Hi ,

 

Back in the saddle after a week in Los Angeles for Natural Products Expo West - which of course didn't happen. Got cancelled. Or postponed, whichever word works best for you. I can't imagine they'll figure out how to reschedule it.

 

But...it put me in the area for six days, which I put to good use. I hooked up with old friends, visited a national park and two presidential libraries. Not a bad way to spend a week, even though my preference would be to have been walking the show floor.

 

One blog post this week: my initial take on the show cancellation/postponement and a few thoughts on why it probably won't be rescheduled since the underlying issue - the coronavirus and COVID-19 - is getting worse, not better, with no end in sight.

 

Soundtrack for this week's issue - the stuff I'm listening to while writing this little missive: Santana's third album, referred to as Santana III (although that wasn't an official title), or The Man With the Outstretched Hand. Released in September 1971, it was a followup to Abraxas, and it was the last Santana album to hut number one on the Billboard charts until Supernatural in 1999. Santana III contained some radio-ready classics, including No One To Depend On, and Everybody's Everything, which hit number 12 on Billboard's Top 100. Good stuff.

 

Doing the Math at Tradeshows. Sometimes you can even get things to add up. Includes an ROI calculating spreadsheet from Handshake.

 

Why the Gravitee Exhibit is a Game-Changer. The Gravitee came out a few years ago, but it's still going strong. As you might imagine with something this great.