And we're back

Sadly I did not win the $12M jackpot on the slot machine I played. But then again I only played $3 so some could argue I didn't give the machine a fair shake. Other than that $3 lose though we did make some good money. I just got home and am exhausted from the show so I'm going to keep this short (for now) but in a nutshell the show went really really well. When I added it all up yesterday it turned out that we had more than broken even on the show based on the orders written at the show. That's great news as we will typically get in followup orders in the two weeks after the show so the usual goal is to at a minimum break even at the show itself. I think the show was better this year though with a twist. We had far more people really coming by the booth and spending a considerable amount of time asking us questions about our products, wanting to know the best way to display the products, etc. This is in contrast to a lot of the folks who came by last year mainly looking to see if we dropshipped (no, we don't) or if we were handing out free samples. And while not everyone we spent time with placed an order, I and other vendors got the sense that many retailers are delaying their buying decisions to a little closer to the holidays given the current uncertainty in the marketplace. However, I do think we're going to get a good number of followup orders as we start to get to the end of Sept and into October as despite the economy, retailers still need to have something to put on their shelves for the holidays.

So all in all I was really happy with the show. We also made some great new contacts that could have the potential for great business down the road if I can swing it correctly. Plus, despite the broken leg, I realized that Vegas is a much nicer town if you're not staying at the rock bottom barrel hotel on the strip. This year I split my time between Treasure Island (while not the top of the top, it was a marked improvement over where I stayed last year) and the Four Seasons (my better half was in town on business so I stayed with him when he was there) and the fact that the rooms were nicer and more appealing to go back to after a very long day on the showroom floor made a huge difference in my attitude. This is the second year in Vegas though where I still haven't made it to hang out by the pool. Last year I couldn't find the stupid pool thanks to the maze-like design of the crappy hotel, and this year my doc has put a hold on submerging my leg for a few more weeks. So I will be going back to the show next year and hopefully third year will be the charm when it comes to finding a little time to relax by the pool.