JSSVD at wfx 2008 in Indy!

We've been back for a bit, but only just now taking the time to post some details.


JSSVD had booth #749 at the Spring wfx conference in Indianapolis April 30 - May 1. All of us were able to go to the show except for Andy - he was sad.

As I reflect on the journey, it seems more a tour of restaurants that Nick had never experienced than it did a trip to a trade show. First on the list of Nick's tour was White Castle. You should have seen the excitement on his face! It soon left though, with his first bite of steamed meat. I always heard that their burgers were tiny, but Aubrey could barely even lift hers!

Next was my favorite discovery of the past few years: Famous Dave's! Yummmmm. Highly recommended! Every time I'm in a biggish city I look for one, as they have not yet made it to the northlands. It was late and we couldn't decide on individual meals, so we split the giant trashcan lid platter. Very excellent!

I'm not sure what she did that she is smiling about, but here you can see our den mother and navigator, Aubrey. Although soon after this was shot, her navigator status was put on probation however. You see, she is always talking about this restaurant "P.F. Chang's" that she wants us to try. So one night at 10:45 she searches Google Maps on my cell phone to find them. When she is told they close at 11, she was trying to find out if we could still make it. The lady seemed confused since they were just starting to serve the dinner menu, but said "Yes - you should have plenty of time." So, we head to town. When we get there, sure enough - they are closed. I took my phone back from her and looked at the last screen. Click here for a clue why we didn't have Chinese that night.

Well, at one point we actually did man a booth at the show. Here are a couple of pictures as evidence. As usual, Scott is working, Nick is sleeping, and Aubrey is nowhere to be found.

It may not look like it, but these things are exhausting. The first day we were all incredibly busy talking with people. I didn't sit down that day. Thursday gave us a few breaks, but still steadily busy right to the end. After teardown Thursday, we all went back to the hotel and crashed until very late.

While I was busy trying to establish relationships with prospective clients, Nick & Aubrey went on a swag expedition. (For definition of "swag", watch "The Office", Season 3, Episode 2 - "The Convention") After nap time, Nick laid out his takings.

Before commencing the journey home, we stopped at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I guess that is the thing you are supposed to see in that town. Pretty cool to see the cars in the museum. A lot more impressive on race day though, I'll bet. Nick is ready, although I think a helmet would be prudent.

On the way home, we came thru Fort Wayne to see the new Sweetwater headquarters. I can sum it all up in one word: "Huh?!" Let me first say that Sweetwater is an incredible supplier of pro audio gear, musical instruments, etc. They have probably one of the largest warehouses of its kind. However, their new digs feel like a strange dream, or one of those spy movies where someone wakes up in a strange facility, having been extracted from their normal lives and trained to work for the government. The place is immense, and when we went - absolutely empty. There were LCD panels everywhere with various shows playing that all seemed as if they were showing propaganda to make us feel like everything is ok. Yet around each corner was a new and strange thing that we could not relate to. A free video game arcade including virtual golf, a movie theater, an exercise room, racquetball, restaurant, concierge, recording studio... Crazy! They did have some music gear in the front of the store that we had to explore, but I couldn't believe how little the showroom was given their reputation. After playing around a little, I was forced to push Nick thru the glass to the showroom floor.

I'm sure it looks like we mostly played while there, and this is partly true. But when we were working, we were just so dern busy that we could not accurately capture it. Besides, all of the pictures of us "working the booth" look pretty much the same. The bottom line is, it was a very encouraging trip, garnering a number of new leads, and a lot of fun!