Trade Show Presentation New Blood Needed

[GKitson]

Hey TSB gang, I just got my evaluations back from the presentations at ISS Long Beach and I wanted to throw out a challenge to everyone here.

A regular comment on the evaluations is that every year it is the same speakers, on the same subjects, talking about the same old things, again & again & again.....

Megan, Pierre, Mark and others from TSB have submitted proposals and some have been accepted and presented. April is when the Call For Presentations goes out for ISS 2016 and I challenge Alan, Alex, Dan, Dave, Tony, John, and others to rise up to the challenge and share what you know.

Speaking at ISS will make you rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams as they pay millions for your time and effort.   Yeah right, a few bucks are involved and you can eat a couple of meals on the ISS honorarium while at the show but you must understand the real value from speaking and it comes in preparing the actual presentation and being totally honest with yourself.

The process of preparing and presenting will make you better at what you do period, the ability to communicate will make you a better manager and you will find out things about yourself that you did not know.

With all of that said, if anybody is interested in presenting at ISS in the future, ask your questions here or PM me and I will share how the logistics work, introduce you to the right people and in most cases give you a great recommendation...

Thanks for reading, keep on learning and really consider this opportunity to make yourself a better "T-shirt guy", and Megan knows I consider her one of the guys 

~Greg Kitson
greg@mindseyeg.com

[TCT]

Greg, are you trying to replace yourself? The info and systems you have are soooooooo valuable!

I had thought I may submit a proposal for "Life of a procrastinator: how to be a smart ass and wing it" but I keep putting it off!

Seriously, assuming that when you said Alex you meant me, I am flattered but don't think I have much. I can run anyone's business to the T(get what I just did there) as long as EVERYTHING goes without problem, and it continues in this "virtual" world. Come to my place, and you wonder what the hell we are doing, I know I do! Pretty sure Dave and Pierre touched on one of the many complexes I have

No offense to anyone else, but I would love to take a class from Alan(alan802). Provided I didn't mid class fall on the floor and began foaming at the mouth from exact number overload Also Alan from Murakami I bet would put on a killer class!

I'm actually headed to Dave's shop this week(super excited) to have him learn us good. Everyone says it is a fine tuned spinning top. I'll report back if it is a wizard of oz situation going on

While it would be nice to have a bit of change to the classes and not just changed class names, Greg, your classes should stay. People ALWAYS without fail say your classes are the one to make sure you take. That 10am one of yours I was just in, I didn't get to sleep til 5am the night before and I would of kicked my own ass(Eryn would of helped) if I didn't make it there. Well worth it!

[Gilligan]

Yes Greg, please stay as I haven't been able to go to a show where you were teaching.

But I would like to see some changes.  We didn't go to Dallas in 14 because it wasn't enough of a change from when we went in 13.

Mostly they seem to gear the printing towards a lot of basics.

I took Mark's (last) marketing classes and enjoyed them, but I sent my production guy to printing classes.  The one thing good that came out of it was really a confidence boost for him because he walked out of those classes realizing he knew a lot more than a lot of the ppl that had been printing for many more years than him.

It was good in that he did need that, but now he wants to fine tune and learn more next time we go.

Technically we probably need to bite the bullet and get an consultant in the shop but we always feel like we can improve or get things in better shape on our own before having someone come in to tell us to do what we already have on the agenda (like getting a real pre-reg system, which is in the (ink)works ).  But we will certainly need to bring someone in soon enough to whip us into shape and fine tune our processes.

[bimmridder]

I'd hate to see Greg go, and I don't really think that's his intention by this thread. Although great things don't last forever. I don't get to shows like I used to, but when I did, i would literally go to the same seminars year after year. I ALWAYS walked out with something new, or that I had missed the last time (I know, I'm kind of slow). If I had the time and chance to go to more shows, I'd do the same thing again.

I'd sure like to think that the powers that be would keep the speakers and subjects, and maybe expand. I realize you can't please all the people all the time, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There is SO much outstanding information constantly being shared at the shows.

And Alex, Not sure who told you it's a fine tuned spinning top around here. They may have had a few cocktails when you were talking. I am looking forward to your visit, and hope you leave with something besides.......A FREE T SHIRT!!!

Greg, you've served up a nice plate of food for thought.

[blue moon]

to add few bennies Greg did not mention, you can go to the other classes for free (so I'm told, have not tried it yet), your badge is actually waiting for you (no lines!) and there is a staffed room for your luggage or what ever else you don't feel like lugging around.

pierre

[jsheridan]

I've pondered this for many years but will be the first to admit that I'm horrible with documenting my procedures.

I know I have a ton to share, it's getting it into the format required that I'd like to work on and actually make this a reality in the coming years.

[blue moon]

I've pondered this for many years but will be the first to admit that I'm horrible with documenting my procedures.

I know I have a ton to share, it's getting it into the format required that I'd like to work on and actually make this a reality in the coming years.

John and anybody else, I can help with the format. In one of my previous lives I've had a lot of adult teaching training. . .

classes should be structured as 4 T's
1.tell them what you are going to teach (intro)
2.teach
3. tell them what you taught (recap)
4. test them (review)

keep each section under 8 min and you should be golden!

pierre

[TCT]

In one of my previous lives I've had a lot of adult teaching training. . .

pierre

Dude Pierre, how many previous lives have you had!!?? You have had your hands in everything! How about farming, any of that? 

[blue moon]

In one of my previous lives I've had a lot of adult teaching training. . .

pierre

Dude Pierre, how many previous lives have you had!!?? You have had your hands in everything! How about farming, any of that? 

LOL, not what you'd think. This was in my skydiving days where I was an instructor and even did a little instructor instructor work (training future instructors). We had to get certified to teach (adults obviously as the age limit is 18) and most of the methodology came from scientific research and best practices (you can imagine the consequences of improper instruction!). Even had one instructor student with a PhD in education say he learned more in the three day class with us than in his doctoral studies.

sorry, know nothing about farming, is it something I should be looking into? 

pierre

[TCT]

Maybe, on MSNBC(I think) there was like a 6 part show on Pot Barrons and Pot FARMERS that were making money hand over fist in Denver....

No I was going in the direction I always thought I may like farming, work outside in the sun, hard work with your hands, real sense of accomplishment. Or that is how it plays out in my feeble mind 

Sorry for the de rail, Pierre is just so damn accomplished I had to test him! 

[Gilligan]

Farmers make money in NOT growing crops.

[royster13]

http://www.traildailytimes.ca/ourtown/289607891.html

[Maxie]

ISS Long Beach was a great show.   On the way there my son and I spent a day with Alan in Austin.
We flew there from Israel.     Reading what he writes on the TSB it's obvious that he knows a lot about the profession.   He kindly agreed to have us visit his plant,   after spending a day with him I can confirm that he really knows a lot about silk screen printing and he's a great guy, also the Tex Mex is great in Austin.
I went to very interesting lectures by Greg,  I think the first lecture of his I went to was in Chicago about 5 years ago, he is always very practical and I've learnt a lot from him over the years.
Pierre and Richard Greaves gave a very interesting and practical seminar.     I've already ordered some of the tools they mentioned for controlling quality.     They both have a lot of experience and managed to get a lot of information across in the short time they had.
I didn't get a chance thank M&R for dinner.    They sponsored the dinner the TSB members had together.
For us it's quite a trip but it was well worth it, we learnt a lot and met a lot of nice people.

[GKitson]

Thanks for all the great input, I wanted to keep the conversation going;

First, I have no intention of stopping my presentations in the industry, I have too much fun talking shop.

Second, I was raised in an Air Force household and one of the things that always stuck with me was that a commanders responsibility included identifying and training future leaders.  Ever heard the term, 'move up or move out', a leader has an obligation that includes leadership development in others.

When I received my Eagle Scout award at 16 I heard something that also applies here.  "You are not receiving this award so much for what you have previously accomplished but for what you will accomplish in the future!"

"Pay it Forward" also seems to apply to the trade show seminar presentation scenerio.

Hope there is enough meat there to continue the conversation, this board has individuals who can see themselves in everything I said above.

Best to all, looking forward to more discussion.

~Kitson

[bimmridder]

As I said previously, I don't get to shows as much as I'd like to. Are the seminars still offered as a one size fits all? I know I've seen and heard the frustration of people saying the seminar was either way too basic, or way to intense. Is there a way to grade the seminars? Gold=Beginner/Small Shop, Silver=Medium Size Shop, and Bronze=Very Experienced. I realize it is all relative, but it might help people decide if a seminar is the one for them. I'm not trying to disregard Greg's posts, but throwing out a suggestion. I'm still trying to decide if there is a way I can contribute.