Trade Show Exhibits

When I wrote about trade show exhibits a few weeks ago, it brought back many memories. I mentioned that I've participated in trade shows in three different ways: as a consumer, as an exhibitor, and as a member of the working press.

But I forgot one.

For six months, I worked for a company that produced trade show exhibit graphics. It was six months, in many ways, that I'd like to forget. I learned a lot about trade show exhibit graphics in that short time. And I really liked the technical end of things. But lets just say there were some aspects of the business I didn't enjoy, whatsoever.

The firm I worked for marketed itself as a digital color printer, although it primarily produced trade show exhibit work. As an account manager, I had to call upon a wide range of clients--from the very smallest design shops and exhibit houses to the very largest pharmaceutical corporations (of which there are plenty here in joisey).

A huge amount of money is thrown around in the trade show exhibit world--much of it due to the tight time frames and crazy logistics. Did you want that rush, rush rush, or triple rush?

I could only stand to ride that monkey for so long ... and I won't get into the gory details here. But ply me with a tropical drink (or two) at your trade show exhibit booth some time, and hey, I just might share.