We Asked PSPs: Do You Take Your Entire Team to Tradeshows?

TRADESHOWS AND OTHER industry events are among the best places to find new technology and new ideas for improving your business. They’re also among the best places to learn – not just for owners and managers, but also for employees at all levels of an organization. However, taking the whole team has its costs, including the direct expense of the travel and the indirect expenses associated with time away from the shop.

In fact, most respondents indicated they do not take the whole team. However, even those responding “no” touted the benefits of bringing more than just the people who make the purchasing decisions. Here’s a sampling of what survey respondents had to say on this matter:

YES: 18.5%

• When we can go, we all go. — Jim Dittmer, JDA Creative Color
• I was taken to a show working for The Unsloppy Copy Shop. They took me to an event and I was inspired. My guys are ready! This will be their fourth time. — Tommy Melendez, Master Graphics

NO: 81.48%

• Usually no, however, with my growing team I have promised to take them to Wrapscon in Long Beach, California, in August based on their performances between January 2023 to June 2023. I feel it’s important for my install and design team to see the wrap industry as well as get their hands on some of the mini competitions or other materials to learn the different product characteristics. — Kristin Lanzarone, WrapStar Pro
• We can’t take the whole team, but we at least try to take a couple and cycle through the ranks. — Derek Atchley, Atchley Graphics
• I try to take a different team member to each one. — Rick Mandel, Mandel Graphic Solutions
• No time to get away! — James Dietz, Lake Erie Graphics
• [We take] a few buyers and solution engineers as well as a few managers. We have too many people to send to them all. — Jared Smith, Bluemedia
• Depending on the year, a few members of the leadership team attend but not the whole team.  — Wade Neff, Strategic Factory
• We are a small shop. We would have to close completely to attend. — Jason Roberts, Futura Color
• I haven’t taken the entire team before [to ISA], but I have done so for our franchise annual convention. I hadn’t thought about taking ALL of them to an industry tradeshow. — Linda Fong, Fastsigns Oakland; Fastsigns Hayward
• I wouldn’t be able to afford the entire team, but I make a point of visiting myself. — Tim Bezner, Westmount Signs and Printing
• Most of my team is not on the buying/development side. — Jon Sherman, Flavor Paper
• We take more team members if the show is close in proximity. The expense of airfare/lodging/food makes it tough when the show is on the other side of the country. We’ll still send a couple of representatives. — Rob Matthews, M3
• I enjoy the time to visit literally every booth and learn about what is new or what solutions can be taken care of with innovative techniques or products. Bringing team members would just slow me down. 😉 — Jim White, Go Graphix