What a day I had! To be honest I am so tired but thrilled I will try to recap and remember. One thing I love about this industry I am in is the friendships I have formed. We all love this business, we may walk to the beat to a different drum as artists but we all love to do what we do. We may lose that spark at times or lose the creative mojo but there is a bond. A yearning for the success of this business year after year. It is not easy.
I think about all the prep for this one event that happens twice a year. You literally end that trade show and prep for the next one begins. We literally move a house of a room into a convention hall for 3.5 days and there are lots of details…but once we get there there are the bonds.
I think I hugged 20,213 times yesterday. I got to meet old and new customers. Walk along and see many of my fellow vendors who are now friends. Love, love to meet my fellow designers who’s work I am in awe of! There are so many of those!!! Since the onset of Facebook there are those “friends” introductions of those you know all about their kids and coffee choices that you don’t even have to talk but just hug as you now put a person to that Face! Just love that part.
So Day 2 is a lot of that. With all the help at the booth this year I have been able to free myself up to talk to those business contacts, friends, designers and fellow vendors. Just what I need to be doing so I pretty much have no voice and my smile muscles have been exercised.
It is all about being in an industry we know and love! It is a business and that is not easy in today’s market but it is what I love. Those hugs are are a perk of doing what I love.
Just a few picks from my phone of those friends. Limited to 5 on my iPhone but will be sharing real pics when I return.
Angela and Christian from Unity, Nikki Sivils from Nikki Sivils, fellow designers Natalie, Catherine, Jaimie, Erika, Martha, and Donna Downey…so many!