Welcome to day 2 of my bonkers InfoComm 2023 blog; today is show day -1 and one of THE busiest days for me now at any show.

Tues 13th?June – Set Up Day

I set up my alarm for 6 am, something I will do for this whole trip. I actually wake up at 3 am (no doubt a time that will resonate with any others who made the trip???!). However, I make sure I go back to sleep and then get up when the alarm goes off…

Why on earth would I get up at 6 am each day here? It’s torture, right… Well, there are two main reasons…

1. It allows me to cover all my UK e-mails way ahead and so I am free to concentrate on the day and my expenses and meetings from the previous days….?
2. It keeps me around halfway between the UK and US time zones and so massively minimises the jet lag upon return. In fact, having a flatbed and being able to sleep on the way back, I normally experience zero jetlag for a US trip. BTW this trick does not work for long haul to APAC unless you are working night shifts!!!???!!!

Having cleared up the UK emails, I concentrate on the day. Prior to leaving the UK, I have already booked all my meetings and have them separated by day using an e-mail to check, printed and in my Outlook calendar… Another handy tip is that doing this three ways, it allows me to quickly update my paper copy when meetings have to change.

For those of you who know me well, there is another reason… and that is I struggle with Outlook and tech…?

Now at this point, you are probably asking… How the hell does someone who is a technophobe, have been able to work in the AV Industry for over 30 years???

Firstly, my strengths are, Sales, Marketing and Strategy, accompanied by over 30 years of experience, Global travel, amazing contacts and doing the right thing… secondly I always surround myself with quality people, who complement my strengths?and more importantly, my weaknesses!!???

What do I mean by doing the right thing???

Very simple, be nice to everyone you meet (unless they are clearly an ar%Eh*le)… Do right by everyone…. Be honest in your business dealing and genuine in yourself and when you can… Look after people… I have done some unbelievable favours for people over the years, from backstage music tickets to meeting bands, through to taking people on trips to the US and donating time, effort and money to all sorts of charities. Not only does it feed your soul and make you feel good, but people you work with are MUCH more likely to stay with you and/or re-pay that generosity and kindness later on.

Many of the lower-level buyers I met 20-plus years ago are now on the board of major retailers or integrators or brands, so are now highly influential… and they remember the people who treated them like crap when they were starting out, but they also remember those people, who took the time to show an interest in them, mentor them and help them develop.

So, in brief, be nice to everyone and genuine, as it’s the right thing to do AND in my experience, it generally gets re-paid with loyalty. There is a reason why BBG/Peerless has so many staff with well over 15 years and some 25 years and a reason that many of the brands BBG worked with became so successful, despite the odds.

Anyway, on to the show, I have digressed…

I arrive at the halls nice and early to collect my “badges”.?Now don’t tell ISE or InfoComm it's TOP SECRET, but I always get two badges… one for myself and one for a brand I'm working for that is exhibiting, as that way, I can get into the hall earlier. I can’t tell you how in this blog, but you can always ask me???

Having secured my badges, I make sure I walk the whole show… Why?

1. It means I know physically where every meeting room and booth is, and I can gauge time to get between meetings so I am on time…
2. It’s often the best day to catch high-level people in mid-sized companies. Whilst Re-sauce does work with some fairly large businesses, I think our sweet spot is in mid-sized (￡50-300 mill) companies who are either starting out with their journey to Europe or need acceleration.

Indeed, whilst dodging packaging crates and rolls of carpet, I not only navigate the halls but just happen to bump into some possible new accounts…

I then pop into the AVIXA Exec Offices to see my old mate? Dan Goldstein ?who is not only a top banana but is on the main board of AVIXA and oversees all marketing. Dan is a super nice guy and super smart, and it is no surprise he has risen to such great heights. I also take time to thank?@Krystle Murphy,?who runs the InfoComm Press Office, for all her help and bump into? Clive Couldwell . I absolutely love Clive, we have known each other for well over 25 years, and I always enjoy his company and razor-sharp wit…

Having checked out where all our brands are (and bumping into some old friends? Derrik Lam ?and? Thomas Fenton ?at Peerless-AV EMEA ), I make sure all our brands are looking good, especially PlexusAV , which we are organising the Global launch for. I get to meet up again with? Jason Fritz ?at PlexusAV and? Steven Cogels , who heads up their Business Development and who has been my main contact for the past year or so…?I then attend a couple of video shoots, which Re-sauce has set up and scripted. Nothing better than having your brand's video’s going out on Day 1 of the show, as that is often the day that both attendees and those who can’t attend log in to see all the cool new kit.

For the first time, my old mucker? Owen Ellis ?and the lovely? Andrea Jupp ?have organised a US? AV User Group ?Speed Pitch at InfoComm for the day before to a host of US End-Users. I have booked PlexusAV a spot and John Orlando, CTS (PlexusAVs US Head of Sales) absolutely smashes it, with a great presentation, and over 60% of those in attendance want to know more and come to visit the booth. Massive Congratulations to Owen and Andrea, I know just how much work you both put in, and I am so pleased that this went well for you; I have no doubt that, just like ISE, this will now become a regular feature at InfoComm!

Having gotten through all my work, I go back to the hotel to change and refresh before attending the first of MANY InfoComm networking events, and this one was the 16:9 Mixer organised by AVIXA with? Dave Haynes ?of 16:9 fame. Dave is an expert on Digital Signage and a real straight shooter, I like the way he says it as it is… I bump into? Bryan Meszaros ,?who is the CEO of OpenEye Global , runs the #XUSC events and is also on the board of the DSF (Digital Signage Federation). Bryan is very well-connected. I also meet the creators of some amazing content being shown on the LED screens, including? Aaron Strinko ,?who has done some extraordinary work, so if you need content, then I would highly recommend his work.

?After the networking event, I head off to meet? John Potts ?and?Joy Aceves?for a chilled-out dinner at a great country and western bar. John is the President of Peerless, and Joy basically runs it LOL!????I then head back to their team hotel for a quick catch-up with one of my closest friends? Nick Belcore the EVP of Global Sales & Marketing at Peerless and? Kevin McDonald , who I just love… Luckily, I keep disciplined and on track, so head back around 11 pm to my hotel for a well-deserved and well-needed sleep.

I hope you enjoyed Day 2 of my InfoComm 23 journey and check in tomorrow for Day 1 of the show… Opening Day… and will our long-awaited PlexusAV Global launch turn out to be a success or an epic failure???… Well, you’ll just have to log in tomorrow again to see…

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