BBB.

We do many tradeshows over the course of a year...I can count at least 6, and quote honestly, you feel completely dead after all of them. But at least with Bread and Butter, you feel like it was worth the efforts. You just meet so many cool people across the span of three days...I mean, people come out of the woodwork for this show. That's my favorite part about it. I also like the casualness of the show. It feels like a small, indie tradeshow. They foster creativity and bend the rules to allow the brands to really have fun. But on the other hand, it doesn't suffer from what hurts other indie tradeshows...and that's lack of attendance. Parts of BBB felt like Times Square on New Year's Eve. It was packed.
This year, they added this new service called the BBB Business Suites which was where you could find me most of the time. I loved it in there. It was my favorite part of the show! A nice quiet (although the volume of the music could have been a bit lower) place to catch up on work. It was catered by elBullicatering. Which meant all the free food and amazing drink you wanted. My only suggestion is that the Suite could have benefit from more electrical outlets for charging laptops. SO anyhoo! Back to the show...
I am not a fan of blowing up people's shit too early and you can see sneak previews of products on other sites. I actually wanted to go around and ask different people what they thought of the show...so here's a sampling from all different people (buyers, exhibitors, press, visitors, etc..)


YOUR NAME? Christopher Bevans
YOUR COMPANY? Christopher Bevans, The KDU, SVSV.
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? I'm the design director.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? It's awesome. It's a great environment here. Seeing all different people from around the world...it's totally different than the US shows. The aesthetic for my brand works better for me here, I think. The response I am getting here is just amazing.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: Tradeshows have become a circus. Of course you need a little buzz and showmanship, but at the end day, lets talk about the thought process, the concept, the fabrics, the techniques...Forget all the song and dance. I feel like I can't talk about that at other shows like I can at BBB.


YOUR NAME? Eric Merino
YOUR COMPANY? Kilo Goods / Rocksmith
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Partner, Creative Director
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? It's different and more organized than US based tradeshows. It's good to just see different things.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: I don't like the cattle meat market aspect of the whole thing. You know, herds of buyers moving towards one thing after another. I also don't like the caffeine and unnatural substances one has to take just to stay awake and talk to all the people. It's very unhealthy. All the caffeine and Japanese Yellow Pills.


YOUR NAME? Gareth Skewis
YOUR COMPANY? Pointer Footwear.
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? I'm the creative director.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? There's a lot of people...it's very good. We come every season because all the buyers come. It's more of a networking thing but it's still important.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: The noise, cigarette smoke...They're not pleasant but it's a necessity. If you want to make shoes and clothing, this is part of all that I guess.


YOUR NAME? PB
YOUR COMPANY? Undercrwn
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? I'm their European Distributor.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? This is our 2nd time at BBB. It's a good meeting place. Great for networking. I especially love this Street and Sport section. People here know what they want.
It's a bit too big for me, but its important to be here. It's THE place to be.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: The stress before it. Just preparing for it...setting up for meetings, etc. Also, in the tradeshows, a lot of people come by and don't know what they are talking about. You can't just pick and choose who you meet. Some people you meet are cool but some people; you don't know what they want...But i guess that just comes with the trade.


YOUR NAME? Peter
YOUR COMPANY? Sneakers-N-Stuff
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Co-Founder and COO.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? I definitely like the fact that it's in Barcelona...it's a beautiful city. It's very a very organized show. And it's a nice set up. It's a lot better than MAGIC and the US shows.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: There's a lot of crap here. And looking through all the crap is tiring and hard. We don't go to the other areas levels now. We just stay here for the most part.


YOUR NAME? Nick Jackson
YOUR COMPANY? Twelve Bar
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Co-Owner.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? Well this is the third BBB we've done. I think the show is great because it's an interesting mix of brands. It's great for a brand like us, which is trying to get more exposure in Europe. There is a wide range of buyers, press and people here in general.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: The biggest pain in the ass is getting in there and getting out. There is also so much traveling and carrying things. The worst part is the couriers. The second thing I hate is that you don't get to eat all day long.


YOUR NAME? Mike
YOUR COMPANY? Obey
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Head Mens Designer for 8 years.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? Well, we've been doing tradeshows since like 1995-96...when Shep was doing then himself. We are seasoned tradeshow vets, haha. BBB is an interesting show. In the US, buyers are used to working and filling their orders. The European structure is more about meeting and greeting...seeing what you're about...how the collection is developing...etc. Then they expect your rep or distributor to take it from there after the show and take care of the orders.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: Oh god lets see...Cigarette smoke in Europe. Building the booths...breaking them down...waiting on crazy lines. FEDEX! (grr)...But other than that I really enjoy the show itself.


YOUR NAME? Simon
YOUR COMPANY? Sixpack
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Distribution and Finance.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? This is our second time at BBB. It's the only tradeshow that we do. I like meeting different people here...and making the network. Also, its good to see what's going on in the market...see what the feeling about other people is. It's a good way to celebrate...it's kind of like a family reunion each season. Because we are all working a bit alone don't you think? But at BBB we can open a bit to others. Everyone sees each other through the net now...but actual face-to-face relationships are important too.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: Hypocrisy. Everyone seems to be nice and together here. But sometimes, it's not so true. I don't like the fake part of it.


YOUR NAME? David Gensler
YOUR COMPANY? The KDU
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? The guy behind the elephant with the shovel. (aka The President and Founder)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? Well it's WAY better than Vegas! Barcelona is an amazing city.
It's a totally different and cool scene here. It feels like a community. The building and the palace are amazing! The opening party was at a fucking palace! It was dope. The UNTITLED EXHIBITION is dope too.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: It's the same thing over and over each season. I hate the fact that we are all creative people...but nobody tries to disrupt the system or change anything. We just show up, set our stuff up and get lost. If all of us got together to try and make these things better, we'd probably make more money.


YOUR NAME? Chris
YOUR COMPANY? Freshjive
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? Head of Marketing
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? I've done four BBBs now. I love BBB. We meet all our distributors. We see faces of lots of people you don't see normally and people you usually just email with. Also, Barcelona is an amazing city. It's a whole different feeling. It's much mellower here. It's stressful at other shows.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: The deadly combination of lack of sleep, late nights, traveling, sickness, lost luggage and lost samples.


YOUR NAME? Raoul Shah
YOUR COMPANY? Exposure
WHAT DO YOU DO THERE? CEO
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BBB? Finding the occasional gem amongst the 8000 average brands here. But this is the most definitive show of all of them. The most likely that I will find that gem here.
WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT TRADESHOWS IN GENERAL: Well, it's sifting through all those average brands I guess. There's no problem about the size of the show. Tradeshows can continue to grow bigger so long as it continues to nurture interesting, great brands.