I just returned from the All American Fastener Show held in Nashville and will report that, although small, the show was terrific. Really, it was. Heidi Voltrauer of Volt Plastics does a great job hosting this show and the exhibitors at the show love being there. What the show lacks in size it makes up in…hmm…let’s call it intimacy. It boils down to a two or three day event and because it is not a huge show the attendees get a lot of time to spend together. I know that may sound like an apology for the size of the show, but it should not. Exhibitors and attendees have time to actually spend time discussing business in a bit more detail. Heidi has a strong core group of exhibitors that support the show and were actively discussing with her where she will hold the next All American Show. I had never spent time in Nashville till the show and I would be glad to go back and spend more time there again sometime. But, I’ll just wait and see what Heidi comes up with next. And, I truly think the show paid for itself which, in the end, is what you hope for from a trade show.
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I didn’t get a chance to go this year, but my boss Ira did. He said he had a great time. I agree with you Traveling Salesman, sometimes these bigger shows don’t allow you to have a real conversation, that is why so many of us schedule meals and drinks after the show. However, you can only fit so many of them in. Shows like this one and the Pac-West table top in Long Beach are a great way to build relationships.
I like them all. Each one has a different flavor to it. Vegas is great for seeing a ton of people and people from coast to coast. Fastener Tech enables you to visit a lot of people from the Midwest and is pretty clearly the 2nd largest U.S. show, and it is in the middle of several industrial states. Pac-West pulls in the west coasters. Each on has unique benefits. Whenever I leave the All American Show I feel like I’ve had some real quality time with the people who attend and I’m glad it is still running for that reason. I’ve always walked away thinking I’ve gotten to know some people better than I ever would have at the other shows.