5 minute read
A little less conversation, a little more action
No one can complain that we don’t have both quantity and variety in this industry as far as trade shows are concerned. We go from church hall-type events giving away key rings, through the Ibiza dance club versions to the polished two-day exhibitions, and now the Move type events with lots of simultaneous, earnest conversations happening in parallel.
All useful stuff in the main, and I wish good luck to those organising and hopefully benefiting from them. And my genuine best wishes if you attend and enjoy any or some of them.
Likewise, I believe that when many people get back home and go to the office the next day they quickly bury themselves in the day to day dross of ‘administrivia’ – the comfort of signing off a few invoices, opening the post, checking the emails out and feeling that the big issues raised at the previous day’s (or recently days’) trade show are for others.
Hiding behind the doors of our offices dealing with stuff that is neither important nor urgent nor frankly worth the bother beats trying to work out whether the business is capable of surviving, whether the business is heading towards becoming unmanageable or whether something actually needs to be done to retain or addvalue as the owner moves towards hopefully a well-rewarded exit, or passing on a thriving business.
DOING NOTHING IS ALWAYS AN OPTION WORTH CONSIDERING
In any good strategic plan, the option of ‘doing nothing’ is always present. If we do nothing what happens? Depending on the author, the bias of the author (we all have biases), the seriousness of the threat or opportunity, it may well be the recommended option but I suggest it rarely is.
The odds are stacking up at a rate probably unseen in this industry. Serious existential threats arrive monthly if not at times weekly. So where is the policymaking, the research, the lobbying and the plan to turn whatever is happening to this industry’s advantage?
I tell you where it is. It’s in the hands of the big boys. Make no mistake, while you twiddle with your emails, or think about the next trade show to get pissed at, organisations are busy working out what is good for them and making it happen.
When it does happen, you can enjoy listening to the speakers at the next trade show tell you how we are not standing for this, how we are going to ask for the government, council or whoever to reverse/change it and then the following show you can hear how unfair it is that they would not listen.
Does that sound familiar? It should do, as that is the reality. A whinging rag bag of moans overlaid with the omnipresent siren voices claiming ‘it’s not fair’ has no appeal to policy makers. Intellectual challenge, alternative proposals – well thought out, costed, justified with some consideration of the short, medium and long-term impact, together with – heaven forfend – a proposed implementation plan might actually create some interest.
But don’t worry if you or your leadership are not doing it. There will be others who not only will, but are doing it now! We didn’t want this, we don’t want that and our answer is no! Leadership is not turning up at meetings, shooting from the hip moaning about everything ever delivered (even if we asked for it), objecting to everything ever proposed and saying no to any changes.
That is not leadership. It is lazy, inept and amateur. Trade and industry leadership requires hard work, research, boning up on long boring reports and other people’s research. It requires analysis and it requires skill to hone and critique ideas and concepts to add value to the industry and to thebusinesses in it.
Blasé, laissez faire retorts of ‘this just needs common sense applied’ do not make policy. So, if we want to do this, who does it? Who funds it? None of it is free, and who benefits?
That is easy to answer. The industry. There is no third parent waiting in the wings. If you want it, you need to demand it and you need to pay for it because you are going to benefit from it.
Alternatively enjoy the show, listen to the speakers, enjoy the DJ, the party, the buffet and the booze up and let’s hope that we can all bluff our way through another year without having to do anything much more than check our emails, sign off the rates bill and book another game of golf!
