Why The Recession Is A Gift

Counter-intuitive I know, over optimistic possibly but...
according to many trend experts more of us are going to hole up indoors more, finding cheaper alternatives to going out...going out to the pub, going out to restaurants, going out shopping...now what are we going to do while we are indoors? Well some of us are going to play more electronic games and watch more mindless TV but a lot of us are going to find time for hobbies and interests. Cheap alternatives to expensive shopping. Now if we start cooking more, or sewing, or drawing, or carving, or painting and decorating, or ...we will want to know about how to do it better...be ready to take advantage of this new found interest. Make sure your marketing links to know-how sites on the internet and to books that are being sold. Use your customers to spread the word. Take advantage and watch the chance to build new audiences.

If we aren't able to buy all the latest fashion every season then perhaps we may start to create our own - a fashion event would be well advised to think a bit more about putting on sewing machine demonstrations making sure some of the audiences can see how to make their own clothes or adapt things they already own. Shopping in your own wardrobe is a newly minted phrase.

How about the trade events - well if you're a bit worried that you may not have covered all the angles and your competitors are ahead of you then the best place to be is in the industry trade space - n'est ce-pas?

How about the people that lose their jobs...well they are going to want to network more than ever aren't they?

How about people cutting budgets, well procurement may be a bit more open to new initiatives to help them find savings in unexpected places - again where's best to do that then?

As BT used to say 'it's good to talk'...well there's no better time to talk than in a downturn, turning challenges into opportunities takes talk and that's what this industry sells, talk time!

We're saying 2009 is the year of inventiveness, there is no better place to get inventive than at an exciting trade fair.

How about the doom and gloom and misery, well we're in the happy market, so we are part of the solution not the problem. Look at it this way, it's impossible to be gloomy when you are looking at a classic car or losing yourself amongst boats or bikes or whatever your particular persuasion is...a 30 year study shows that indulging in hobbies and pastimes is the best way to improve your mood. Yes, the best way.

So, all in all, this recession is the biggest opportunity this industry has had in the past 57 years - what are you waiting for? If you want more thinking like this and some targeted action to help you take advantage of that tsunami of opportunity - you know where we are...