Whenever I walk through a creative environment I first enjoy it. Then a million questions come to mind. How did they do it? What materials did they use? Which tools were used? And a whole lot more... At a trade show like IAAPA, everywhere I turned there was no shortage of samples of creative environments. I first enjoyed and then began to ask the questions. The difference is at a trade show there are people standing by who were eager to answer my questions. Better yet, with a quick scan of my badge they were instantly set up to send the information I was seeking to my inbox. It wasn't quite as fun as enjoying a theme park out in the sunshine but I managed to answer a whole lot of questions and gather a whole lot of valuable information in a very short time. One of those questions was where could I get quality (faux) foliage that would stand up to all kinds of weather for years to come.
It's all who you know
They say business is largely about who you know. I believe that to be true. That means we have to first do outstanding work and then get out and meet people to let them know what we do. What better place than where they gather. My trip to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions attractions expo in Orlando was a chance to visit with many of our friends and associates in the business and also make contact with many new ones. It is a chance to put a face to the many shared emails and to talk about projects, current and future. The entertainment world isn't super large and when you are known things happen. With the passing of time we see real progress with our efforts. We were very pleased to see our work and the Cultus Lake Adventure Park featured in 'Z Press', the official publication of Zamperla Rides.
Day one at IAAPA
Imagine a gigantic room with more than a thousand exhibitors and twenty-eight thousand people in attendance. Inside the giant room massive rides are running, climbing apparatus is set up and enormous creative displays are wall to wall. The noise is a cacophony of competing sounds. The isles are jammed with people from around the world. It is an experience unlike anything else and is truly sensory overload. I have now quickly covered the trade show floor once, only stopping briefly at points of interest as I gathered an quick overview of everything there. My iPhone tells me I walked in excess of eleven miles today. Tomorrow, I'll do it all again and spend a little more time at specific booths and displays. It is all about gathering information and building relationships for the future.
