I just returned from one of my most favorite places on earth to exhibit. We had a fantastic turn-out, sales were up 50% over any of the previous years sales figures and the event appears to finally have found it's "place".
I was all excited on Thursday's set-up, finally a tiny room that could barely hold 9 exhibitors with spaces 6' deep by 13' finally laid-out to fall in the ADA complaint category, and I was thankful on many fronts.
The main being that I suffer from a type of claustrophobia where I can't be blocked up against a wall (such as when people gather around me not realizing that is what they did and I have no way out) and/or exits being cluster blocked.
Friday morning, I had the final merchandise and last minute items I was wheeling into our booth, still outside and this weirdo comes up, slaps me on the shoulder just enough to unbalance me and makes an inane comment and I think to myself - who on earth would do such a thing when I am obviously wheeling a large cart full of items in the pouring down rain...what type of unthinking person would do such a thing? And then as I get under cover (it was raining heavily) and wheeled into the room, I find the same weirdoes wife was "set-up" on the open side of our booth, her items thrown on top of our fixtures that had been covered with sheets the night before, spread out all over the floor and literally blocking the main entrance (there was only about 6 feet from the doors to our booth.)
I was shocked that the coordinator would do such a thing - move this person that was scheduled to be outside - inside, it was not the coordinators job to accommodate someone that did not come prepared at the expense of everyone else. I realize I may sound hard-nosed about this, however I had just spent $600 on brand new fixtures for this show specific, and had a professional display. not some thrown together stuff looking like what you would find at a flea market. She had plastic shoe boxes full of her stuff, splayed out on the floor, on one side of the entrance, and a pegged board on the other ready to "bite" people in the ankles. I tried to speak to the coordinator of the safety issues involved and she wouldn't listen to me, claiming that she saw no problem with any of this...the whole time..me thinking what on earth? You just gave the prime location (since it was the main entrance) to a clueless and shoeless yahoo (yes she was) blocking the main entrance, you put someone who was not even remotely professional in a room with 9 that were professionals, setting a "tone" to the room that we were all a bunch of less-thens all because this party didn't come prepared for the weather.
While I realize the coordinator was trying to be accommodating, the issues were this:
1. the coordinator made one party's problem everyone elses' rather than explaining pre-show that IF you are outside, please be prepared for all types of weather. Moving them indoors at the last minute was an insult in such a small venue to all of us who are professional and prepared.
2. the room instantly became non-ADA-compliant.
3. because the main entrance was not able to be accessed comfortably or exited without stepping side-ways, the room was now a dangerous area for anyone entering or trying to exit.
I realized upon discussion with the coordinator that she didn't understand that what "appeared" to be space was necessary for safety reasons alone not just ADA compliance. It was not space to "fill-up". So, I proceeded to suffer a mild claustrophic panic attack the two days of the show. The other two exits were equally blocked on and off throughout the day due to other exhibitors setting up their booths causing clusters to form in front of the other two exits. It was painful, I have spent two nights crying myself to sleep knowing that I was in a situation that I had within seconds lost control over, for all the time I spent guaranteeing I wouldn't suffer an attack which is so rare, because of my diligence it's been 4 years since the last time. Because I don't realize until after the fact that I am in panic mode...I am so upset that people saw this in me not realizing that is what was happening to me. I couldn't settle down the whole time, constantly afraid someone was a) going to get injured, trip or fall or b) a situation was going to rise that I was not going to be able to leave when I needed to.
Just a word to all of you - PLEASE - if your set-up is ADA compliant you are also most likely set-up to meet the standards of the fire marshall. There is a very simple test to perform to see if your own area is ADA compliant that I used to do when I worked corporate that I continue to do now. Many times I am told by those that aren't aware - you have all this "space" in your booth and it's so comfortable not realizing I sometimes spend countless hours working out those details to make sure I am ADA compliant. That means I accommodate wheelchairs, strollers and similar situations because of it.
Here is how to do it: always have a yardstick with you if you aren't of the type to graph out your space ahead of time, or know the traffic pattern of the aisles until you arrive. Hold the yardstick with each end in each hand with your arms down to your sides forming an "A" and walk through your booth. If you touch one side of the yardstick to any surface, the other side needs to be free. If you strike both sides of the yardstick, the area is too narrow and not ADA compliant. Also, if you pass your yardstick over any items that are below your hands, those items are a low-hazard and need to be raised up above the level of your hands/yardstick or you have created a "tripping" hazard.
I can guarantee that if you set-up your space to be ADA compliant you will see customers you have never seen before enter your booth, people with canes, wheelchairs, etc and don't think for one second they aren't there to shop, however they won't come into "your" space if you haven't accommodated them.
Perhaps writing this helps me get over what happened because I am upset with myself for getting upset - but panic attacks are real - and when it didn't need to have happened, and created a dangerous situation for everyone...well...I am struggling still. If the coordinator had information to help her make better, wiser decisions I wouldn't be writing this, but she didn't, and unfortunately she wasn't willing to "hear" what was critical to everyone's comfort all because she thought she had to accommodate ONE person that was clueless.
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