Posted October 12, 2016

For the second time in six months, industry associations have created a calendar conflict that has caused industry reps and me much consternation. Next week, two major trade shows in the U.S. are booked on top of each other, leaving many of us to pick and choose.

The IFAI Expo is scheduled to take place in Charlotte, N.C., the same three days as the FloorTek Expo in Dalton, Ga. On the surface, it may not seem as though there would be much overlap in interest, given these are completely different sectors of our industry. But for numerous suppliers and myself who cater to various segments of textile production, such concurrence leaves us to decide which event brings the most value for our time and effort.

And that’s just the domestic trade show calendar. If you expand to include international shows, you’ll find that Exintex is on tap for the same three days (October 18-21) in Puebla, Mexico – and that brings more pressure to many of our global suppliers. For some larger companies, this causes little trouble, as I learned from one supplier this week that will send reps to all three of those shows, and another to ITMA Asia + CITME the following week. But, again, uncoordinated scheduling often shuts out the smaller guys such as me.

Hence, the angst.

You see, my desire is to cover EVERTHING I can possibly get to in the industry, not only as a news provider service but also to forge and foster relationships with folks in many sectors as eTC continues to expand and strive to become the go-to source for news and happenings in our amazing industry. We all know this industry, in particular, is built on trust, which starts with those relationships that develop from networking and creating good will.

The latest scheduling snafu follows the Atlanta textile shows and the IDEA show in Boston occurring simultaneously in May. With most of my advertisers and readers in Georgia, I had not other choice but to cover those three concurrent shows – but I REALLY needed to be in Beantown, too, to make more contacts in the nonwovens area.

Now, I don’t want to minimize eTC as a fledgling, smallish operation because I have huge aspirations to expand staff and reach (beyond the current 3,900+ global subscribers). But that starts by being front and center at these events and showing these companies and associations (all managed by people) a little love.

So, again, I implore these associations, when setting dates for future events, to contact me first. Typically, I get groups’ calendars well in advance and can advise you about potential conflicts.

Until then, has anyone heard if any progress has been made in the area of human cloning?