Marshall Yard:

This past year was very full of interesting booth designs at the KBIS Trade Show - it was quite amazing to see the entire bathroom exhibit go up in the back of Catalyst.

Kevin was doing back flips in his tank, which the water is getting murky and needs to be changed soon, but he loved reading the newmradio blog, and the trivia questions! He called my husband last night, yeah-thanks Kevin for waking me up, and he asked him for some obscure trivia.. here one of the questions he came up with?

Name the band that Elton John & Rod Stewart were in together?

When you first enter into the trade show circuit, there are several reasons to choose an exhibit house that will best help you display your new product.  Launching a new product - as Siemens Medical did at the recent SNM Trade Show, will have a profound impact on your future growth & success. 

When partnering with an exhibit house, you are getting into the arena of event marketing as well.  A well rounded team is needed for graphics and imagery which will help give you the visual effect desired, leading to an exhibit that is pleasing to the eye and welcoming to prospective clients.  New Product Launches and a well designed, powerful exhibit will generate leads and increase sales.

 Interop will be taking place at Javits Convention Center in New York on October 22nd-26th, 2007.   Showcasing new technologies and the latest in IT.   There will be over 200 exhibits, and you will be able to get live demo’s with the latest and greatest in new technology.

Wireless Networks, Wireless Phones, Internet, Google, and Blogging, Kevin is a little confused so he dug deep into the tank and dug out his phone and decided to make some calls over the weekend. 

Given the headache we have had in the last few weeks over our new VPS - Virtual Private Server.  Kevin called me, SINCE the girls wouldn’t let him go home with me on his scheduled sleep over.  He asked that I give him some information on some of the technologies that will be showcased at this upcoming trade show.   Interop 2007 in October is actually going to be four trade shows in one! You will be able to attend Interop, VoiceCon, Mobile Business Expo and Outsource World ! I told him that the new VPS system that we have gotten has been a nightmare, not only for our inhouse IT guy, but for those involved with the walls of Catalyst Exhibits, Inc. With email going down mid week, and no answer from our VPS hosting company for over an hour, we all got some time to catch up on human contact. 

I explained to Kevin the in’s and outs of wireless communication, and he felt that he would stick with his land line.  He may be looking to borrow someone’s rollover minutes as he travels more, and is really intersted in getting in Nancy’s suitcase the next time she is out on the road.  

Okay, when I stumbled on to the Booth Crawl, that really intrigued out little mississippi map lush.. I mean mascot! He is going to pack his own bags and his martini & margarita glasses, and head out for the booth crawl.  Its a wonder how he fits in here so well!

Leave it to the boys in back - they decided they were going to wrap his mother’s car, not his mind you in Saran Wrap! Along with the metal shipping straps for large exhibits and displays that go out of the joint!

Wait til Trevor’s mom see’s the scratches!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5nESI_lQ7A]

Seeking out his morning brew, he ran across this email in his inbox, and had to share it.  Being the clean creature he is….NOT, it struck his little turtle funny bone! The original email was a complaint of dirty coffee mugs left in the conference room:  The follow up email was broadcast from one of our own account executives, after a long day, tucked in her office in the sub zero weather of our sales department, since Deb is flashing, we do have to keep the air cranked! Back to the email.

To the team:

Oh, alas, I am the culprit!  I must throw myself at the mercy of those that this has greatly affected and must beg for your forgiveness for my cruel and thoughtless actions.  Please know that this is something I have been struggling with for quite some time and my secret is finally out.  Hi.  My name is Mary and I am a member of Those Who Leave Coffee Cups Behind in Conference Rooms Anonymous.  I hardly slept a wink last night knowing that someone, somehow would happen upon the coffee cup used by my client that I so carelessly left behind for someone else to bear the burden of having to remove from the room and realize that I am indeed a member of Those Who Leave Coffee Cups Behind in Conference Rooms Anonymous (a founding member, I must add.)  Oh, if you only knew the anguish and pain this has caused in my life.  I find it affecting many aspects of my life.  For example, once I left the coffee pot on ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!  That’s when I hit rock bottom and knew I had a problem and must confront it head on.  So I ask you for your patience as I battle this struggle and appreciate all of your support so that I can one day be a member of the Those Who NEVER Leave Cups Behind in Conference Rooms, as apparently some of you are! 

Zen Gardens help the mind and calm the nerves.  The Zen Garden in Account Management was the first I spotted at Catalyst – I wondered what the person was thinking as they quietly raked the delicate sand and rocks. This prompted me to place one up at the reception desk and  I noticed people (almost instinctively) drawn to the Garden. Patterns created included circles, zig-zags, straight lines and completely smooth surfaces.  What do these patterns represent?  Oddly enough, desk-dwellers and “creative minds” at Catalyst often raked very simple patterns…but individuals whose work is more physical raked elaborate, intricate designs.

My own interpretation is that, through the Zen Garden, people rid themselves of mental clutter and stored energy – in a manner seemingly inconsistent with their daily routines.

Stepping away from deadlines, shipments, phone calls and schedules for just a moment nurturs a sort of mental deep breath.  What happens when the solution to a problem alludes you? Often the remedy is made clear after you’ve put it aside for a while.Researchers tracked 23,861 healthy Greek adults for an average of six years.  Those who napped for a half hour three times a week revealed a 37% lower risk of expiring from a heart attack.  Rejuvenation in any form does a body good. Enjoying only a minute or two of untrained thought can give us a fresh mind and a more positive approach.  Allow a cleaner channel for creative thought and for physical performance.Have you ever created shortcuts on your desktop? Have these desktop icons become visual clutter on your screen? When you look at the icons on your desktop that you created for ease of use, do you realize the tracking clutter you are creating? When you have to spend more than 30 seconds searching that cluttered desktop you are only creating mental cobwebs that inventibly catch more clutter. When you simplify your surroundings, you release all the chaos that often goes unnoticed.Simplicity is the antidote for chaos. What better form of simplicity than powdered, white sand?Any type of relaxation techniques you can choose from out there will reduce negativity and your reactions to any negativity around you.  When you choose to allow any negative into your life or build up during routine activities of your day, you wear down you ability to fight off illness, emotional well being and become less productive in the long run.   

Whether you are attending the ISSA Trade Show for Janitorial Supplies or you are attending the CES Trade Show for Consumer Electronics, a good rule of thumb is to always pre-register.  You do not want to be waiting like a herd of turtles (no offense Kevin) in anticipation of viewing the latest and greatest in vacuums and toilet paper. (Toilet Paper-it is a little known fact, I the writer used to work for a Janitorial Supplies Rep-also a Kevin- are we seeing  a trend here? - borrowing from the samples was part of the job, and to my utter dismay, I now have to purchase toilet paper, and its outrageously priced) .

Map out your plan for which exhibits and displays you would like to visit.  The trade show websites always supply great resources and most have online maps of where the exhibitors are going to be located.  Print it out and plan your attack.