IRE 2014 – What a show!
With our destination, the 2014 International Roofing Expo set in our sights, we flew out of Burlington, Vermont the afternoon of Tuesday, February 25th. Lately we have had some pretty decent snow storms in our neck of the woods, so flying from Burlington thru Philadelphia en route to Vegas, while seemingly straight-forward, also gave us some qualms (Burlington to Philly flights are notorious for delays due to things like “a low cloud ceiling” or “birds on the runway”, so needless to say, we were overjoyed to fly out on time.)
Once we landed, the real work began – thankfully we booked our rooms at the Mandalay Bay, which is also where the show was held. We went straight from the airport to the hotel and checked-in – long day, but off to a great start!
We woke up bright and early on opening day and headed straight to the show to ensure everything was as it should be – after a few minor adjustments and long hauls carrying goods, we waited in anticipation for the show floor to open. What a beautiful location for a trade show, and what a turnout we saw! We were sporting our brand new booth and the excitement was mounting as the first of the show’s attendees started filtering in through the main entrance.
(Our new booth)
SO many representatives from a plethora of companies visited our booth, from which we have made many wonderful relationships that we strive to maintain going forward. New customers and customers we have done business with for years stopped by to say hello and to congratulate us on “always doing a great job” and to say things like, “wonderful products” and “keep up the great work” – always nice words to hear!
We would like to say thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi, see our products, and learn more about us. With attendees like this, we walked away feeling even more energized, excited, and enthusiastic than we had on arrival.
It was also very informative and educational to walk the show floor, to meet others in the industry and witness the new products that have just been launched. What an industry we work in, full of kind-hearted people who enjoy being around one another and learning from one another.
Personally speaking, I had only ever been to Vegas once in my life (not including layovers), and on this one-time visit, I found myself alone on business. I walked the strip by daylight and returned to the hotel for some room service, TV-watching and a long, relaxing bath (as a busy Wife and Mother, this was actually a much coveted thing for me).
But this trip was different – because the show ran from 11:00am to 5:00pm the first 2 days, and from 11:00am to 3:00pm the last day, we had a little downtime to enjoy things like a non-rushed dinner, playing our luck at the hotel casino (I lost $17) and heading up to The MIX nightclub on top of the hotel to take in the jaw-dropping sights of the incredibly illuminated city below, which seemed almost noiseless as we stood amidst the loud club music.
(View from The MIX)
Wheels up at 7:30pm sharp on Friday, on a red-eye bringing us back to our beloved North East. After a lot of turbulence and very little sleep, we were all back home by late Saturday morning….back to the frigid, snow-blanketed landscape that we so adore. I am certain I do not speak only for myself when I say that our time at the International Roofing Expo was a complete success, of which the imparted knowledge and the relationships formed will be fruitful for a long, long time to come.
We are proud to have been an Exhibitor at IRE, and are very much looking forward to next year’s show in New Orleans, as well as to the 2 other trade shows Alpine SnowGuards® will exhibit at in 2014: NERCA in Atlantic City March 26th and 27th (Booth #329), and CONSTRUCT in Baltimore September 10th and 11th (Booth # TBD).
Happily for us, what happened in Vegas will not stay in Vegas. Maybe next time I visit the city, I will venture out of the hotel and take in more of the sights….I have always wanted to photograph the fountains at the Bellagio, the Eiffel Tower, and Old Las Vegas ….but there is always time for that in the future.
From all of us at Alpine SnowGuards®, we hope you have a remarkable March – Spring is just around the corner!
Visit us on the web at www.alpinesnowguards.com or email us at info@alpinesnowguards.com
