Hi ,

 

Tradeshows and events are not back. The COVID-19 pandemic is not done. But I continue to be impressed by how companies in the space are moving forward, finding new ways of doing business, trying to pry open markets that they might not have otherwise pursued with such vigor. 

 

Some of that pursuit leads to digital, whether it be virtual tradeshows, webinars, Zoom meetings or more. On this week's TradeshowGuy Monday Morning Coffee, I sit down with Lisa Apolinski to talk about digital and virtual meetings. Also, a blog post on what matters most in or out of the tradeshow world, and a brief video that looks at signs that it might be time to consider investing in tradeshow marketing, especially if it's a new marketing tool for you.

 

Soundtrack for this week's issue is Chicago VII, a double album released in March, 1974 by Chicago. I was between my first and second year of college that summer, and drove up to Portland to see them on July 18, 1974. I paid $6.50 for the ticket. Good times (I saw them the previous summer as well, although the ticket stub doesn't say how much it cost!).

 

The album was a bit of a change for the band, in that it had more jazz influences and was much softer than previous albums. Still, it yielded a couple of top ten hits, "(I've Been) Searchin' For So Long," and "Call On Me." And the song "Wishing You Were Here," made it to #11 on Billboard's Hot 100. Despite the shift in tone, Chicago VII was a successful album. It was recorded at James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch, which was also the site of other famous recordings by Elton John, Joe Walsh, Earth, Wind and Fire, the Beach Boys and many others. The studio went closed in 1985 when a fire destroyed the control room.

 

From Muck Rack newsletter:

 

The full website for The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy, went live yesterday, and as Jen Chaneysays, “First article I clicked on already had me hooked.” She’s referring to Chabeli Carrazana’s piece on America’s first female recession, about which Amanda Becker says, “@ChabeliH knocked it out of the park with this launch story. A must-read.” 

 

From David Weiss, on a post from ReThink the Way You Sell (not 100% sure you can access this without registering...):

 

"...you can’t create effective change without trust, and no one trusts a stranger until they feel they understand them and their businesses.
This is one of the most common errors that new leaders make, which brings me to my 3 leadership lessons:
You work for your people and your team; it is not the other way around.   
This was a tough lesson for me to learn. When I thought that I could just tell everyone the “right” things to do (i.e., exactly what I would do if I was selling), and magic would happen, what I didn’t account for is this: They weren’t me, and I was not them."

 

 

7 Tradeshow Exhibit Accessories to Spice Up Your Appearance. Just a few additions can make your exhibit sparkle.

 

What Does a Tradeshow Manager Do? There are a lot of common tasks from company to company, but it's not always the same.