To say it's been busy the last few months at Prairie is an understatement. During the show season, Prairie is an “all hands on deck” team. My hands have been on deck more this January and February than I can remember.

Our Store and Ship clients seem to be on heavier and tighter show schedules this year and I have found myself pitching in on display inspections. Each display is set-up and inspected after each show/event to make sure all is good for the next use.

We see display properties come back to our dock in a variety of conditions, from okay to missing or broken parts. Graphics usually need to be cleaned or steamed and refolded, depending on if they are rollable panels or fabric. The trade show floor is probably one of the dustiest and dirtiest places around. That dust and dirt usually ends up on your display and graphics and in your cases.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”

— Henry Ford

The worlds of design, art and graphic production have all evolved very rapidly over the past 20 to 25 years. It has never been easier to create what you can visualize, then produce it at what seems like lightning speed.

Perhaps, though, we are losing the art of creating imagery using paint, pencil and paper.

Every year when December rolls around, we generally are talking with customers and prospects about one of three things....

For the first conversation, there is money left in the budget that needs to be spent. Sometimes the funds are used as a deposit for a project that needs to start after the first of the year. Or, there’s a flourish of activity to get artwork or invoices together by a certain date in December, so the project can either be delivered and paid for, or simply paid for by the end of the year. 

Returning from the Exhibitor Show (ExhibitorLIve 2015) in Las Vegas last week, I sat on my return flight to Chicago, eyes closed, headphones plugged in. Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” started to play.

I met my old lover

On the street last night

She seemed so glad to see me

I just smiled

And we talked about some old times

And we drank ourselves some beers

Still crazy after all these years