The long awaited return of the ASD Vegas Show took place  Feb 28 through Mar 3 to the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center. This is the most popular trade show to locate wholesale merchandise and with the economy showing signs of life, we all hoped that this will be a wonderful event.

The good news to report is that the show ended on a high note with most exhibitors doing better than expected and there were sales made at the show. Having done this show since 1981, we have adjusted to the many changes in our industry. The ASD Shows are always an important event in our business and while the turnout appeared lighter, there were still many thousand buyers visiting the event.

From speaking with hundreds of attendees who visited the Forum Publishing booths, we noticed that there were more brand new people to the industry attending the show. This is one of the most important tells for the future of our industry. When newcomers are looking to open businesses, it is the fuel that we all need to grow ours. It appears that from the high unemployment and the need for people to earn more income, our industry has appeal. I was happy to see enthusiastic new buyers entering the show and hungry for information and to speak with the suppliers.

Our company, Forum Publishing, has been exhibiting at the show since we started back in 1981.

The beauty of trade shows like the ASD Vegas Show is that buyers still enjoy coming to these events and being “hands on” with the products. When you are stocking your business you cannot always be sure that the item you see pictured in a catalog or website is indeed the quality and consistency of what you expect. Trade shows allow us to sift through products and more importantly, build relationships with our vendors.

It was good to meet many of our advertisers and readers at the show and we look forward to the August show when we all move to the LVCC to sell under one roof. The summer show will be easy for buyers to navigate and we are sure we’ll see buyers we’ve never seen before because they hadn’t ventured from one venue to the other. We’re psyched. The only disappointment that I will have is that I’ll have to venture into the heat of August because there are no connected hotels to the LVCC. I got spoiled by staying at the Palazzo and strolling indoors to the Sands Expo. I would literally spend the week in Vegas without going outside. I guess that’s just me getting old and lazy!

Share your comments pre and post show here on the Retailers Forum blog!