SWA $25 – KC $0: Word on the Street — April 8th thru April 12th

Trade Show Blog

SWA 25 - KC 0: Word on the Street -- April 8th thru April 12th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

The Countdown

It’s Saturday morning at 6:00 am. Why am I up so early on the weekend? It’s a travel day tomorrow, and I want to check-in at Southwest at exactly the 24 hour pre-flight mark. My goal is an A. It’s always an A.

I love Southwest, but over the past few years I have begun to equate their 24 hour early check-in to the Ticketmaster “presale” hoax. You know what I am referring to. You’re all excited to see your favorite band or artist, AND you have the magic presale code that you’re sure only 12 other lucky people have.

You take an early lunch so you can be the first in line online. You even open multiple browser windows so that you can increase your chances of getting that front row center seat. Ding! The clock rolls to the top of the hour, and you log-in thru all 13 of the windows you have opened. You’re IN! You select two seats and hit the find “best available” button and the machine searches. Bingo, your seats are ready. Woohoo!!! Your heart is racing with excitement . . . then, wait, what, huh, zoinks!? Front row, yes, but front row of the upper balcony.

How did that happen you think? So does this mean that all those other people that are going to the normal online sale tomorrow are out of luck? I mean if you got upper balcony, and you’re in the presale, then surely there will be no seats left for those who weren’t as blessed to have the Golden Presale Code.

Not exactly! And believe me, we have all been there. You get a call from your friend Joe the next day after he went through the “normal” online sale only to discover he got a 4th row center seat on the floor. Wha Wha Wha!!!

I don’t have the answer by any means, but I do know there is a scam or two built into the system. One of them is glaringly obvious if you just do a little digging. Ticketmaster is the super-secret owner or somehow related to many of the “secondary” ticket sales companies online that sell the tickets for 2, 3, or 4 times their face value. So they block out large sections of premium seating from the “presale” for the actual online sale for these secondary companies. Look it up. It’s true

But I digress — back to Southwest and their cattle-call approach. So I logged in. I even paid the $25 early-bird fee to ensure that I would get a better boarding number (Sucker! I know!) And sure enough. I got in the first 15 seconds that check-in was available. Still a B. Which is cool. But how, oh how, does one ever get to be an A?

I know the answer. Why not just either do assigned seating or stick to a true cattle call. The blending of the two seems to muck up the waters. But wait, let me adjust this hat I am wearing so the business side is showing. Brilliant work Southwest! You just got $25 for a seat I probably would have already gotten had I just logged in at the very same time and went through the normal process.

Bags fly free. Pride takes a $25 hit.

Hope you all have a great week ahead.

Be well.

Kevin Carty
https://twitter.com/kevin_carty
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Filter by Category

Filter by Year

Recent Posts

Reflections on Trade Shows and Events

Are trade shows are relevant? Is there a future for industry trade shows? Are companies willing to spend their valuable marketing dollars building a temporary structure just to attract new customers or meet with existing ones?

A Trade Show Exhibitor Walks into a Bar

A Trade Show Exhibitor walks into a bar and says to the bartender, “I’ve never been in a bar before, but a friend suggested I try the 20 x 20 Booth Space.” “That’s a very popular drink,” says the bartender, “especially with my regular customers.

Buying a Trade Show Exhibit? 10 “Must Ask” Questions

It’s common to express remorse after a big ticket purchase. Typically when the purchase is infrequent, such as a home, car, or expensive equipment. Buying a trade show exhibit is that type of purchase, especially an inline or island exhibit for a large trade show. .

An Honest Conversation about Trade Show Rentals

Recently, what I thought would be a simple, straight-forward conversation left me scratching my head. I was meeting with exhibit industry colleagues, and the topic turned to rentals. Admittedly, rentals shouldn’t be puzzling. Rentals have exploded at a rate 3 to 4 times faster than exhibit purchases. What surprised me was the perception and the language used to define the exhibit rental landscape.

What’s Your Trade Show Kryptonite?

We shouldn’t but we do. We hope hope hope that the next attendee who walks in our booth is Superman. Not Superman Superman, but the sales equivalent of Superman. Faster to sign a contract than a speeding bullet. More powerful than the VP of Purchasing.

How To Make Your Trade Show Backdrop Stand Out!

Many exhibitors assume a backdrop is a simple two-dimensional graphic along the backwall of an exhibit. But it can be so much more. A backdrop in a 10 x 10 or 10 x 20 booth space doesn’t have to be basic. Modern inline displays come in various shapes, heights, and configurations.

Is Your Trade Show Display an Oreo or a Fig Newton?

As an adult I can rate just about everything on a cookie scale. For brevity, I’ll limit this article to Oreos, Fig Newtons, and Nilla Wafers, but be assured that the “science” behind my methodology includes Frosted Animal Cookies, Pepperidge Farms (as a collective group), Girl Scout Thin Mints, and Chips Ahoy.

Does Your Trade Show Exhibit Have To Be Clever?

That’s not to say your trade show exhibit shouldn’t be attractive. It should, but I would encourage you to focus on more practical matters the next time you design or rebrand your display. What do you need in the booth space to conduct business? Make it less about showmanship and more about conversations and information.

What Cats Can Teach Us About Trade Shows

We are a nation devoted to pets, whether they’re on the farm or in a purse. They learn from us, but we learn from them as well. The other day while watching Animal Planet with a cat in my lap, one on the sofa, and another puking upstairs ( it sounded like the world’s worst ventriloquist), I realized that we could learn a thing or two about trade show marketing from our feline companions.

Gravitee One Step — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System

Gravitee — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System. Unlike traditional modular wall systems, Gravitee has no loose connectors. The frames are constructed with durable engineered aluminum extrusion and the system uses time-tested patented technology.

Who is Our Biggest Trade Show Competitor?

Recently, I’ve been on the road, visiting Classic Distributors in the Midwest and South. We chat about industry trends, new products, and challenges in their market. Occasionally, they will ask me about competitors. That’s a topic, to be honest, that makes me uncomfortable.

3 Essential Trade Show Marketing Questions

These are questions every designer should ask their client before designing the ideal trade show display. If the client walks in just thinking about the nuts and bolts of the project, they may miss an informed conversation on why they are exhibiting in the first place and that can fundamentally affect the design of a booth. The Why can greatly impact the How in Exhibit Design.

What You Should Know about Exhibit Marketing

Exhibit marketing is all about marketing your products or services to buyers at expositions, conferences, and trade shows. A successful exhibit marketing program will be rewarded with increased revenues, referrals, and industry networking. The goal is to understand how exhibit marketing differs from the other types of marketing.

Managing Your Trade Show Budget

Trade shows are expensive, and some costs are often puzzling to exhibition newbies, but there are multiple ways to manage those expenses with a little planning and some assistance from an experienced trade show professional. Don’t be afraid to tap into that expertise.