Victor hit it on the head when he said, "you have to go into those shows with a positive attitude". My last post, "The dog days of summer" reveled my crankiness, and not so positive attitude. It's just that Chicago is on the other side of the country, and I have a business to run. Unlike some stores that have a crew to cover the bases when the owners are gone, we don't. That's why shows that are local are easier to attend. In addition the vendors are more likely to want to deliver to us up in the foothills. There are a lot of small garden centers who are in the same boat, and would love to see the show on the internet. Why not have a virtual show on the web that everyone can attend? That's the promise of the internet, bringing people from all over together. Sometimes we can't "press the flesh" and a virtual show would fill the bill. Why can't we look at the floor chart of the show, move our mouse over the vendors name, and up comes a sample of what they were showcasing at the show? We could even take advantage of show specials. Seminars? Where are the web casts? I realize that the show is a for profit enterprise, and people attending in the "flesh" pay the fees. An entrance fee could also be charged to virtual attendees. I remember attending trade functions where the owners would talk about taking tours of English garden centers, or travelling with other nursery people in Holland, or attending trade shows in Chicago, and wondering how they do it. Of course, these owners we're in charge of larger nurseries that were family run for a generation or two. Well established with the means to do these things. A smaller garden center with a crew of two or four has a harder time pulling this stuff off. That's why a virtual trade show would be better than not having all those smaller garden centers not attending.
Our Linkedn group, Garden Centers, Nurseries, and New Media is closing in on 500 members. We have 480 as of this date. Your invited to join. The group is, "A place for people who work for, buy from, sell to, or otherwise have an interest in garden centers and nurseries. An interest in the the use of new media to create a better future for gardening and gardening related professions is the glue which holds the group together." Other than creating the group, and approving members, I stay out of managing the group. I find it amazing that it functions virtually on it's own with little or no feedback on my part. Seems I am good at starting projects...