From the Editor: Trade Show Woes

It's somewhat flattering that in one of the opening keynote sessions this year ("50 Ideas in 50 Minutes") two of the five panelists will be in-plant managers (Debbie Pavletich, of Briggs & Stratton, and Roger Chamberlain, of The Cincinnati Insurance Company).

This will be my 16th On Demand show (woah!), so I have a pretty good idea of which managers often attend. I e-mailed a dozen or so of them to see how many were coming this time. All of the local Philadelphia-area managers I contacted are planning to attend, some with staff. Most say the main reason they are going is because it's so close. (A quick, easy trip, and a day out of the office—why not?) A couple of those folks plan to investigate particular types of equipment, such as folders, coil punches, varnishing gear and wide-format printers. Some have specific gear in mind: a Duplo DC-645 slitter/cutter/creaser, a Xanté Ilumina press. One manager says he's hoping to get ideas for new revenue streams. Others say they just want to check in with their vendors.