My current column for Window Fashion Vision Magazine.
http://www.wf-vision.com/viewarticle.aspx?cid=126822&pid=587
I remember being a very upset 5-year-old when my father was leaving on a four-day trip to the Chicago Houseware Show. I was crying because my dad was embarking to a faraway place without me. He explained that it was important for him to go to this mysterious destination because it was “good for the store.” The store was a retail business in the Bronx that he eventually sold, only to open a similar type store in the suburbs, a place where I would grow up along with my brother and sister. The concept of the trade show—which we just called The Show—became ingrained in me at an early age.
When I was a little older, my parents took me along with them to the shows. There were industry events, such as The Bath Show and The Gift Show, with aisles and aisles of booths with all sorts of merchandise that my mom and dad scoured while I tagged along. When I started my own business in the mid-1980s, I also went to The Show. They were and still are an indispensable part of running a business.
It was so exciting to go to our industry shows in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I left those shows awakened after seeing the booths from Hunter Douglas, Graber, Kirsch, Levolor and Ado. I felt part of something larger than I did with my own small business. I felt special when someone from Hunter Douglas would take me into a private room along with a few other fortunate dealers to get my opinion on a new product soon to be launched. I felt privileged to sell their products.
I am writing this article just after Vision10: IWCE (as the shown is now known) in Atlanta. Things have certainly changed. Gone are the majors. The reasoning, as I would imagine, is that it is not worth the expense and effort. Also missing were the huge crowds roaming the exhibition floor and seminar rooms, who were, I assume, absent for the same reasons as the suppliers. To me this is a huge mistake. Yes, the show is smaller than in years past, but it is still important to be here and it still makes a difference to the success of my business.
Vision10: IWCE matters because of two main benefits: education and networking. Let’s start with education. There are always many opportunities to learn something at the show, either at one of the booths where new products or ideas are presented or in one of the many seminars offered. This year I sat in a class taught by Deb Barrett called “Transform Custom to Couture: A Designer’s Guide to High Style Window Fashions.” What a great class! I have been in the drapery workroom business for 25 years and couldn’t imagine that I could learn anything new. I came away with a dozen new ideas that will impress my clients.
Knowledge is power, and how will we learn anything stuck at home? Sessions by industry leaders such as Debbie Green and Jackie Von Tobel are immeasurable in terms of what it means to one’s business. Then there are the networking opportunities that come in a variety of ways: mingling on the exhibition floor, socializing at the different parties, having breakfast with friends and suppliers, or meeting owners and upper management of firms that are attending or exhibiting. I particularly like what Jay Helser of Helser Brothers, a perennial exhibitor, said: “It’s about the intangibles. I always pick up something new from meeting customers and prospects at the show that turns into dollars. Maybe it’s reinforcing an existing relationship or making a new one, or getting a idea from a conversation.”
John Fitzgerald rattled off half a dozen immediate benefits that Comfortex would realize from the show all due to networking and exhibiting. Attendees such as Sarah Youngblood of Youngblood Interiors, Alpharetta, Ga., told me she always goes to the show because it gives her a chance to reconnect with business acquaintances and friends. Her clients love the idea that she is searching for new products and concepts.
Nearly every person I spoke to at the show had positive remarks about why it is worthwhile to invest in attending or exhibiting. I love what Margi Kyle, The Designing Doctor, based in Charlotte, N.C., said to me: “If you don’t appear, you disappear.” These are words of wisdom that we all need to listen to. My good friend Linda Bassert, owner of Masterworks Window Fashions and Design in Washington, D.C., says, “The importance of the IWCE to me is immeasurable. Each time I come here I meet other professionals who understand the challenges and rewards of our business. I find inspiration and fall in love all over again with window treatment design.”
We need to have a strong yearly event that we all participate in. John Fitzgerald of Comfortex told me of his days with the Direct Marketers Association. “Their yearly show was a must-go event. If you didn’t show up, it was considered a faux pas.” It is time for companies like Hunter Douglas, Springs, Ado, Rollease, Norman and others to come back to the show and be the examples for others to follow. Our industry needs you and I know you need us. You may believe that you can do without the show and reach out to your base on your own. But if you only preach to your followers, how will you ever have a chance to learn and grow?
Neil Gordon is owner of Decorating with Fabric, a drapery workroom serving architects and designers in the New York metropolitan area. He has written written a book called The Designer’s Coach and has presented nearly 100 webinars. One of his next is “The Green Window” on August 19 at 12:00 EST where he will cover many areas from energy conservation ideas to green and sustainable products and finally to ways of reducing your consumption footprint.