Joining the dots

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell celebrates interconnectivity.

Last week’s Glass Times Race Day was – as usual – a great success. Typically, though, like any event where you put so many people you know (or want to get to know) in a room, you end up kicking yourself the morning after because you missed your chance to say hello. I even walked past some who were deep in conversation for fear of rudely butting in.

Thanks again to all the race and prize sponsors for helping to make it a great event, and for helping to support GM Fundraising.

If you have always wanted to attend the Race Day, but it falls in the wrong time of the year, or Haydock Racecourse is too far away, or both, then Glass Times is hosting a second Race Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse on September 10, 2020. Now’s your chance to be a part of a great day out.

I always come away from the Race Day with a similar feeling to the FIT Show, or the G Awards, in that we are blessed with a very well-integrated industry. I know that as a magazine editor I inevitably meet a lot of people, but I think it’s fair to say that if you wanted to introduce yourself to a potential customer or supplier then you wouldn’t have to go far to find someone who could give you a personal introduction.

I had this in mind when I received an email from the FIT Show this week. It wasn’t a press release, and I imagine that if you attended the exhibition in May then you received it as well. It was a brief reminder that the show has a massive reach among the decision makers in the glass and glazing industry.

The email contained a link to an infographic that demonstrated how the show’s organisers connect with relevant individuals, and ensures that the right messages are being conveyed.

I love infographics. I’m not really a numbers person (hence my job, I suppose) but I am fully aware that numbers can convey very important information in a way that words can’t; infographics are to numbers in the way that illustrations are to fairy tales, maybe?

Anyway, the point is, I saw in this infographic an embodiment of how the glass and glazing industry works – that there are lots of dotted lines joining us all together. It showed advertising in the trade media, presence on trade counters, email databases, good old-fashioned posted letters, radio broadcasts, press releases, social media, and trade associations.

It was like one of those images where you see how many flights circumnavigate the globe each day – that an idea that you hold in your head is suddenly a bit more tangible.

Interestingly, the infographic didn’t show how the FIT Show’s organisers can be found at industry events such as the G Awards, or the Glass Times Race Day, because you’ll always find them there. And those short convivial bursts of human interaction are – I believe – central to our industry’s success.

One guy I know (and you probably know him too) told me that he never goes to bed until all potential clients have retired for the night, because he doesn’t want to miss an opportunity, and many of his best deals have been made as last orders is being called.

See you at the Glazing Summit in September?