First Fog, Now This!
This editorial was supposed to be written from sunny Bari, Italy, in the company of a Limoncello and maybe a good cigar. Instead, it was written in New York City, which at the time was full of tired, out of cash, somewhat ripe Europeans trying to get home.
Because a little volcano in Iceland (yes, Iceland again) decided to do what volcanoes do, explode, millions of people were stranded worldwide. I was supposed to be in Bari as part of a U.S. Trade Delegation organized by ICE to help promote the region and its suppliers. Countless hours of preparation, on both sides of the Atlantic, up in a puff of smoke (sorry, if you know me, you would have expected this). A former Managing Editor, Sean Ryan, had his honeymoon postponed. There were literally millions of stories just like this.
This “interruption” reminded me of my trade fair organizing days, and the opening day of a new Design and Technology show in San Jose, CA. I was up at about 4 AM after a solid 2 hours sleep and watching TV for the weather forecast when the hotel begins to shake like a nervous Chihuahua. Now, instead of a weather forecast, I’m watching a news bulletin announcing a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. I ran to the exhibition hall to see if everyone and everything was OK, which they were thankfully. My next move was to sit down with our Show Director to review of insurance policy. My first question was, “we are insured for this, aren’t we?”
My point is that to expect everything to go as planned is pure folly. To not expect the unexpected in perilous. Millions of people were stranded as a result of this volcano. Countless business transactions grinded to a halt. Trade Fairs without visitors, or attendees or materials. Retail shelves without product. The list goes on.
Are you prepared for the unexpected? When did you last revisit your emergency preparedness plan? Do you have an emergency preparedness plan? I’ll stop preaching.
On a much more positive note, if you are reading this during PLMA Amsterdam, welcome to the greatest private label event on the planet. Please come by and say hello at Stand 4210, have a drink with us and maybe share a volcano story. Staying positive, please allow me to express my sincere thanks to the advertisers that made this our most successful issue since I joined Private Label International. And thanks also to Jacco van Laar, European Manager and Suzanne Caputo, US Manager for their effort and for putting up with me.
If you’re heading home, safe travels and if you already made it, be grateful. If you are reading this while stuck in an airport, rest assured, you’re not alone and can always get the latest store brand news on our website, www.privatelabelmag.com, on twitter, www.twitter.com/privatelabelmag and even Facebook (just enter in Private Label Magazine).
As always, thanks for your time and best regards,
Phillip Russo
