“Where are you going this time?”
It’s a frequent question for trade show people, like you and me. Vegas? Orlando? Chicago? This week it was San Antonio, TX to attend the trade show about trade shows... EXHIBITORLIVE.
Here’s how my trip started. My supportive wife dropped me off at LAX, but the trip took longer than normal because the recent Los Angeles fires had shut down the Pacific Coast Highway. It now takes longer to drive to the airport than it does to fly from LA to San Antonio. Sorry, Sue. You’re the best Uber driver ever.
After checking in to the hotel, I quickly headed over to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. I grabbed my badge and walked on to the chaotic show floor. We’ve all seen this before. It doesn’t look remotely possible that this cavernous and disheveled hall overflowing with crates and bodies will ever be ready for the show opening in two days. But it will. We’re show folk. It’s what we do.
EXHIBITORLIVE: Day 1 and 2
Day One. Once the doors opened, the foot traffic in the Classic Exhibits’ booth was busy. Not as busy as it used to be 4-5 years ago, but busier than I’d expected. The number of exhibitors at EXHIBITORLIVE continues to shrink. Exhibition companies that were regulars are no shows, even if they still walk the floor. As a result, EXHIBITORLIVE is now a 2-day, not a 3-day show that starts at midday, so fewer show hours. Everyone is trying to wring as many leads out of the diminished show hours and attendees as possible.
Wednesday morning… the second/last day of the show. I was too busy on day one so the first thing I walked the show floor to check out everyone else’s booth. There were some real beauties this year. Our industry dresses up quite well.
I eventually found myself standing in front of The Exhibitor Advocate booth. Staffing the booth was Amanda Helgemoe. It was the first time we’d had a chance to chat in quite a while. For me that’s probably the most enjoyable part of attending EXHIBITORLIVE… getting to see/blab/hang with friends we only get to see once or twice a year.
After our chat, Amanda asked to take my picture with her swanky Polaroid camera. The Exhibitor Advocate team was snapping pix and asking folks to write in how many years they’d been in the biz on the bottom of the Polaroid. They then posted it on their backwall along with hundreds of other industry peeps.
45 Years?
And that’s when I kinda froze. How long have I been in the biz? My first real job out of college was working with CES, at the time the largest trade show in the country. That was in 1980. Well, it’s now 2025. In my head I started calculating… 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025… 45 years? 45 YEARS??! How is that even possible? I don’t feel like I’m that old. Have I become… one of them?
Them… you know who I mean. No matter how old you are or how many years you’ve been in the business, you can recall walking your first EXHIBITORLIVE or TS2 or Exhibit Builder… and seeing them sprinkled around the show floor. The industry vets. The iconic pillars on whose backs this creative, intimate, unique industry was built. The ones who’d already walked miles and miles of aisles.
Jack Wayman (CES), Larry Crumlish and Rick Kent (The Exhibit Store), Joan Carol (The Joan Carol Group), Pat Rodgers (Exhibigrafix), Bruce Deckel (Deckel and Moneypenny), Trudy Graham (TG and Associates), Gordon Savoie (Skyline), Brenda Keiner (Grondorff, Field and Black), Irving Sacks (Sacks Exhibits). These were my industry icons. I’m sure you have your own.
Significant Changes Over the Years
I’ve witnessed significant changes in our industry over the past 45 years.
- I watched in awe as the first Gerber machines started cutting a roll of bright red vinyl eventually replacing the steady-handed sign painters and silk screeners.
- I saw portable exhibits go from folding panel systems to pop-ups to modular systems.
- I sold 10’ pop-up displays back in the day when you could ask $8000 for one and get it!
And probably my favorite observation, I’ve watched dozens and dozens of young people that I’d hired and/or trained over the years still running around the show floor and still working in this nutty biz. THIS provides me with immense pleasure. To have helped open the door to so many is immeasurably gratifying.
Over time, everything changes. Show hours, the hottest trends, technology and the faces of our industry. All different today than they were yesterday. But one thing stays the same… that’s the feeling you get when you step foot onto the show floor.
For those icons who paved the way for me, the ones who spent extra time teaching me the ropes, the ones who always made me feel part of a special club, the word thanks doesn’t nearly come close enough to express my gratitude. Whether this was your first EXHIBITORLIVEor your 36th I hope you continue to find that same joy that you did on your Day One.
Classic Exhibits Inc.
For over 30 years, Classic Exhibits has been designing and building creative custom solutions for our Distributor Partners and their clients. As North America’s largest private-label exhibit manufacturer, we have the unmatched capability, capacity, and creativity to create 3D projects ranging from 10 x 10 inline displays to 60 x 80 double-deck islands.
Find success on the trade show floor with an exhibit that reflects your marketing message. For more information, see www.classicexhibits.com and explore Exhibit Design Search or request a meeting with a Classic Distributor Partner.