A (Small) Light Shines

Key economic indicators, such as gross domestic product, the consumer price index and the unemployment rate, still struggle to gain any kind of positive traction in the current economic climate.

Even so, there have been some bright spots on the horizon – the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing above 10,000 for the first time in a while being one of them. Existing home prices in some of the hardest hit areas, like Las Vegas, recently posted upticks as well.

Could it be that finally there might be some light at the end of a long, dark tunnel?

Here at Tradeshow Week, we talk to people in the industry day in and day out about what they have had to face during these tough times.

At first, there was disbelief that things got so bad, so fast. Then there was despair, as some companies fought for their very survival. After that, there seemed to be resignation. Lastly, there was a fatigue that set in because people just wanted all of this to be over so they could move on with the business of the day without so much stress and fear.

Recently, though, there has been a shift in overall attitudes. Instead of feeling like things were never going to get better, there have been small reasons to believe a recovery might be taking place.

For example, two October shows we reported on, Pack Expo Las Vegas and Intl. Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition, wrapped up their second-largest shows ever.

In Las Vegas, where the meetings business suffered the one-two punch of a brutal economy and less-than-helpful comments from President Obama, things have a long way to go, but there have been some gains in bookings on the room and convention space side.

There are even more examples of positive trends in other parts of the country where shows are doing well in spite of it all.

Even though it’s been a difficult road to tread, at the end of the day, when this recession is behind all of us, people likely will look back on it all and realize there was plenty to learn from.