20 20 April 2012 : Page 22
MANAGING EDITOR’S LETTER TOTALLY (EXPO)SED I’m exhausted, my feet hurt and I’m done with mediocre food court meals. You’re probably familiar with these common after-effects of spending a few days at Vision Expo East. After the show, the thought of taking a long nap or escaping to a tropical island is downright tempting. But I ain’t complaining. I’ve lost track of the number of tradeshows I’ve been to, though I’m sure that number is nothing compared to some of the colleagues more senior to me. Believe when I say I have gone through enough to know what the full tradeshow experience entails. And guess what? It never gets old for me. In my older (younger?) days as senior marketing manager, I was in charge of making sure our booth was up and running by show time. It was stressful; I got dirty during show setup, and I bossed people around… a lot. As you can imagine, there was a lot of venting and some occasional “vocabulary” used that can’t be printed here. Yet none of it jaded me—it only energized my attitude and reinforced the reason for being at Vision Expo: getting our show issues and products in front of our readers, and meeting and greeting them so they can see the faces behind our brands. My role at tradeshows has since evolved from my reign as the “booth queen” (an unofficial title fondly bestowed on me by my colleagues) to the Managing Editor of 20/20 . I no longer have to mind the booth so I’m free to roam the show floor with my team, checking out the latest eyewear and meeting with numerous optical companies. As we get a firsthand look at new eyewear collections and new lens technologies, we have you—our read-ers—in mind. We’re always thinking about what you want to see in 20/20, whether they’re stylish new products or those heavy on performance. But it isn’t just about the products. It’s also our pleasure to interact face-to-face with the people behind them, whether it’s a long-time acquaintance or a new face. And that’s actually one of the best parts of being at Expo—the time you spend with the people. Without great people (and there are too many to name), there would be no great products. On a personal level, my favorite Expo moments are those spent bonding with members of my team. The Jobson family is made up of multiple groups, some of which are located in other cities, so Expo is the ideal setting to bring us together. I’m happy to be surrounded by terrific people who play a huge part in helping me do what I love doing here at 20/20 . So thanks guys… y’all know who you are. Now… time for that nap. Christine Yeh Managing Editor cyeh@jobson.com 22 • April 2012 20/20
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