Posts in this once daily blog have become few and far between in recent weeks. The reasons: Travel, workload, and a challenging updating process with our server that operates during the early morning hours when I previously would post frequently. Now the sites and access to the blog are “down” just when I have the time available for the writing.
There’s another reason, and it is more challenging: I don’t simply want to post repetitive stories and personal musings (like today) to a relatively small audience; so have decided that no post may be better than a weak one.
That said, in a couple of hours I’ll begin a snowy drive to Toronto to set up for our annual display at The Buildings Show/Construct Canada. In some circles, there is debate about the cost-effectiveness of trade show exhibiting but for us, it is a no-brainer, in part because the show organizers extend us media trade-out privileges, meaning we don’t need to pay cash for our booth space. Travel costs are still an issue, though AirBNB has certainly helped bring these down quite a bit. With these factors in mind, it doesn’t take too many sales from the show to justify our presence.
We’ll use the event to soft-launch Ontario Construction News, our new tabloid/publication. “Soft launch” is probably the right word, in part because while the set up and systems are largely ready, there are still many details to co-ordinate and the new publication won’t become a revenue-generating business until July, 2019. In some respects, the people most interested in our new publication will be our competitors, but that always has been an issue with trade shows. If you want to gather competitive intelligence, send your reps around to competitor’s booths and ask questions — and you’ll learn a lot without needing to use cloaked spying techniques.
The other advantage of trade show participation, however, is the opportunity to meet and reconnect with industry leaders, clients, suppliers and others in our universe, and in that regard, if you are in Toronto and read this blog, please feel free to drop by booth 1153. If you want to be sure I’m there, I recommend you email me at buckshon@cnrgp.com or try phoning (613) 292-3973 as I will likely will be visiting other booths or sometimes staying behind at my accommodations to keep up on writing and the business operations. (Note cell phone signals are sometimes blocked on the show floor as organizers try to prevent exhibitors from working around way-overpriced fees for Internet WiFi access.)
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