Reflections on attending a live trade show for the first time in over a year.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
“Exhilarating.”
That’s how John K. Morgan described walking onto the show floor at the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers show in Las Vegas at the end of July — the first major live trade event he attended in more than a year.
Morgan is CEO of Green Forest Cabinetry in Chesapeake, Va. He served as board president of NKBA in 2013 and has spoken at KBIS, appeared at chapter meetings, spoken on “Brave New Business,” and at Chapter Officer Training, and been a KBIS exhibitor and a great supporter of NKBA for many years. He shared some thoughts about what it was like to be in person at a trade event and at the Las Vegas Convention Center again.
NKBA: What was the atmosphere and vibe like in the LVCC and at this show?
JKM: First of all, it was simply exhilarating just to be at a live event again. You could feel the same energy from everyone — exhibitors to attendees were overjoyed. You could tell people were very effervescent, and they were happy to be out of the house.
Overall, I was surprised by how normal everything truly felt. The show was well attended, but not crazy busy in the aisles. There was a good mix of people still wearing masks but the majority in attendance were not. LVCC did a phenomenal job. We were in the new hall, which was great, and there were certainly lots of hand-sanitizer stations. But being at the show was no different than what you encounter when grocery shopping at your local store.
NKBA: Was this show a hybrid — some live events, some virtual? How were the booth presentations – any limit on people permitted in a booth, or at seminars/events, etc.? Are there advantages to a hybrid event?
JKM: AWFS is a woodworking show, so there were a lot of demonstrations of precision tools. Hybrid events are advantageous with or without pandemics. Our everyday lives are already so integrated though technology; constantly extending and complementing our daily in-person and distanced experiences. Expanding the breadth and reach of conferences is a no-brainer.
NKBA: How would you characterize your feelings about returning to a live event — what are your biggest takeaways from an in-person show that are not possible at a virtual show?
JKM: I personally could not have been more excited to be traveling and going to a show again. I was like a kid going to Disney World! And that emotion is coming from someone who embraces technology tightly and leverages the hell out the instant access to information and interaction that virtual affords me. But having shared that, nothing beats spending live time at an event with the most innovative and knowledgeable people in your industry.
The casualness of your journey and interactions opens unexpected opportunities to discover gems you’re often not expecting. The continual randomness of meeting people, leading to more people and unforeseen conversations allows you to learn so much more. Plus, getting to see and test product reduces the time in your personal decision cycle.
NKBA: Having attended this show, what changes do you think KBIS will benefit from?
JKM: AWFS is a much smaller show than KBIS and very straightforward in its offering, so it’s different. I think KBIS should be considering making the process as seamless and touchless as possible, and using the tech available on our mobile devices. I’m excited for KBIS — we are exhibitors, and we really believe in the show.
NKBA: How was Vegas? Up and running full-blast as usual?
JKM: I love Vegas … truly love it. You could definitely see that they were only running at half speed during the middle of the week, many of the shops and restaurants were closed and the casino floors were not packed. But when Thursday hit, Vegas was back! Everything was open and roaring for the weekend and casinos were packed. The most noticeable difference was that all the Vegas employees were wearing masks, cleaning and sanitizing often. As I mentioned before, the visitors were more mixed, some with masks, many without. But again, it was not that different from what I experience at my local market. As an industry, we will have many different viewpoints coming to the show — and we’ll bring all sides together for common purpose.
Morgan and his colleague Emily McCullom, director of marketing & business development at Green Forest Cabinetry, will present “Getting Intimate on a PERSONA Level,” a two-hour professional development course under the Sales & Marketing track at the Voices from the Industry Conference at KBIS. This interactive course will entertain as well as offer tips on client and self-awareness and the process of constructing the core persona(s) needed to drive sales and marketing.
Registration is free for NKBA members during the month of September and discounted for non-members. Visit KBIS.com for up-to-date show information, to register and to purchase a VFTI package.
