Here's a little bit of observational commentary about my week. I've been in Las Vegas since last Sunday night for a major trade show that happens only once every three years. Exhibitors would generally be classified as industrial manufacturing companies. 1/n
The industrial sector overall has been on squishy ground since the tariff war started, and things got really freaky starting about four months ago. I thought about pulling our company out, but the costs were already sunk so, what the hell let's go and see what we can do. 2/n
I have no complaints about our week; we made some really good contacts. Now, I've been exhibiting at trade shows in a number of industries over the past 20 years, and I saw shit this week that I haven't seen since 2008. It really made my jaw drop. 3/n
Smaller companies with 10' x 20' booths they'd paid roughly 8 - 9k for upfront, didn't show up. Other companies with similarly sized booths had their displays set up, but no personnel there to talk to prospects, capture leads, etc. So far, this isn't earth shattering. 4/n
The kicker for me though was the number of large displays by multi-national companies--we're talking 50' x 50' up to 100' x 100' (ca. 25k - 50k just for the space alone)--with no to little product displayed and expensive, custom built displays, with no personnel. 5/n
This was when I realized what kind of rough shape our sector is in because this is exactly what you'd see at a major exposition in '08. The major companies had made the decision that they were already in for 100k to 250k or more and they'd decided to cut their losses. 6/n
On top of it all, the organizers decided to end the show a day early due to the pandemic. As I said earlier, the right audience was there for a bunch of the exhibitors, but there was an utter dearth of engineers, the audience we're trying to reach. 7/n
And this is THE North American show that most of our prospective customer base, under normal conditions, just wouldn't miss. Nonetheless, no complaints from me.
A bit more background. I've been coming to Vegas for trade shows for nearly 20 years, averaging about 2 per year. 8/n
A bit more background. I've been coming to Vegas for trade shows for nearly 20 years, averaging about 2 per year. 8/n
I don't come out here otherwise. The things I've seen (or not seen) have impressed upon me the nature of the shit we're in right now. To start with, I'll say I like to play a little blackjack when I'm out here, and I'll usually sit at a table for an hour or two at a time. 9/n
A first for me: being at a table and not playing with a single Chinese person. I'm not talking US or Canadian citizens who were either naturalized or born here of Chinese ancestry. I'm saying actual Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau residents. It's just weird. 10/n
Also, seeing sports books closed. Makes sense given that all the sports we gamble on are shuttered. So, I won't make my usual fruitless $5 bet on my favorite teams to win their leagues' championships. But, it's strange to see empty chairs and odds on un-played games. 11/n
But those things are truly minor. What concerns me the most is the economic shitstorm that's brewing for all of the service workers out here (and across the country as well). My cab driver this morning told me that compared to three years ago, he'd noticed the decline in... 12/n
attendees for our show, as well as the decline in visitors to Vegas overall in the past couple of weeks. On top of that, he's concerned about the meeting his cab company is going to have on Monday morning. 13/n
As anyone who isn't a total prick knows, you can have some enlightening conversations with cabbies about the general feel of a place, and the feel of Vegas right now ain't good. This particular driver told me of a conversation he'd had with a doorman at a major hotel. 14/n
(No, it wasn't the tRUmp, if it was I'd say so.) But, the doorman told him they've only got 10% occupancy over the next couple weeks. I've heard 20% to 30% from other visitors who actually talk to the service people at their hotels. 15/n
Folks, this is going to last for a couple of months and there is going to be economic pain and misery before it's all over. 16/n
Another thing that's bizarre is the lack of Californians this weekend. Other times I've been here, it seems like half the population of southern California rolls in to town for the weekend. There are a few Californians here, but nothing at all like I've experienced before. 17/n
Finally, back to the trade show. The audience for this show trends conservative. I actually saw two people wearing MAGA hats--something I'd never seen IRL until then. Now, I am an eavesdropper and I have exceptional hearing "for a man my age" (an audiologist I saw). 18/n
I was astounded by some of the conversations I overheard at the show. Conversations that included words and phrase like "that stupid motherfucker" "self-inflicted wound" "predictable" and others. And even though those of us selling/exhibiting try to maintain a façade... 19/n
of neutrality when we have visitors in our booth, I was surprised by the number of other exhibitors I talked to who just let it all hang out. Not tons of exhibitors, but enough who, under less economic and pandemic threat, would never, ever have gone there. 20/n
Not only that, but we all usually try to clean up our language at the show. Anyone who's read any of my tweets knows I don't exactly hold back here, and others' cursing mostly doesn't offend me (though whether I get offended or not is a contextual thing). 21/n
But the number of other sellers I spoke with who were letting their opinions fly along with the effenheimers and other curses just astounded me. It tells me that tRUmp is losing a portion of the electorate that would usually support him. 22/n
Well, that's it. That's my take away from this week. We're all in for a bumpy ride for the next few months regardless of our occupations. Good luck. Now it's time for a few hands of blackjack and the start of Sunday's hangover. 23/23
