As the 2007 GreenBuild Chicago Expo stands only a month away, I have a confession to make:  I suffer from an intense case of trade show-phobia.  Fellow sufferers, you know what I’m talking about.  There is something about that swirling, flashing thunder dome and its winding labyrinth of displays and booths that always seems to overwhelm.  And yet, the curious thing is that, year after year, I’m mysteriously drawn back  to them.

And so it was that I came to wonder about what, exactly, it is that keeps drawing me back to them.  Recently, it came to me.  It isn’t so much the speakers or forums.  It isn’t the potential to run into celebs or different industry heroes.  And, despite the fact that I’m currently sporting socks from a trade show swag bag as I write this, I know it isn’t even the omnipresent giveaway bags that keep me coming back.  

It’s the people.  It’s the opportunity to experience a coming together of like minds.  Depending on the industry in which we work, we all have our own culture, our own language, and we accordingly circle around certain kinds of discourse.  When we’re at a trade show surrounded by our like-minded peers, we get to let our freak flag fly.  We get to draw upon our industry specific line of acronyms without having to apologetically provide footnotes to our non-industry peers. 

And, as we find ourselves largely on the same page, we begin to take our conversations deeper.  With such conversation defining our interactions, we have an increased opportunity to build the kind of collaborations that catalyze divided efforts into becoming collective progress.   

The question now arises:  how do we shake the fearsome distractions of the trade show while tapping into its relational benefits?

I believe we can find a valuable solution to this quandary presented by the PDX Lounge, a sustainable business network who will be participated in this year’s Greenbuild Expo. Since its conception in 2006, this Portland, Oregon-based collaborative project has actively redefined the nature of the business network.  Assembling diverse regional partners in sustainability, the PDX Lounge has shown value in bridging the divide between urban and rural, and public and private.  Cooperation among diverse interests enables all partners, even those who usually see each other as competitors, to more readily incubate ideas, innovate, and grow.

These bolder strokes of the vision embraced by the PDX Lounge are representative of the way in which we must move green industries – away from competition and into more active collaboration – if we are to remain vital in today’s hypercompetitive business climate. 

But, perhaps more relevant to this discussion on my disdain for trade shows is that the leadership of the PDX Lounge is turning the traditional model of the trade show on its head.  By taking up residence in a hip lounge setting, and replacing the typical barrage of logos and informational displays with sights, sounds, forums, and fashion, the PDX Lounge embraces the reality that most conference attendees would prefer: a personal conversation, cocktail in hand, in a relaxed setting, over a fleeting, business-focused discussion which leaves them merely weighted down with yet another promotional brochure.  I think they’re on to something.

For, at the end of the day, when you return to your hotel room, remove your sustainably-manufactured, fairly-traded shoes and rub your tired feet, you will briefly recall the booths and promotions that outlined your day, but they will soon be forgotten.  The part of your day that you will lastingly consider will be the conversations you shared and the people with whom you shared them.  By cutting out the extraneous fare of this great green exposition and creating an environment that celebrates the importance of interaction and engagement across company and industry lines, the PDX Lounge promises to inspire new meaning, not only in the way we conduct trade shows, but in the way we do business.

And, yes, I hear cocktails will be served.