There’s Always a First Time

No matter how old you are and how much you have seen and done, there is always a first time for something. At the recent Dallas market, I had one of those moments.It happened as I was making the rounds of the showrooms with my colleague Bessie. In one of the showrooms, there was a greeting card line that caught our eye. We stopped to investigate it more closely and as we were doing so, the exhibitor whose card line it was approached to see if we needed any help or had any questions. We introduced ourselves and asked if he had some information he could give us on the cards and images for editorial purposes. It seemed almost as if he recoiled from our simple question. “No! No!” he said, “I don’t want any publicity!” We were stunned!

Seeing our expressions, he launched into a very lengthy explanation. In short, we ascertained, anytime the line gets publicized, he has to put up with the nuisance of having to deal with lawyers anxious to make a buck pursuing copyright and trademark infringement cases. He has all of his t’s crossed and his I’s dotted, but that doesn’t stop them from bothering him.

Exhibitors who are new to the business and don’t know the magazine can sometimes be a little leery at first, but most are delighted to be considered for possible editorial inclusion. Never have I encountered such a reaction as this before.  But…there’s always a first time!