Been awhile since my last post. The blog took a break in large part because the event industry reset and re-launched as COVID’s restrictions began to lift. It’s been a slow and steady rebound, with both foreseen and unforeseen issues. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Foreseen

Labor shortage – The tradeshow and event industry was already seeing a “graying” of our technical workforce on the event floor with the average age of experienced technicians well into the five oh’s. No grayer than me, I must say. The industry has tried to attract new blood into the field, in recent years, with limited success. Add to that, many of the skilled laborers left the industry altogether during COVID, turning instead toward construction and other trade jobs. Hey, you gotta feed your family, right? For example, a recent show put a call out for 100 labor techs and only 40 showed up.

Supply Chain issues – As in many sectors, there is a severe shortage of materials required for exhibit builds. The price of wood and other building materials has skyrocketed. And aluminum, a core material used for many modular exhibit systems, is in short supply. Lead times for many/most exhibit components, including graphic materials, have all stretched.

Unforeseen

Transportation – The high cost of fuel is something predictable given the government policy shift away from domestic oil production. What was not anticipated was the lack of available truck drivers. The net effect is trucks overloaded with product and the mixing of inventories and components in each load. That has led to entire exhibits being misplaced, components separated and/or lost altogether.

Solutions

Throughout the pandemic and rebound, our Exhibit Management team navigates these and other challenges through the use of new processes and tech. One such example is Tive tracking technology. In short, this exquisite, real-time tracking system locates and monitors shipments of exhibit components worldwide. Their simple claim is to deliver all shipments on-time and in-full. For any company trade show manager, onsite labor supervisor or exhibit builder who has ever spent hours (sweating profusely) searching for lost freight, the Tive system is truly a life/time/heartburn saver! But more about Tive tech at a later date. For now, it’s back to work, rebounding our way back into the world.

Perhaps [adversity] is the real mother of invention.