Yes, it’s true, I have not been in attendance at many BCMC shows. But over the years, I’ve been involved with lots of them, so I know they can be a lot of work and a lot of fun.
Building Community, Making Connections
I remember the day that slogan came into being, because I was at that brainstorming meeting! But it’s more than a slogan – it’s a point of view, an action plan, a description of a reality we would all like to achieve. The cooperation within our industry is about more than salesmen and customers. It’s about p-e-o-p-l-e and r-e-l-a-t-i-o-n-s-h-i-p-s.
Building Excitement
It’s been many years since I’ve received one, but I have to give a shout-out to a certain fellow staff member who used to send an annual pre-BCMC email to all of us in-house. It was great. It reminded us how all of the hard work and long hours were going to pay off for everyone with a fabulous show at the end. It was a celebration of the reward that comes from a group effort. Importantly, it wasn’t about how each specific person contributed certain pieces to a project – it was about how the project itself was bigger than any single person involved. Truly, that collective effort is what makes the result better than any one person could achieve alone.
Making It Work
On the flipside, the success of the show is only ever partly due to all of people who organize it. Without the exhibitors and attendees, no one would be there to enjoy the party. They’re the audience – but they’re also the indispensible players. And the more that a person becomes involved in the experience, they more they will benefit from the show.
Valuing Connections
Several of the advertisers in this magazine will be exhibiting at the show this month too, so, if you’re going to Knoxville, please stop by their booths and say Hi. Whether or not you’re in the market for what they’re exhibiting, and whether or not you’re a longtime customer or never met them before, stop for a moment to see what’s new. I‘ve never known anyone who wished they had fewer connections with other people in this industry. And I’ve never known anyone who was less well off for having made a human connection. In the end, we all do our part, in our own ways, to help make things a little better.