The Show Must Go On

When I lived in New York and rode the subway frequently, I used to practice my balance with a stance I learned from a native Manhattanite: Standing in the middle of the train car, you stagger your feet diagonally, bend your knees slightly and keep your arms loose at your sides. As the subway moves, you adjust your weight from leg to leg and move your hands to steady yourself. (A little like surfing – but more casual, in a jaded, New Yorker kind of way.) You have to concentrate and try to anticipate the train’s movement, but it’s surprisingly manageable to stay upright without grabbing a pole for dear life.

I feel like I’ve been mentally holding that stance for the past eight months – but that sense was particularly acute in the days leading up to GlobalShop. In fact, a lot of people were holding their breath, and not just the show’s organizers. The rest of us, looking to the annual trade show as an indicator of where the industry stands right now, wondered if the vendors and attendees would be replaced by rolling tumbleweeds.

Well, no. While attendance and the number/scope of the booths were clearly down, the head count appeared respectable and the mood was determined. Near the front of the hall, Artitalia’s “booth” – a large carpet square manned by dozens of Bozo-the-Clown punching bags – set the perfect tone, with huge, red balloons announcing: “Together, we’ll bounce back.” (The creative, and thrifty, design earned the fixture manufacturer an Outstanding Booth Award  from VMSD.) Many attendees complained that there was nothing new to see, but others appreciated the scaled-back atmosphere for having real conversations with their vendors and peers. Fewer design teams roamed the aisles, replaced by single, multi-tasking designers and execs on a mission to get in, see what was important, then hop on the next flight back home.

The sentiment among vendors was mixed. Some shook their heads grimly; others said they were pleasantly surprised. The majority view seemed to be: “Thank God it wasn’t worse.” Hey, that’s something. And after letting out that first breath, we all pretty much got down to business, which was a relief in itself. There was business to be done. As Lee Carpenter, ceo of Interbrand Design Forum, told me, there are “little green shoots” of retail work beginning to sprout up across the landscape. Anyone expecting a full-blown garden anytime soon? Nah, me neither. But my knees are flexed, and my hands are loose, just the same.