Marshall Yard:

If you’ve kept tabs on the evolution of Marshall-Yard over the years, you probably know some of our more prominent “characters” that make us who we are. Originally there was Kevin, the Mississippi Map Turtle. Next, there was the Trade Show Blog Master, a tyranical and predatory ruler who cracks the whip that keeps this blog motivated. Ever the optimist, the blog master’s reputation precedes him at every moment of the day.

It is without any further ado, that I introduce our latest friend here at the blog:

The Trade Show Blog Sherpa.

He does all of the heavy lifting for us here at the blog. Got a question about how many amps that 42″ LCD screen will require? Sherpa has the answer. Need to know how many labor hours that hanging canopy will add to the booth? 2 hours, says he. Need to send a graphic panel to McCormick Place because the installer scratched the original? No problem, he’ll be down there in less than an hour - thanks Sherpa. (more…)

Grab your bags, Kevin wanted to go shopping! If you are new to Marshall Yard - The Trade Show Blog - Kevin is our resident Mascot and is a Mississippi Map Turtle.   Often times he journeys with me from trade show to trade show.  

Global Shop is returning to Chicago, March 18th - 20th, 2008, in the new West Hall at McCormick Place.   With over 8,000 new products being showcased, and 900 exhibitors, this is the largest annual retail design event in the United States.   There will be several conferences from scent marketing to woman’s retail rituals.

I wonder how exhibits are perceived from the view points of men and woman?  Is one exhibit booth more aesthetically pleasing than another because of our gender?  Have you ever bought something for the opposite sex that you thought was stunning, and yet they looked at it as if you picked it out of the trash can?  A perfume or cologne you love on a spouse, that they can not stand?

I really think the perception of anything visual does have some sort of gender boundry. 

I belive it takes a diverse team of marketing specialist to create and integrate idea’s and plans for a full impact trade show display.  Constant communication during design and brainstorm sessions can bring alot more clarity and balance to any project.  

Voice your opinion.. 

Kevin - The Mississippi Map Turtle Mascot, was not real happy I shared his post about being depressed yesterday, so I got him online and we wanted to share some information the  MDM - Medical Design & Manufacturing Trade Show.  Coming to Aneheim California on January 29th-31st, 2008 at the Aneheim Convention Center.  Whether your business is designing of equipment for cardiac care, respitory, or surgery, this is the place that new product previews and launches are anticipated. 

Two great conferences will be taking place for any VP or Director level medical manufacturing executive.  If you are attending the MDM Expo, you are also invited to the industry related trade shows: Electronics West, Pacific Design & Manufacturing, WestPack, Plastec West and Automation Technology Expo.  With an increasingly competative healthcare market place these trade shows are informative and continue on with great advancements in our medical needs. 

While you are  thinking of your exhibit strategy for MDM West Trade Show, keep in mind the comfort of your exhibit for your prospective clients that will be reviewing the product launches all around you.  Promotional pre-show strategy can also give you an added advantage over your competition. 

So many medical advances have taken place over the years, it is quite amazing, while reading about some of the technology that is present at these shows, I thought of a process called plasmapheresis - a word that I had never heard of until my mother was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. It is the removal, treatment and the return of blood plasma from the circulatory system.  The medical device that is used for this is called a cell seperator, it is quite amazing, it’s a process that literally washes the blood of the impurities that your system can not eliminate on its own. 

I was astounded at all the new medical devices and instruments that will be present at the MDM Expo, from Sterilization Equipment to computer aided devices. 

Kevin came back early from his weekend home because he was “DEPRESSED” as Lauren put it…she brought him back to the hustle and bustle of the exhibit house chaos, but seriously, as we sit here this evening watching Crossroads, I think it is all about the music…mind you Lauren, he is from Mississippi and likes to hear the blues and not rap music.  You all know my feelings about  Stevie, well, Kevin feels that way about Ry Cooder’s blues.  

That swampy sound of the slide guitar has Kevin in a twist, down with those snakes and alligators, he feels right at home! Can a turtle get depressed, I actually have to agree with Lauren, yes, I think they can.  Let me tell you, I have brought Kevin home now for several weekends, and his little trade show exhibit mascot spirit seems to be taking a beating. Initially I thought that it would be good for the little fellow, but he just seems to sink himself deep in the water and not even the meanest of blues tunes brings him out to feed in front of his weekend collegues.

I thought I was doing Kevin a favor bringing him home on weekends, for the heat lamp and the feeding, but heck, if it is going to get this boy singing the blues, I ’spose it is best to leave him be. I noticed the fact as well as Lauren that he sat himself in the deep blue sea of the aquarium that I bought him that he is not quite as active in his weekend environment.  I can truly hear Kevin quoting Crossroads characters, “if you are going to be a janitor..mop my room.” 

Well, we get back to the Janitor..and I have visions of walking around the ISSA trade show, and thinking oh my gosh, how many more exhibits with bathrooms and toilets, and toilet paper, or fuffy smelly good stuff can I see, the answer to that, unless you are in the exhibit house business, or in the janitorial supply rep business, you can never imagine…and let me tell you, urinal cakes, make and extremely funny gag gift.

Kevin continue’s to eat, and continue’s to grow, with the addition of lettuce and spinach lately, he asked what other grub he could be munching on, which in turn got us thinking about;  The World Wide Foods 2007 Trade Show which will be held at McCormick place on October 24th-26th, 2007.   

If your company has anything to do with the Food & Dairy Industry, this is a place to be to promote your business solutions.  With over one million square feet of exhibit space, and over a thousand suppliers, the opportunity for networking is fantastic.   On hand will be the latest and greatest in processing software, supplies, and much more.  I really did not grasp all the topics that could be covered at an expo such as this,  Safety of Food Handling, Chemicals that are used in the packages, from candy bars to fast food french fry packaging and last but not least responsibilities to customer needs when deliverying products. 

There will be hours of education for anyone in the industry from plant managers to quality control professionals.  Exhibiting at Worldwide foods has proved to be a value to several of exhibitors past.   The AMI Expo and IDFA Expo will be hosted within the confines of McCormick Place as well, AMI will be focusing on Meat, Poultry & Seafood - I told Kevin there would be no turtle soup served! The IDFA is focused on the Food, Dairy & Beverage. 

With key decision makers and heavy hitters attending the expo, it is a great place to network and get your products knowledged and get a bite out of the competition.   Why not spice up your exhibit booth and draw in the attention of the prospects that are waiting for you at the Worldwide Food 2007 Trade Show. 

AHR Expo is coming to New York, for the first time in 17 years, the AHR Expo for HVAC&R Industry Professionals will be at Javits Convention Center.  January 22nd-24th, 2008 will bring forth a wealth of information at AHR Expo, buy, sell, network and learn is what Kevin & I read on the website.  (Kevin is sleeping under his heat lamp right now-ain’t he the cutest) Before his nap, he said he loved the heat lamp, and would I investigate anything related.   Actually, I need a heat lamp, its like the arctic back here!

With the AHR Expo being housed in the Empire State Region, the attendance is supposed to climb.  This is the biggest residential and commercial HVAC&R area in the market in the U.S.   With hopes of drawing in many more attendees and exhibitors who have not had a chance to attend in the past.

With 1500 Exhibitors already signed up, there are many more international companies from over 30 various countries.   According to a survey from AHR 2007, 95% of the visitors said they found products & information to improve their business operations. 

Planning and preparation of your trade show exhibit can improve your effectiveness, and give you a better edge after the show ends.  Involving management shows a deep support team and the process of setting trade show goals can come full circle and your achievements can be astounding.

HVAC equipment is expected to grow to a 14.5 billion dollar buisness by 2019, planning to exhibit at AHR Expo could be of great value in trying to grow your business, with new and exciting features being offered at this years AHR Expo, education in new technologies and networking are among several possibilites.

Oh yet again,. Kevin pooped in the cooler, remind me, not to load that one up with Corona’s anytime soon.  The ride home was an adventure.  If I get in an accident, whats going to happen when Kevin flys out of the cooler? I thought of that while driving and paying more attention to him trying to escape the mini six packer’r that he is packed in for his venture to my house. 

Who would ever look in for a turtle being transported? Not me? Any paramedics out there that would? Hmmm….a cooler that looks like it was pooped in? I doubt the first thought would be what was in there other than some food.  A sloppy cooler carrier?

Turtles can carry salmonela, so it is a good habit to get in to always wash your hands after you touch them, or handle anything.. such as the disgusting cooler! I got him home, and chose a few more rocks from the garden, which mind you, I got eaten by mosquito’s while trying to pick the right ones for his weekend visit to my house, its like a volleyball team of mosquito’s out there, and we the humans are their ball!

Kevin-loveD the spinach that I fed him, his mommy told me I could..and that made him a bit more active on his weekend hiatus!

Kevin dug out some pictures of Catalyst Exhibits, Inc. annual Dog Day from a few years back and wanted to share a few tid bids on Pet Care and the Global Pet Expo Trade Show 2008. This year the trade show will be taking place on February 14th-16th, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center.   In 2007 there were over 760 Exhibitors that attended and took up over 230,000 square feet of exhibit space. 

If you are attending the expo as an exhibitor, keep in mind that this is over a 41 billion dollar business.  With pet’s becoming part of our families, and being subjected to many more environmental issues, you will want your exhibit to make an impact, you’ll want your exhibit to be what you want your products to be.  Build a better trade show image with a great marketing program, attending trade shows can be time consuming, finding an inspired exhibit company can help make that process a bit more simple.  Allowing you more time to focus on the your prospects, and making them feel comfortable with your knowledge of the products & services you are exhibiting. A innovative exhibit company helps you intertwine the details of your product, services & knowledge blending them together for you in an eye catching, creatively cool trade show display.

Kevin wanted me to share with you his excitement from the other day.. WORMS! He loves eating worms, trust me, we have no shortage of rain so the pickings in the parking lot are great.  The more plump the better in his book.  He asked that I share with you some things not to feed your pets;

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages (Stanley my cat would be very upset at this one - he finds open beer delightful)
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Kevin took a little trip into my office yesterday while his 40 gallon habitat was cleaned of turtle dookie, a chore that the girls need to do about every two weeks.  Yeah..yeah.., I will get to CES Trade Show 2008  in a moment, but for all you turtle surfers, I’ve gotta give you a little tip; I thought you needed to completely empty the tank, but one of the ladies..(haha) if you could hear her mouth..you’d understand, told me that you actually don’t empty it completely, it does need to have some level of bacteria left in it.  

CES Trade Show 2008 will be held January 7th-10th, in Las Vegas with Bill Gates kicking off as the keynote speaker.   While Kevin was in my office, he took a liking to the keyboard, and the questions about technology started flying out his little muppet mouth.

Catalyst Exhibits, Inc. represented four clients at CES last year, the custom exhibits that were designed for CES ranged from 30′ x 30′, 55′ x 60′ and a meeting room that was 4200 square feet.   Exhibitors at CES range from Home Networking, Gaming, Audio Visual and Wireless Technologies, just to name a few.  Emerging technolgies are coming forth at lighting speed, and as we sit at our computers its not surprising in the least that they are outdated, and considered dinasours.  Actually, the moment they shipped from the factory, they have been put on the endangered list.

Lights, Camera, Action!  LDI 2007 - Kevin (the Mississippi Map Mascot) was sunbathing under his heat lamp, and was daydreaming about being on the big screen.  Kevin decided to call  some old relatives and ran across his family tree, not even realizing his ancestory he discovered he was related to Gamera, remember Gamera? From Godzilla.  Kevin got very curious about the live entertainment industry, not sure he will follow in Gamera’s footsteps but  I directed him to LDI Tradeshow 2007 - November 12-18th, 2007, Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida.

LDI is where there is an abundance of technologies for the live entertainment; industry, lighting, audio, special effects, projection and staging are just a few topics that are covered in several educational seminars and events through out the week. 

400 vendors were the last LDI tradeshow,  covering cutting edge topics.  LDI has been taking place for 20 years. A well know name  that exhibits at LDI tradeshow is Rose Brand, this is truly a success story worth reading; read how Rose Brand decided to start exhibiting at trade shows and the impact it has had for them.  Rose Brand started out selling cleaning cloths, and over the years developed into selling theatrical cloths and now if there is something you need in the entertainment industry, it is most likely that Rose Brand can help you. 

Looking for answers about starting to exhibit?

Holy Crap…and that ain’t no lie - Kevin came home with me, sported in his little blue cooler, mind you, its a ten minute drive, and he just pooped it all up! I’ve changed his water this morning - and Im sure I will be doing it again by nightfall!

 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!

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! 

Kevin was digging through some old files and found this amazing.  The funky trade show display that went up at RSNA 2006 for Siemens Medical, (Kevin was watching old time tv, hence “funky” he thought he could start a trend and bring back some of the old phrases) anyhow,  he couldnt belive the transformation before the doors open at the trade show.  Siemens Medical ups leads by 32%!

Giving you a before and after - it is amazing the hours of preparation that go into the exhibit building and the process.  Not only do trade show displays need to go up at the convention center - but they also need to be built in the exhibit house to make sure everything is exactly where it is supposed to be.  Just don’t give Kevin any power tools, he may end up putting holes where they shouldnt be.

Intersting stories on: exhibit booth

Well, can you imagine, Kevin was reading about the RSNA - Radiology Society of North America Trade Show, and he just had to run off to see what in the world it was all about. 

The RSNA - Radiology Society of North America - the home office is located in Oakbrook Illinois.  The RSNA Trade Show will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois and will take place on November 25th - 30th, 2008. 

Kevin has put in request to Rich here to sit down and get some interesting facts about Trade Show Display Setup at RSNA.  Rich was busy catching up this morning, so stay tuned for an update on some inside stories.

RSNA Trade Show has some information on their website for Tours & Events that will be happening in Chicago during that time of year.  Bundle up though, Chicago is known as the windy city, yet was given the name because of the long winded politicians it had in place. 

Kevin would like everyone to know about the exhibit display that is at the Shedd Aquarium - Lizards & Komodo King.  He thinks it may be worth your while to take a gander at some of these unusual animals.  I doubt their tanks get as messy though Kevin!

Kevin went home today a little before lunch, my 15 year old son drove me to work and I held a very active Kevin in his little tiny cooler.    Boy, I must say..Kevin is a pig! I changed his water each day he was here, being its a hiatis, I didnt do the entire filter thing, and he made a mess of the tank!

I think his next stop will be with Mark Lynch..and they can throw back some Irish brew, or whatever those shanty Irish are drinking these days., I’d ask mom, she comes from the wrong side of the Irish tracks, but she gave up drinking, since her kidneys went out several years ago!
P.S….deb..sorry you thought he was a dead mascot..he was just on a little over nighter!

I brought little Kevin home yesterday, Lauren kindly packed his bags and we decided instead of being alone on the weekend with only JR to keep him company that we would do a satellite station here at my house.  Giving Kevin a break from the exhibit house and any trade show talk, he is sitting quietly in his weekend home. 

It appears he is a little confused about his new surroundings, but he has eaten and he has been sun bathing on his new rock.  I am not sure what he is truly thinking other than, what are those funny furry things that are staring at me from the floor.   My two cats….Stanley (who loves to drink beer) and Carly who is called the itty bitty little kitty, weighing no more than 3 pounds..she was the runt!

Back before trade shows and exhibits entered Kevin’s life, his time was spent in the lazy hazy parts of southern Mississippi.  Expo ’se Mississippi is more of an area that it is a town.  Named for its first settler, Harry Expose, where he was the postmaster and store keeper.  Kevin would lolly gag outside the store waiting for any bit of mail that would come his way and listen to stories about Harry.   Speaking of mail - don’t forget about the National Postal Forum Tradeshow which will be held in Anahiem California, May 18th - 21st, 2008.  Great event for any one involved in the “business of mail” seems it would benefit anyone that leverages the use of mail to drive business and marketing to check out the website!

Harry Expose married Lucy Burrell as  it appears from records in January of 1884.   Little else is known about the man.  Perhaps Harry and Lucy are buried in one of the small cemeteries that are near the Gulf & Shrimp Island Railroad, with only 10 headstones and several unmarked graves we may never know.

Kevin spent alot of time at nearby waterways in Holiday Creek and Pearl River, actually he loved to Surf, and would like to remind everyone that the Surf Expo Trade Show is coming up in September, once again at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida. 

I understand some are interested in learning where Kevin actually came from - he was a bit reluctant to give out the information but true enough, and it sure is fitting - Kevin came from Southern Mississippi a little town he called Expo ’se - I think he was spinning the story to fit his current run on the trade show circuit, but low and behold, he was telling the truth, just got his grammar a little screwed up, but I told him I would run with it!

Stay tuned for some updates from down south, we are going to try to track some of Kevin’s relatives.

Kevin is at it again, the little Mississippi Map Mascot, while researching Orange Groves last week, stumbled upon the Performance Raching Trade Show.  Kevin recruited our “Only One Man” Patrick - our portable exhibit guy into a road trip! The Performance racing Trade Show will be taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida - December 6th-8th, 2008.  Last year, there were over 1400 companies that exhibited and with over 1,000,000 square feet of exhibit space.   Kevin read that the requests for larger aisles at this trade show did not fall on deaf ears. 

Patrick and Kevin decided to hunt down an old tour bus from the 1970’s for their wheels this past week. They thought it best to do a trial run, so that they are sure the bus will make it to Florida through our blustery northern winter weather.   The tour bus is a MCI Coach Bus, well belive me you, Patrick and Kevin stocked it full of the amenities, they made sure the turtle food was in stock and that there was plenty of cold one’s in the portable fridge!

MCI stands for Motor Coach Industries, which is located in Illinois, and was started in 1933.  I asked Patrick if he had any background information on the wheels he borrowed for a friend, and he said he was not sure, but rumor has it that a famous singer from the 1970’s may have used it to travel across the country before they were well known.   I belive it over $350,000 for a brand new MCI Bus these days, so the economical solution for Patrick and Kevin was to borrow this one. Since Kevin may be maxing out someone’s credit card, I don’t think they would take to kindly to that sort of charge.

Being that Kevin was a turtle, he didn’t think he could handle the excitement of a performance racing car and decided on the bus.  He heard through the grapevine that Patrick may end up in a ditch if the power under his foot was too much!

IBIE - International Baking Industry Expo Trade Show will be held in Orlando, Florida this year, Kevin - heard about it and immediately sought out a bakers hat, and decided he needed to do a little research.   He booked his ticket through cheap tickets, we are yet to know, who’s credit card he used, so that he can attended the event. 

The IBIE International Baking Expo will take place October 7 th , 2008, he is excited, he is looking forward to visiting the orange groves down there? It made me, wonder, as well are there any left with all the construction? When he google’d Florida Orange Groves, he found a winery.  Well, I think I know where Kevin will be hanging out, he does tip one back from time to time in the wee-hours of the night. Deb caught him and joined in, and boy..the both of them sure had hangovers the next day.  

Back to the IBIE Trade Show - this is one spicy event.  With over 20,000 in attendance, the amount of exhibit space is really impressive at 1,000,000.  With new technology in the forefront of every profession it is a showcase for the latest and greatest in the baking industry, from baking equipment right down to the ingredients that are used in common recipes.

This event has not been held in Florida in the past, this will be the first time.  The Orange County Convention Center is right in the tourism district, and at the moment of this writing, my own son is down there for a National Youth Gathering, which will house some 30,000 kids from the Lutheran Churches across the Nation. 

There is alot of information pertaining to the Orange County Convention Center procedures if you will be attending a trade show there or if you are going to have an trade show exhibit at the show.  It is twelve miles from the airport, and belive it or not there are events book at the OCCC up until 2028, good god, how old will we all be.

Kevin was insulted when one of his on-lookers suggested he practice up on his cooking, since he looked so adorable in his chef’s hat, they suggested Turtle Soup. Turtle Soup is a delicacy in Louisiana, and it does seem to be somewhat of a process to prepare, and not forgetting it could contain one of Kev’s Cousin’s from neighboring Mississippi  Oh the nerve, I would imagine it came from the design group, if I had to guess.

Kevin Perry is one of our many outstanding exhibit designers and felt his thunder was stolen, because our Mascot Kevin is outshining him here! So here is an introduction to our design department and the inner thoughts of Kevin Perry:

Let’s start at the beginning. He was born the 20th day of August in 1978 and the world has never been the same. His childhood was filled with Big Wheels, Match box cars and other shenanigans young boys get into.

Fast forward to 1999 when Kevin started taking classes at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, working toward his degree in Industrial Design. While attending MIAD, he started dating a beautiful girl named April. Kevin married April after graduating from MIAD.

He was a happy and energetic lad looking to make his mark, but the exhibit house he started working for wasn’t what he thought it would be. He needed to get out of there and work for a better company.

Then came the day when he received a voice mail from a man with an Irish accent, Mark Lynch. Mark informed Kevin that Catalyst was looking to hire another designer. He started at Catalyst March 12, 2007.  Why Catalyst you ask?

Fabtech International is coming November 11th - 14th to our back yard in Chicago. Being that Fabtech is going to be in Chicago, Kevin decided he was going to find out just what this welding industry was all about.  He visited McCormick place, but was more enthralled with the new Soldiers Field, news is he didn’t have a field pass, and was out there trying to kick a field goal. 

He went out on the streets, and the little fella forgot his googles, boy, you can lead a turtle to water, but you can’t make him swim! Anyhow, he went to interview some of the welders, and they did tell him safety first!  Being as loveable as a turtle can be though, they opted to talk with him. 

Fabtech has an attendance of over 25,000 and over 900 exhibitors already signed up.  The industry professionals look forward to the array of products that are displayed in varies size exhibit booths.   Kevin thought the most interesting sounding event of the entire trade show would be the Job Fair, he is currently not real sure he likes just hanging out in the sales department, because its to quiet, since Nancy has been on the trade show circuit for some time now,  Deb has behaved herself. 

Therefore he opted to go downtown, the train ride was a bit rough, but he parked his ride at the Barrington Train Station where there was a kind public works gentleman waiting to help him with the fairboxes.  He couldn’t stretch his legs far enough to insert the dollar bill.

He found himself talking with some of the professionals in the industry, metal forming, fabricating, and welders.  He most liked the metal forming, he was interested in the possiblilities of bending and shaping such material in almost any way you can think.  If he could walk on metal with more ease, he would be heading home to design a new structure for his tank for when he grows, FROM THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FOOD he is consuming.  Which brings him to his lunch, he suggests if you get a chance to check out some of the local restaurants downtown, one in particular, he loved was Ron of Japan’s, he sat around a large table and ate ton’s and ton’s of egg sauce. 

Kevin suggested if you can afford it to stay at the Loews Blue’s Hotel, its an electic place, and spins I Dream of Jeannie with the Morrocan theme. If you don’t have the money at least stop in the bar and visit the little room that truly reminded him of I Dream of Jeannie.

Kevin is growing, and growing, it’s a wonder why, the little mascot eats all day.  Recently we switched over his food, we purchased one with more protien.   If you are interested in Turtle Food you can find a variety.

Kevin has also been scurrying around the front of the tank since we purchased a new rock, unlike our exhibits, this is a more simple design for his ease of use. Which for the first 5 days, he was adamently not wanting to use, but the previous rock, GOT to small since he has become so large.

Its fun to see everyone stop by and talk with Kevin, as if he was human. His closest cube mate Lauren, often blows him kisses, and disgusts our Account Manager for Siemens, Nancy Galford. At one point, the cleaning of the tank almost made Nancy crawl under her desk. After she found out they used her garbage can to facilitate Kevin for a short spell, she ordered a new can. Come on Nancy, get with the program!