Sunday, December 01, 2013

The Young and the Restless

The last big event of the calendar year (Greenbuild) was recently held in Philadelphia and like most shows this year, reactions were once again mixed.  Most people I talked to said the first day was pretty rough but there was some bounce back after that.  However the one item that been frustrating exhibitors is the clientele of architects visiting this show continue to be non-decision makers.  Younger designers and students are the dominant attendees and it just forces the exhibitors to hope that in time their investments will pay off.  Now what does that have to do with our industry as a whole?  Shows like this are important to show off our product lines, technology and industry overall.  If we are not reaching the folks who make the end calls, it certainly is not a positive. Who knows maybe in a few years these young folks that we’ve wined and dined at these shows will come through for our world.

Elsewhere…

--  At Greenbuild an announcement was made that the USGBC and UL are now working together on some items.  My reaction is one of dread.  These two getting together is like King Kong and Godzilla teaming up.  Going to be brutal.  Good luck to anyone who ends up dealing with this combo.

--  In my last blog I noted the Atlanta Braves are building a new stadium since their old one is all of 17 years old.  Then came news that the Washington Nationals want a roof for their brand new stadium.  I am sure they will get it too when all is said and done.  No one fleeces the taxpayer better than pro sports teams.

--  Next week I will unveil my glass and glazing industry MVP for 2014.  Tons of candidates when all is said and done… this will NOT be an easy choice.

--  The monthly Architectural Billings Index (ABI) update was slightly down but still positive.  Given that it could’ve been affected by the government shutdown, that’s probably not a bad performance.  Again we will see- given the performance of the ABI all year, next year should be very strong.

--  For those of you on the retail side, dealing with reviews on the Internet is a challenge.  Especially when a competitor/imposter is posting negative reviews to hurt your business.  Well this story from last week is a table turner and pretty wild. Unfortunately this policy hampers the wrong party.

--  Whenever I get Glass Magazine the first thing I do is look at all the ads.  I want to see what everyone is doing and how they are doing it.  This past month Cardinal Glass continued their roll of great ads, with a really strong and eye-catching piece on their new spacer offerings.  Gotta give their ad and marketing team props because they always deliver.

--  Last this week… College Football is the best.  Rivalry weekend is amazing and always delivers.  And that Auburn-Alabama game and its finish take the cake.  You will probably see nothing like that for the rest of your life.  Now if only College Football had a true tournament like College Hoops it would be absolutely perfect.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  This story has it all… football, good coaching, parents, and Ellen.  Love it all.

--  I like fun crowds at sporting events and this sounds like one.

--  5 "bad" gift cards to give for the holidays… and while they may be bad for the writer here, how is any gift actually bad?

VIDEO of the WEEK

YKK premiered its newest music video at Greenbuild.  If you have not seen.. you can now!







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