‘No plan survives contact with the enemy’

Some behind-the-scenes tales of adventure after 30 years of running a trade show

For almost 30 years, part of my duties as president of the non-profit association serving Ontario innkeepers was to run their 130-booth annual trade show.

It showcased manufacturers and suppliers of wares for hotels, motels, inns, and resorts. My staff were essential, including my wife, Frances, our cheerful floor manager, and our son, Scott, our tireless loading dock manager for exhibitor movein and move-out.

Most times, everything ran smoothly. Frances even had a show organizer goody box, full of stuff to help an exhibitor set up their display (tape, tools, scissors, stapler, valium).

But as General Eisenhower famously said in the Second World War: “No plan survives contact with the enemy.”

The professional show company erecting our draped booths was responsible for doing the layout of booths and aisles. Sometimes, on setup day, we discovered that their layout didn’t fit the show hall!

Each year, at least one exhibitor irritably asked where their booth’s electrical outlet was. Checking her papers and smiling sweetly, Frances said they had never ordered electrical power (which cost extra).

Ten minutes before the show opened, with booths set up and ready, one exhibitor plugged in a multiple-outlet adapter crammed with multiple plugs — which promptly overloaded the circuit. The entire row of booths went dark.

Another familiar lament was: “Where’s my table and chairs?”

Our familiar refrain was: “You didn’t order any.” (Renting furniture cost extra, especially if you ordered them on show day.)

One exhibitor arrived with a brand-new display, which the manufacturer promised would only take five minutes to set up. The booth rep discovered the instructions were in Japanese. It took him two hours to erect it.

An exhibitor delivered his truckload of material the day before, expecting the show hall to have someplace to store it. (Show halls usually had no storage space available.) He then expected show staff (us) to move his stuff into his booth on show day.

Trucks were supposed to move after unloading, with all unloaded stuff brought to the booth after the truck moved away. A jam-packed truck was left at the loading dock, rear doors wide open. The driver said, “I’ll only be five minutes.” He parked there for an hour, blocking half the dock, refusing to move, as he slowly set up the booth with each hand-carted load.

Scott was asked to “give me a hand lifting this; it’s only a few pounds.” The thing weighed a ton! We should have charged extra for chiropractor bills.

A company’s truck backing up to the narrow dock door crunched hard into the adjoining wall, dislodging bricks. The driver didn’t mention it to anyone and blithely drove off after unloading. (We confronted him when he returned to reload.)

Booths were supposed to be set up and ready 30 minutes before showtime. Some exhibitors showed up just as the show opened, frantically setting up their display as crowds filled the aisle.

As a courtesy, we supplied exhibitors with free coffee during setup day. Some exhibitors complained that it should also be supplied during the show itself. With cookies.

We produced detailed exhibitor kits, covering all aspects of the show. These kits were sent weeks in advance, via courier. On setup day, one exhibitor ranted that we had never sent him the kit, so how could he preorder booth furniture and electrical at the lower pre-show prices? He demanded to purchase these items at pre-show prices. We checked with the courier and discovered he had signed for the kit delivery himself.

He never apologized.

A company’s truck backing up to the narrow dock door crunched hard into the adjoining wall, dislodging bricks