Jeff Pett, VP Sales & Marketing
Fleetwood Group, Inc.
It’s the day after a fairly long week of travel to two significant shows in our world. We had our whole sales team along with our CEO in Baltimore for the NSSEA show last week, then we went straight to Las Vegas (do not pass “Go”, do not collect $200) for a corporate show put on by our biggest customer. We were gone from the “home base” exactly one week, and across 3 time zones. It’s good to get back home again, but, oy, the emails!
NSSEA was good overall. We were busy in our booth all of Thursday and most of Friday. Saturday was pretty dead. (A lot of the dealers we work with from around the country had to make a choice this year since most could not afford to attend 2 shows in one year.) For our part we could have had the show itself in two days and still have met with everyone we needed to. Even two and a half days, if the half day was Friday, would probably have been good. (Rumor has it that we may have that schedule in Phoenix. Yes!)
I do have to sympathize with the NSSEA show planners, though. Before coming to Fleetwood I was a school administrator (business manager), and it seemed like every vacation start and stop date was a painful decision, too. No matter when you start the vacation, some families are going to pull their kids early, and no matter when you end the vacation some families will keep their kids out a day or two longer. Teachers get upset, tests have to be taken later, and home work gets ignored. So, I am guessing that the leadership at NSSEA goes through a similar painful process. We’re like all those school kids… no matter when the show ends many of us will be anxious to leave early. For the record, my sales team would vote for full afternoons for the exhibit hall on Wednesday and Thursday, with 9 to noon on Friday.
One more thing that I’ve seen at a couple of other shows that NSSEA may want to consider:
1) When major group meetings or break out sessions are scheduled, close the exhibit hall. That way no one is tempted to miss their meetings, and exhibitors get a planned break.
2) Instead of the half day on Friday, plan an “opening” the first night, say from 5 to 7. Have all the booths open and have people roaming around with hors d’oeuvores. It might be a fun way to kick off the show.
I know; everyone’s a critic! Expectations are high for a great show in Phoenix, and it should be a well attended event. And the decision to move the School Equipment Show to the fall will play out to have been a great decision in the long run! Thank you to whoever made that happen!!
