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The Vegas show was again very active this year.  Some exhibitors told me that their booths were extremely busy, possibly the best show they ever had.  A few said they thought the show was not as busy.  I guess it depends on your booth and possibly if you have anything new going on to present.  You do have to do something to draw attendees to the booth or you will mostly just get your current customer base stopping by to say hello.  There are all kinds of strategies.

It is still difficult to get everyone gathered together after the show on Thursday or really any time.  The Bourbon Room was busy but I did notice there were some companies missing that usually would show up.  I think some of the dinners and hospitality suites make it nearly impossible to get a really large, inclusive gathering.  Still, I’m sure that all the individual gatherings are good and productive and, in the end, we all do not have to be in the same place at the same time.  I still like the opening Bash, and this year it was at the Treasure Island.  That is a really good gathering and I always wish it lasted longer than an hour.

Last year, the Brighton Best purchase of Porteous was the big buzz at the show.  This year, I’d have to say the Lindstrom purchase of Titan was a common topic of discussion.  For a company that has historically sold mostly just metric fasteners, this is a game changer.  I know a lot of Lindstrom people but never really got a chance to talk to them and ask questions.  If I did, I’d have wanted to ask:

– so, are you into inch fasteners now?

– you selling bulk inch fasteners next?

– why a packaged house?  Do you think there is good growth potential in packaged?

– are you making a bigger play in the socket market with this acquisition?

Let’s face it, I try to keep this site pretty non-controversial, and those certainly are not controversial questions.  But, the marketplace is without a doubt asking those questions.  It will be interesting to see what plays out as time goes on.  And, it was even more interesting as BBI had purchased a California-based packaged fastener house earlier in the year.

I got a couple of notes already from people who attended the show.  I will share some of them over the next couple days.  In the meantime, please let me know how you found the Vegas show.