We have been back from Stitches Midwest for about 3 weeks now, but things have been busy at Signature so this is the first opportunity I have had to complete my guest post on Cathy’s blog.
Shows are always wonderful because we meet new customers, see old friends, and get to know some of the other vendors. Midwest is one of our favorites because it is like a hometown show. It is only a little over an hour away and in comparison to other shows it is an easy trip.
When I am not immersed in the world of knitting and knitting needles one of my other hobbies is multisport competition and adventure racing. I am hoping in the near future XRX will be open to integrating this style of competition into all Stitches events. (Run, Knit, Run?)
Since our first show, my obsessive competitive drive has worked its way into our show routine. Over the past 4 years we have refined our set up plan and we are now able to unload and have the booth up in a little over an hour. Much to Laura’s dismay, I believe we can improve on this time at every show and I try and find ways to speed us along. We are working on our teardown times as well, but I am happy to report we had an impressive 1 hour move out this year.
In addition to the small personal set up and tear down victories of the show, some of the other true highlights of Midwest:
1. Topping the list was a visit to our booth from Franklin Habit
2. Our new Verizon Mifi
3. Our annual trip to IKEA – Unfortunately Laura and I failed to check their hours online, but thanks to some creative multisport integration we were able to shop, run escalators, and checkout all in under 24 minutes.
4. Adjoining rooms
Midwest was a great show and we are looking forward to our next show and its highlights in about 6 weeks when we head to Stitches East.
