Promising Start

He seemed like a nice, sincere young man, about the age a son of mine would be. So I was trying to be positive. “Surely,” I had opined, “ there must be something good about Vegas. After all there seem to be lots of pretty single girls here…”

“No,” he said sadly. “All the women around here are –look, you seem like a nice lady, so let me say it this way, they are all ambitious. All the women around here are looking for a .. How do I say it? .. a sugar daddy. When you meet them the first thing they ask is ‘what are you going to do for me? Will you buy me a house? Will you get me a ---let me say it this way--will you pay for a medical procedure to enhance my looks? (I told you his English was good.)

Not quite expecting that answer and not sure what to say, I said nothing. It was my fault, I’d asked the question.

“They are all show and promise,” he said shaking his head “They are all show and promise but they leave you with nothing,” he repeated as I paid him and sprinted it out of the cab.

Show and promise. Got me thinking.

People go to shows for the promise of what that show may offer: the new customer to sell; the new product see; the new technique to bring back home; the newest information to learn. Shows bring promise and day one of GlassBuild America was no exception.

There were notable changes from the 2007 event in Atlanta and 2006 when it was last in Vegas. The number of exhibitors is down significantly, and many exhibitors had rented smaller amounts of space than in previous years. Companies involved primarily in residential fenestration are scarce, and the machinery displays are much smaller than in previous year. The presence of actual glass manufacturers and major fabricators is also light, but that was not unique to this year’s event.

Yet there was promise. The number of attendees on Day One exceeded the dire predictions of most. The floor was very busy for the main hours in the middle of the day and some exhibitors, such as Contact Industries and Erdmann, had neat new products and heavy traffic all day. Major sponsor Edgetech did a great job marketing its “Edgetech University” in a stand complete with grammar school writing tablets and employees dressed in shirts that said “Edgetech University.” They always do a great job getting their message out.

So on a day when the Dow plunged in a downward spiral and cable TV networks screamed gloom and doom, there was at least in Las Vegas for a few hours, show and promise.