the shows provide the best opportunities to get to know other people in the business. I've been attending shows for 7 years now and have developed some good friends in the industry, but my primary reason for going is business.

After every show there are always rumblings about lack of attedance or exhibitors, but any time you can get hundreds (or even thousands) of industry peeps in one place, it has got to be good for business.

It has been my experience, though, that a lot of people go to the shows to consume as much alchohol and other substances as they can. How many stories have we all heard about people making total asses of themselves at shows and not even remembering it?