By David Perry
ORLANDO – Larry Karel,
the Dean of the Drive-In
Markets, looked down on
the show floor from his
second-story perch. He
liked the expansive
view.
_
There, stretched out
below him in the Orange
County Convention
Center’s North
Concourse, were the
yardsticks of success in
the trade show business:
More than 1,200 booths,
temporary homes to
furniture, bedding and
accessory exhibitors.
_
“I think this is
the largest temporary
home furnishings show in
the United States,”
Karel said. “There is no
design center of market
building to drive
traffic. This show runs
all by its little
self.”
_
With a little
help, of course, from
Karel Exposition
Management, the trade
show producer that Larry
Karel has headed for
almost half a century. _
_
Karel is now in
his 46th year
at KEM, the Aventura,
Fla.-based company. He’s
an old hand at hosting
regional furniture
shows, which he famously
says can be attended for
the cost of a tank of
gas.
_
But now that gas
prices are soaring, are
his shows losing their
edge?
_
Karel says not.
“You can attend my shows
for less than a tank of
gas,” he responds.
_
Karel’s shows,
like the one here, are
local affairs, catering
to the needs of mostly
small independent home
furnishings retailers in
hot retail markets
around the country in
the Northeast, the
Southeast, the Southwest
and the West Coast. Many
of those retailers don’t
attend the major
national furniture
markets. They don’t have
the time or money, he
says.
_And
that’s where KEM enters
the picture. The company
says it provides
cost-effective venues
for exhibitors and
buyers to conduct
business. Don’t look for
lavish parties or trendy
seminars. These are
no-frills shows. At the
end of the day, the show
managers turn out the
lights and everyone
leaves for the day.
_
Many of the
buyers drive in for the
day, saving on housing
costs and, more
importantly, preserving
their time for those
all-important weekend
selling days, Karel
said.
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“There are comfortable shows for
the buyers,” Karel said. “This
is a very accessible way for
them to buy on a regional scale.
There are no hassles. Whoever
comes to our shows won’t be away
from their stores for long.
_
Karel’s shows typically
run on Sunday-Tuesday schedules.
The exception is the Orlando
show, now in its 15th
year. In a nod to the host of
family-friendly attractions in
central Florida, Walt’s magical
empire chief among them, Karel
starts the Orlando show on
Friday and wraps up on Sunday.
Many families avail themselves
of the nearby attractions while
the spouse works the show.
_
Karel was pleased with
the reports he heard about
business during the Orlando
show, but he acknowledges that
attendance at his shows is off.
“Attendance is down at all of my
shows,” he said. “Small
companies, both producers and
retailers, are going out of
business.”
_
But, he added,
significantly, new players are
also getting into the game. “For
every day that someone goes out
of business,” Karel said,
“someone comes in. That’s why
we’re not hurting that bad.”
_
Karel, 67, takes nothing
for granted. He still sweats the
details, worrying before each
show how he’ll do.
_
“I’ve heard all the
horror stories about reps not
writing any business on the road
these days and all these
companies getting ready to go
out of business,” he said. “But
I’m more enthused about my
business than ever before. I
think my shows will only get
bigger.”
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