Word on the Street by Kevin Carty
Are You Ready for the Most “Predictably Unpredictable” Two Weeks of the Year?
Anyone who has been in this business long enough knows what I mean. The final two to three weeks of the year are like playing Roulette. The odds aren’t good, but if you put enough chips on the table, you may hit a ginormous jackpot.
Activities outside of the office are always hectic during the holiday season: planning and/or attending holiday parties, Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, seeing the lights in your neighborhood, keeping your brother-in-law out of the liquor cabinet, etc. There’s so much to do and not enough time in the day.
At the office, you expect the opposite. That orders and quotes will slow down. It seems logical as folks are on vacation or getting ready for the holiday. This is very true, but not always.
Here’s what us trade show pros know. Starting around December 15, you wonder if this is going to be a quiet or busy year-end because there is never any middle ground!
Quoting activity in early December is a pretty good indicator, but not always. Many companies need to dump their budget before the end of the year (the “use it or loose” theory). At Classic, we often see quotes for multiple quantity units, or quotes from earlier in the year which need to be massaged in hopes of pulling the trigger before the year ends. Sometimes this indicates a very busy end of year . . . other times it ends up being a lot of wishful thinking by Marcom Managers.
Well, back to Wednesday the 15th 2010. The orders started heating up, and by Friday, we could tell the finally two weeks were going to be busy. Even better, the orders do not appear to be “budget dumping” expenditures. Rather, they are exhibits being purchased for January and spring shows. It’s something we haven’t seen for two years.
So, please keep them coming. 🙂 We will be working Monday through Thursday this week and next to fulfill your orders.
From the entire Classic Exhibits family, may your holidays be filled with joy, peace, and wonder. Thank you for making us part of your lives.
–Kevin Carty
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