Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1062752
14 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2018 ees, which then affirms in their minds that this was a valuable show, and if each vendor goes home with one quality contact at the end of the day, they make back their show money easily. Randy, how much does it cost to exhibit? Faucette: We try to keep it under $1,000. Olive: For under $1,000 for a tabletop space, and if you get one customer who brings in a $10,000 deal, you've already made your money back easily. Imagine if you come back with five good contacts. One of the things that's really encouraging is that 40% of the people this year did not attend last year. That's a huge number. In fact, the first time I ran the report, I was not sure I did it right, and had to go back and check because it didn't feel like the right number. Last year, 35% of the attendees were new. Even as people attrition out of their companies, retire, or move to other states, we're replacing them with new people and different age groups too, which is encouraging. Cosentino: As part of the keynote address, I wanted a pulse of the room. I asked, "How many people are here for the first time?" About 25% of the people raised their hands. I asked, "How many people came here from more than 50 miles away?" Probably 25% raised their hands. Then, I asked, "How many people here are 30 years or younger?" About 15% of the room raised their hands, which I thought was great. We're getting really old. I am all gray, Lance has half his hair, and Randy has two bad knees! Shaughnessy: I think 15% is high for young people in the industry overall. Cosentino: Young people in this industry are important. We would not be able to do a show like this without a bunch of volunteers. We reach out to local community colleges and uni- versities and ask students to get involved with the show, volunteer, and take on some tasks, whether it's monitoring a door, working the front desk, handing out pamphlets, or carry- ing boxes. Then, they have an opportunity to meet the vendors. They're all students in the electronics industry, not English grads. Shaughnessy: They're not drama majors. Cosentino: No, and they're interested in what they see. They are studying to be electronics technicians or working toward an engineering degree. We also have professors from colleges who present papers. These students come in, get to see the industry vendors, gain exposure The crowd mingles at Mentor's open bar.