I had the pleasure of attending and exhibiting at the FN Platform show which runs alongside the MAGIC Show in Las Vegas last week. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year not just because Las Vegas is my personal grown up Disneyland but because for one of only two times during the year all of my friends, customers and acquaintances from within the shoe industry come together under on roof to renew old relationships, meet new people and commiserate on the future of our industry and the economy as a whole.
The show itself is almost anti-climatic just like the wedding ceremony or the prom dance. What I mean is that there is so much preparation, planning and work that goes in to what gets done once the actual event rolls around that it's actually a relief to just get to the opening day of the show and to be able to put all those weeks of meetings and hours of work in to action. While I suspect that everyone puts the same amount of work into preparing for the show as we do it is interesting to watch and see how people do things differently and how our expectations vary. There are three very distinct approaches with not very surprising results:
The Show Up Hopers: These well meaning folks just can't understand why business is so slow and are happy to proclaim to anyone who will listen what a bust the show is. The funny thing is these folks seemingly do little or nothing to prepare to make a great first impression on their customers and prospects and they even more inexplicably assume that "if they build it, they will come." What's more their preparation weeks and months ahead of the show seems to match their first impression and they do very little to intentionally drive traffic to their booth. That's a hard way to make a living in today's world. And a long three days to sit in an empty booth and watch all the business go somewhere else.
The Steady Eddies: Nothing really wrong with these folks at all. They are consistent, reliable, loyal and (dare I say) predictable. They pretty much do the same thing every time and their same customers come to see them just like they do every show. They are happy with the status quo and as long as they see all the "regulars" it's a good show. This is where the majority of us live not just at shows but in our day to day roles and jobs. Do enough to be successful but skirt the extra degree or two of effort it takes to really make things happen.
Those Who WOW!: Sadly, I can count the number of these folks that I saw last week on one hand. Sure, they had great looking products but so do a lot of their competitors. These guys went above and beyond to stand out. They had a great strategy for how to generate interest, attract new customers and WOW everyone that walked in the booth. They had a well executed theme and strategy and from what I could tell it paid off - BIG TIME. Not only were customers talking about it but so were competitors.
Admittedly, we fell way too much in to the steady Eddy category and didn't do nearly enough to WOW! last week. It's not easy because it means every day you have to push yourself and not let up. You have to not accept good from yourself or anyone else - you demand greatness! There are always plenty of reasons why things don't turn out quite the way we wish - and we are experts at justifying the reasons why. Steady as she goes.....
I would rather push myself to keep searching "How to WOW." It's hard work, it's uncomfortable, it tests your patience and sticktoitiveness but it seems to me the results are all worth it. I hope next time they are all talking about me!
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