Those new realities included mask wearing, social distancing, more handwashing and sanitizing, and most importantly, figuring out new ways to do business when doing it in person posed too much of a risk. These changes affected not only how you interacted with customers in your store, but also how you purchased merchandise and communicated with the wholesalers you do business with.
Before last year did you ever in a million years think that you would require mask wearing in your store, or think that your next meeting with your manufacturer’s rep would be by Zoom? Had you even heard of Zoom prior to March 2020? Many of these scenarios were unimaginable before 2020 and yet here we still are placing orders for and selling merchandise as though that’s how we’ve always done it.
The circumstances we have to operate in may have changed, but the show goes on nonetheless. When Surf Expo became a virtual event in September 2020, I remember thinking, “How is this going to work?”
Buyers and vendors alike were a bit uncertain about using a new virtual platform, but meeting after meeting that I attended went off without a hitch.
Like many of you, I was able to learn about many great products being introduced to the market. Exhibitors on the other end of the Zoom connection enthusiastically showed off their product lines. Whereas an in-person event can often be riddled with noise and distractions, during the virtual meetings both participants had each other’s undivided attention.
Congratulations for getting through one of the toughest years ever, and here’s to a prosperous 2021!
By the time Clarion Events launched its Gift & Souvenir Marketplace in the fall, setting up meetings, viewing products, and attending live webinars and demonstrations became easy and routine.
We certainly missed being able to meet face-to-face with retailers and wholesalers like we would have in a normal year, but there was a lot of value gained by these virtual encounters. These events have made everyone so much more technologically savvy, and that will be helpful in any future with or without a pandemic.
I am sure we are all looking forward to the day when we don’t have to mask-up to leave the house or when we can return to having large gatherings, handshakes and hugs again. The fact that we’ve been able to carry on without them means there’s not much we can’t do. Congratulations for getting through one of the toughest years ever, and here’s to a prosperous 2021!
