I don’t remember walking under any ladders………………

Have you ever had one of those trips where you wonder if Karma has decided you’re out of balance, god, if you believe in him or her, thinks you need a period of frustration, bad luck and a good kick in the guts to boot.

No……………you should try it, I can recommend a route to really find out if you are a patient person if you are into that sort of thing or are a masochist.

We have just completed our annual trip to Shanghai, to visit the big nursery industry show they hold there. Now its normally hard work, trying to get round to see lots of stands, some with prospective clients, some with current clients and old industry friends but fun, well as long as you don’t mind walking. 

For us it’s one of our main opportunities to try and un-earth new leads or introduce ourselves to someone who did not know us before. 

We get to see a lot of the clients that we have live projects with and are showing prototypes, so we can get a lot of work done in a short space of time.

We also look at what’s in the nursery market and see what new ideas are around and what trends are current.

So although I know it’s going to be hard work as we condense everything into two days, I look forward to it.

I have been going for the last four years and went a time before that so a veteran.  Now I have flown to Shanghai a few times from Shenzhen and am now convinced it’s the flight of the damned.

I think in maybe twenty return flights it has only been on time once across a range of carriers, into both Shanghai’s airports. The problem is the weather it disrupts the flight schedule almost every day. You grow to expect it and I guess even accept it, it’s just the way it is. Besides sometimes the turbulence can be good fun, I always loved roller coasters.

So getting into the car for the airport at 6am for an 8.10am flight, we should be in Shanghai by 10.30, at the show by 11, so in reality I am guessing we will be missing lunch and be there going through the gates of the show at 2pm. I feel I have been fair giving it a three hour window, I can be patient and understanding………………..

So the plane takes off two hours late with us having to sit in our seats trying not to lose faith that we could still get up there in our window.

We get to Shanghai but then get diverted to another airport where we land and spend a further four hours on the plane before we finally take off and land in Shanghai at 6pm, completely losing the show day, trying my patients and frustrating a whole plane load of people.

I guess I’m not so patient and understanding as I thought I was, still I have invented some new expletives for airlines, airports, the weather and people who snore in planes.

We got to the hotel hoping tomorrow would be better.

Ok so waking up full of optimism for the day ahead we went to a Starbucks near the show to have breakfast and redefine the master plan and then start the show.

(The Purflo Stand we designed and below: meeting with clients.)

 

Now the morning goes well and we start getting things done but by lunchtime we notice that all the exhibitors are starting to break down their stands, sell their samples, pack their bags and go home early. So before we can get really round to see everything the show dissolves in front of us.  At this point I was a little upset as a show should stay open to the time advertised but hey its Friday and I imagine everyone wants to get home or to a bar.  The show we go to in Germany is the exact opposite and strict funnily enough.  There if you start trying to pack up some big guy comes over and shouts at you for trying to escape!!! 

Now I am not really a believer in luck or other forces but I think we all felt a little like the world was against us, still not much we could do, we missed the best time for the show, always next year.

So now time for the return trip………………All I will say is it contained a lost phone in a taxi (that was luckily returned an hour later), a five hour delay and an argument because the hot water machine ran out of water as a disgruntled passenger tried to fill his free (because we are five hours late) complimentary pot noodle.

I finally got into bed at 4.30am trying to remember if I had seen a black cat, walked on a crack in the pavement, broken a mirror or opened an umbrella in doors.

So I have decided until I can get a train direct to Shanghai I am not sure I really want to go again.