Yesterday we went to an auction preview for one of our local competitors.
Unless you are in the live events or trade show industry, I really don't believe you can understand the massive affect that the last two years have had on this industry. Restaurants, bars, gyms have struggled as well, but their loss is tangible to most people. When the shutdowns started for many businesses that were deemed non-essential, I was very vocal about some of the inequities I saw in our own state. For example, gyms that promote wellness and health were deemed non-essential, but a candy store was essential because they sold some processed meats. They actually market themselves as 'The World's Largest Candy Store'.
I know, I know, public safety is important. But if you saw the lines of people waiting outside the candy store when they opened you start to question the sanity of people. They weren't there to buy meat, they were there to buy candy. So, it was safe to stand in line, right next to literally hundreds of other people, but not safe to allow people to exercise. I had one young man tell me that if our business failed as a result of these shutdowns that it was our fault because we didn't have an emergency plan in place to cover this type of thing. Let's just say that interaction did not go well. He was a recent college graduate of economics. He was simply regurgitating things his professors told him, with no knowledge of the real world.
I was called many names during those days. We stayed home and did what we could do for public safety. We ordered take out from local restaurants. We bought supplements from our local gym. But that doesn't mean that I believe the shutdowns were equitable. As a result of being vocal in support of small business I had people stalk me, write an obviously fake review on google for our business, send me nasty messages and more. All because I was vocal in my support of small business.
If I had one more person during that time tell me I needed to "pivot" I think I may have put a fist through a wall. To say it was a stressful time is a major understatement.
The live events industry shutdowns did not just affect one business segment. It rippled through so many segments you can't even imagine.
Now, why all this? Most of that is over. Our industry is not completely out of the woods, but we are on the right track (that is as long as monster companies stop "quitting" events to make a statement of some sort - and all the production and supply chain issues get resolved - more on that later).
That competitor that had the auction? They didn't make it. Walking through their office kind of felt like digging through a neighbor's drawers or medicine cabinet. It was surreal. ALL THAT STUFF. People's desks, computers, files, business cards, stamps, so much stuff. A person's livelihood, people's jobs, customers that relied on that company for product and services. The could have been us.
I was really overwhelmed yesterday by the situation.
We are still here. We are rebuilding. We are facing new challenges every day, but we survived. I am SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I am grateful for the industry partners that have supported us and helped us continue to get through this, I am thankful for the customers that are back at trade shows and are buying products and using our services. I am thankful for my family that is here with me every day gutting it out with me.
I am a contrarian by nature. I don't like being told what to do. I did all things I was told to keep people safe, but I don't like being told that a candy store is more important than a gym, a restaurant or even a trade show exhibit company. There are no promises, there are no guarantees, there are just opportunities to grow and to find things for which to be grateful.
It is hard.
