What did you do on or to your other bike part 2

[Gone in 60]

Been a busy week! We've been at a medical trade show in Anaheim to promote our delivery service. In a sea of companies that make all manner of medical devices, testing equipment and a lot of stuff I have no idea what it does, we are definitely the odd ducks here. We certainly are getting a lot of attention. 

I've been going to automotive shows - mainly SEMA and the Performance Racing Industry show - for the past 30 years. This is a completely different world. Since COVID, the bigger automotive companies, mainly the OEMs like Ford, GM and Chrysler, have pulled out of the industry shows as they've beefed up their online and social media presence for not only new cars but also parts and accessories. Many of the independent aftermarket companies have been sucked into private equity conglomerates. The companies who still attend have pared back the glitz and glamour of the pre-2008 recession craziness like booth models, celebrities, etc, and have presented more basic displays. The shows have kept prices to buy booths fairly low to attract exhibitors and keep the booth count up.

These challenges apparently haven't affected the medical market. Huge displays with companies offering cappuccinos, people wearing suits... this is a different world for me. We're sort of like an attraction with our big yellow BMW and flashing lights. I was floored when the boss told me our 10'x10' booth cost $8k. The carpet would have been $650 alone, so he grabbed a patio mat from Amazon, which works perfectly fine. It's all-hands-on-deck. The first two riders I trained have merged into being our sales guys, and they're walking the show drumming up business. The boss and I are manning the booth, and getting all kinds of questions. 
"So, you prepare and sell the bikes to make medical deliveries?" Ok, that might be a new side-business for us... no reason we can't do it, right?
Guys from other countries, particularly Central and South America have taken great interest and have said "This would be very handy where we are". Boss asks me if I'd like to start a new branch in Ecuador...

Since the convention center is ten minutes from me, I've been rolling in early on my Bonneville to fire up the booth and answer questions. The convention center is across the street from Disneyland, so it's handy to be able to slice through the tourist traffic to get to the show. The rest of the crew is coming from L.A., so they get there when they get there. I have my newly-trained riders handling morning deliveries, and I've been leaving the show to take the late afternoon runs, so it's been a long couple of days. And here I thought I was done with trade shows retiring from the automotive world!

Edit: looking at the picture, realized that the yellow strobes on the bike are reflecting off of my new Indie Ridge boots. I’m not wearing yellow shoes.