Conversations at the Remodeling Show

I made a quick stop at this year's Remodeling Show in Chicago yesterday. For those of us who have been attending these events year after year, we might have noticed how much smaller the show is, how many fewer exhibitors there were, with smaller booths, and fewer attendees walking the aisles. So at first glance, some of those who chose to sit this one out might be congratulating themselves on not wasting their time or money.

On the other hand, I learned that one third of the exhibitors this year were brand new to the show. They'd never before had the chance to be visible in what used to be a crowded market with big players. The smart ones were enthusiastically engaging with some of the thousands of attendees who made their way around the exhibit floor, learning what challenges they face, and what interested them. They were starting conversations, rather than simply "having a presence" at the show. They were getting their money's worth from their investments.

There were others at the show who could not have appeared more DISinterested in having a conversation. Exhibit staffers engrossed in their smartphones, standing with their backs to the aisles, looking bored, or more focused on making dinner plans with each other than starting a dialogue with attendees. These are the ones who really wasted an opportunity.

Did you attend? Have any good conversations?

Two days, two views.

I have to admit, sometimes experience can get in the way. Or maybe it's expectations that get in the way. My two days exploring the International Builders' Show and talking with attendees and exhibitors reminded me that the same experience can be viewed through very different eyes. Long-time exhibitors in spacious booths were concerned about the light traffic. Yes, it was the first day of the show, and yes, the weather across the country was not cooperating, but wow. This was not the Builders' Show they remembered, with crowded aisles and long lines for registration, coffee and giveaways.

But a few conversations with first-time exhibitors made me look at the show through their eyes: they see an opportunity to engage with thousands of builders (how many are they really going to be able to talk with, anyway?), "break in" to the "main" (only) exhibit hall, and they are excited and pleased and optimistic. They're looking forward to following up with all those leads.

The second day of the show, traffic picked up quite a bit, and it'll be interesting to see what the final numbers are. I'm not sure the show will ever be as big as it once was, but I think that's OK. Maybe we all just need to look at it differently.

Did you attend the show? What's your view?