Posted February 26th, 2009 by richard in Installers Life
In twenty years in the industry I've had a chance to work all over the world setting up exhibits, and boy, have things have changed when it comes to doing installs on the road. I'm sure you all have some great war stories about flying blind on the road, long before Al Gore invented the internet. Today, your project manager and logistics people collect a lot of useful information about the venue where you will be working before you've even packed your duffel bag.
It also seems to me that not only has I&D progressed, but companies in general have become a lot more savvy in dealing with work on the exhibit floor....
[more after the break]
In the early nineties Javitz Center in New York City seemed like a kind of seedy place to work... it seemed like all the installers I got from the pool were either drunk or mobbed up. Maybe it was just Murphy's Law in my case, but it was rough. Things have changed though, and now it seems that almost everywhere I go the crews I work with impress me. True, occasionally you still run into someone who is inebriated or who thinks he is Tony Soprano, but, in general, people in the exhibit industry are hard workers.
Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if venues were to take it to the next level.... having on-site, venue-specific information; like listings of labour, electrical, A/V, riggers right there, easily accessible. Well, maybe someday there will be....
Favorite places to work? I'd have to say: Chicago, New York and Vancouver. The venues are easy to work in and the cities are great.
All in all, I'm glad to have been able to work in some amazing venues around the world.... All in a day's work for an installer!
Do you have a favourite venue to work in? What do you like so much about it? What is the worlds best trade show venue?
