the 300 lb gorilla in the room

I just came across a post from Debra Roth of Pink Inc (aka @PinkDeb) on Facebook and thought it was important to share. In her post, which you can read below, she expresses some concerns about the state of the economy and its impact on trade conferences as well as the the production (or in this case, limited production) of new ideas, products and relevant education.

I too attended The Special Event Show in New Orleans and was saddened to see far fewer people than in years past. Even more shocking was a Gala Awards auditorium, filled with chairs – more than half of them empty. Shock and sadness because the show has always been something I look forward to – to connect with friends, new and old…to taste, see and touch the hottest new products to hit the industry, to learn from the best minds in our industry and to be inspired by the great projects and feats undertaken by amazing event professionals from around the world.

So, yes, I agree with Deb’s sentiments and felt the same pain. But all too often, we end it there. What I love about Deb’s post is that she’s asked us to all reflect on what WE can do to change the situation. After all, aren’t we magicians (who can make anything happen), creators (who think beyond convention) and survivors (who can defeat any challenge)? My contribution is leveraging social media to help spread the word about why face-to-face events are so very important. I’m hoping that this post inspired other people to ask the same question (as Deb’s did for me). So, what will YOU do?

Since 1994 I have been regularly involved in TSE – The Special Event – a trade show and conference for the Special Event industry. This year reminded me of many years ago – when all of the cool new innovations – had not yet been discovered – before when our industry was very young and we had not yet set the bar, let alone innovate.

The state of the industry has left us all holding on tight to our little spot. With trade shows being expensive, it doesn’t’ allow us to send and spend like we did just a few short years ago.

Although all of our attitudes are great and we networked up and down the yin-yang there was a sense of missing….numbers of people, new ideas and products and not a real focus on addressing the idea that our industry is in real trouble.

One of my take aways is HOW CAN I HELP? Give me the data and statistics to talk about this fact – what can I do? What can you do?

Am I alone in this feeling?”

Update: I think this post from Seth Godin does a wonderful job of summarizing how we need to shift our thinking and go beyond simply being average and status quo.