CHA - A Quiet Day for Many of Us

Let me just say that LA is one busy city!  We arrived in the dark last night and well, it was busy! 

The LA Convention Centre is in downtown LA, right beside the Staples Centre (the LA Lakers were playing tonight) and the Nokia Center.  We're staying at the Downtown Marriott and it's not too far from the convention.  There are hotel shuttles every half hour at least - and these are not little shuttle buses, these are coaches!  They open the luggage bays for everyone to load their boxes or wheelies.

The convention floor was not open today as it was another set up day for the exhibitors.  Let me tell you, if you have any craft supplies, there is almost certainly a booth here representing them. 

  

Most attendees today were like me, taking seminars or workshops (I registered far too late for workshops, but I experienced some fabulous seminars! - about things like taking a product to market, advanced Photoshop and new members info sessions).  These photos are of the entrance/lobby.  The convention center is HUGE! The place seems to go for miles with meeting rooms.  I'm sure the whole population of Courtenay could fit in here easily.  And have room for their second cousins....

 

 The convention center is as long as 17 football fields according to the local touristy info.  Somehow I don't think it will look this quiet tomorrow when the booths are open.

 

I'm here as a buyer, although I guess I could have come as a manufacturer or a designer - or, perish the thought, an exhibitor.  (I think manufacturers pay a lot more to be here though, so this weekend I'm a buyer.)

I got lucky this afternoon after a meeting with designer Judi Kauffman and slipped into onto the exhibition floor with her.  Yes, that was my chin dragging on the floor when I wasn't in danger of being run over by a fork lift.  I ended up lending a minor hand at one booth with some very wonderful people.

I'll try to get some pictures of the lobby tomorrow as well as some booths.  In my brief nosing around, I can say that EK Success has a BIG space.

Tomorrow at 8:30 is the keynote speaker.  It was originally Randi Zuckerberg, marketing director of yup-you -know-that-name Facebook, but that changed in the last few weeks.   Too bad! We'll have to see how her stand-in makes out.

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow!  Thanks for reading - wish you were here!

P.S. Usually this conference is held in Anaheim and will return there next year.