Posted April 13th, 2009 by richard in Installers Life
Exhibitslist scoured the trade show floor and managed to capture a picture of an exemplary installer: well prepared, brought all his equipment. But let's just imagine he didn't. Well, just as the panic starts setting in and he begins brainstorming various workarounds involving stacking buckets, rolls of duct tape, and one perfectly timed jump-- part 2 of the 'Installers Code' kicks in.
[more after the break]
One great thing about the trade show floor culture is that if you forget some equipment, there is always someone willing to lend you theirs. Of course you look like a bit of a hack if you aren't well prepared, and if your client is the type that watches you each step of the way, you might want to crawl under that heap of buckets and duct tape.
It seems to be the unwritten code on the trade show floor that if someone asks for your equipment, you lend it to them. Why? Because next time it might be you on the floor that forgot something... and then the words "what comes around goes around" ring in your ears like the latest Lady GaGa single (come on, now, we all have our guilty pleasures). That is why part of the Installers Code is: Always be willing to lend out your equipment!
The trade show floor is a weird environment. All sorts of competing companies working in close proximity to one another. But they follow the "Code". Some guy wants to borrow your Genie lift. Sure, he should buy his own, but what does it hurt to let him borrow yours? Another installer is trying to shrink wrap his crate and he sees you just finishing up yours and he asks for the rest of the roll. We just hand it over. Oftentimes a few minutes later he'll hand you a larger roll of shrink wrap he didn't notice in his job box. He follows the Code.
This second unwritten rule on the trade show floor is one of the reasons I love being a trade show installer. The good, down-to-earth people in the trade show industry have the right attitude towards working together.
Do you agree with these sentiments? Can you think of any reasons why you shouldn't share your equipment on the trade show floor?
I think that this is a very good code to follow. Being in the sales side of things and only having to put up our booth at the exhibitor show I have to say that I have been one of those unprepared installers. So when I ask those around (who are competitors) for a tool or for some help lifting something they always say yes. This in turn makes me say yes to anything I get asked for. I have to agree with you (and Lady GaGa) and say that what "goes around comes around." I think that it would almost make the show floor awkward if there wasn't this unwritten code to help each other out.