace by my standards.

Let's first talk about my standards.

In a previous life, I was with a small design studio. We designed trade show booths, but we never actually attended these shows. We would design booths, handouts, multimedia presentations, but never actually got to see the fruits of our labor. We relied on the second hand testimonials which generally consisted sounded like this: Me: "How did the show go?" Them: "Went well. Really really well." Me: "Well?" Them:"Very well." Me: "Well then... great news."

Not exactly constructive criticism. Not exactly constructive at all. I guess I am just glad it went "well."

Next trade show experience was in Chicago - on Navy Pier - an appropriate venue considering it was a fresh seafood importer's trade show. This was an enjoyable one. I probably spent all of 3 hours tending shop, and the rest of the time was spent sampling fresh seafood. "Fresh seafood" is a term that is often used loosely- but this was the best product each company had to offer. I can't officially vouche for how fresh it was- but it tasted good. Really. Really. Good.

Third trade show was with another previous life with an alternative energy company. It was the energy from biomass and waste expo. Hmmm. Energy from biomass and waste - not as immediately appealing as freshly caught seafood... but I learned alot from this one. I attended this one 2 years ago, and considering that the biomass to energy market is still clawing for attention amidst solar, wind and geothermal energy, it was a chance to see an emerging market in its infancy. Our booth was a perfect square- probably 10 x 10, or 15 x 15 or something to that effect. The company I was with was still spanking new- so we had lean budgets to work with. It was a decent show. We had alot of interest - but the whole industry suffered (or suffers still) from "tire kickers"- people willing to waste huge amounts of your time who actually only have a passing interest in what you have to offer. I think we met at least 150 tire kickers that day, as it we would later discover. What can I say. It went "well."

Back to Housewares. I'm back in Chicago (woot). I am with a kick a** company (woot) and my trade show booth boasts at least one dimension that has 3 digits in terms of linear feet. I have a tower display whose footprint dwarfs my other trade show booths. I have a great sales team to do the talking. Hell, I even have a 3D display (more on that later.) It's all good- but what's really got me excited is not the size of the booth- but the content. We have some great stories to tell. We have some new products that are fantastic. Best of all, I have a wonderful, storied, historical brand that actually still focuses on performance, quality and consumer service.

So, I will report back soon on Housewares 2009. I will be taking pictures- but I understand they are pretty chincy about cameras on the show floor. I may be relying on my trusty iPhone camera + twitterific to post updates to Vornado's Twitter page. Follow along. Ask questions. It's first for me - so join in!