Time to Get Out of the Studio Again….

I wrote last year about the first business expo I ever attended, at which I had a jolly good time. Today was the 2007 iteration of that expo, which I also attended. As I pulled into the parking garage, next to an outdoor lot bearing the legend “All-day parking $20”, I grumbled inwardly and wondered if my ROI would even offset the cost of parking. As I walked into the exhibit hall I left a stack of my brochures on a literature table and went on in. Loud music greeted me, which emanated from the exhibit by DiGrigoli Salon & School of Cosmetology. This was a curiosity. They had set up a stage, had a bevy of sweet young girls clad in white who were offering bags of hair styling products, and the owner of the salon was up on stage with several other stylists, keeping up a running patter about his terrific students and how long he had been cutting hair and how much he still loved it. It was the work of a few seconds for them to get me up there for a free haircut, so I had about a half hour of listening to the studio owner talking about his business. It was truly impressive – he had great stage presence and his enthusiasm was remarkable. I definitely needed the cut, since the last person to cut my hair was myself. This was a tremendous treat and I was thrilled that whatever my parking fee turned out to be it would be worth it (I admit I’m a tightwad). I spent another hour touring the exhibit tables, said hello to a few old acquaintances and left a few cards with selected business owners. It was a pleasant morning. Coincidentally, while at this event I got a call from a contact I had made at this same event a year ago. His was a new business at the time so I was delighted to learn that he is flourishing (and that he has potentially got work for me).

My parking fee was $2.25. w00t!!

It was the day for networking – today was also my local Chamber of Commerce monthly “Arrive @ 5”, hosted by our town hospital which has just completed an impressive new surgery center. Tours were offered (I love tours) and I left feeling strongly tempted to just check in, if I could be sure that all they would do was feed and entertain me and change my sheets…. My luck has certainly changed since I started attending these business events. In the last year I’ve won tickets to an Arlo Guthrie concert, a bread board, a 1 GB jump drive, and today, a pair of handsome garden lanterns. What a day!