Exhibit managers control a ton of details that contribute to a spectacular event. One item we absolutely cannot control, though, is Mother Nature. And unfortunately, she decided to demonstrate her power at a very inconvenient time.

Our company, Heidenhain, offers an amazing range of motion control products and technology that we showcase at trade shows all across North America. But sometimes, these events are scheduled back-to-back, meaning the product – along with our 10-by-20-foot inline – needed to move quickly from one show to the next. In this particular instance, our freight needed to cover about 3,000 miles from California to Boston over a few days. However, it was February, when the only predictable trait about the weather is its unpredictability.

I'd flown into Boston a couple days early to prep for the show when a massive ice storm wreaked havoc across the Midwest, leaving me to wonder how that would affect our shipment. I didn't wait long before I received a distressing call from our shipper. Not only had the storm stranded trucks everywhere, but the company didn't even know where our shipment was because it was unclear whether our crates were on the original semi or had been transferred to a new one. They told me they would let me know when they had more details. In the meantime, I just had to sit tight and send some positive vibes out into the frigid atmosphere.

Fortunately, I got a second call letting me know they'd located the shipment, although it was delayed. It would arrive at the venue early on the morning of the show, which was set to open at 10 a.m. If everything else went smoothly, we'd be able to get everything situated just in time for attendees to hit the show floor. I crossed my fingers.

Although the truck did arrive as expected, the storm had delayed other trucks as well, meaning that ours was stuck at the tail end of a line that would shame the wait times for a Disney ride. We were definitely not getting our crates on the show floor before it opened.

My team and I dove into action. A regional sales manager sped off to the local office to collect a few products that aligned with the market. I tracked down the organizers and arranged for a counter to display the products, a locally made branded sign and a monitor to loop a presentation.

By the time the show opened, we were set. Despite our makeshift booth, we had fantastic engagement. Making light of our situation served as a perfect icebreaker – pun very much intended – and provided the opportunity to invite attendees back again to check out our completed exhibit. Around noon, our crates arrived. Since we didn't want to take a break from connecting with prospects, I had a labor team build our booth around us. It was a bit chaotic at first, but eventually everything was in place and our team rolled like champs.

Positive vibes may not have gotten the exhibit to the show on time, but they still played a vital role. Instead of succumbing to stress, we turned adversity into opportunity. And our trade show experience was a success.