​By Moe Lastfogel
Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer

I always welcome April with open arms, as March is definitely my busiest month of the year - filled with travel to shows like Nationwide and BrandSource Buy Fairs, the International Home + Housewares Show, the Architectural Digest Home Design Show and the Digital Signage Expo. Sometimes straight from one to another! It is absolutely a blast, but I look forward to refocusing and winding down a bit in the month of April.

Nationwide and BrandSource Buy Fairs were amazing. The attendance for both certainly must have been record-breaking, especially for Nationwide with the MEGA merger. The classrooms, keynotes, and show floors at both events were packed. Both held special evening buying events, and from what I was told, shattered all previous sales records. In the next few months, we will have follow-ups on the fairs to give you more details. BrandSource also held a Charity Poker Tournament with proceeds going to their AVB Scholarship. Living in Las Vegas didn't bring me enough luck to place 1st, but 6th out of 142 participants was good enough for me, it was such a fun event for a great cause.

The IHHS was filled this year with more smart integrated products than I have seen in years—Instant Pots, rice cookers and blenders to name a few. I can't wait to see how some of the exciting products I saw this year make out in the market place. A new microwave that has an integrated blast chilling mode, and an integrated vacuum sealing drawer with a stainless steel front and push-to-open feature made the top of my WOW list. Again, more to come on the show.

I haven’t gone to Architectural Digest or Digital Signage Expo as I write this article but from the press releases I have received, I can’t wait to get there. The AD Show is always great, as I get the opportunity for more one-on-one education than at many other larger shows. DSE is a great look into the future of retail in the digital world and is always an eye- opening experience for me. I can’t wait for you to see what we have to report on in the months to come.

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
[email protected]

On my recent flight to Philly, the airport was closed due to bad weather. I had an important engagement to attend early the next morning and missing it was not an option. Southwest did their best and flew us into Baltimore as an alternative, and in those moments, it takes everything you've got to keep cool and level-headed under pressure.

This situation (and the recent March Madness) brought to mind the wisdom of John Wooden, the former head coach at the University of California at Los Angeles.

In an article by Craig Impelman (Coach's grandson-in-law, motivational speaker and the author of Wooden’s Wisdom; TheWoodenEffect.com) speaking about adversity, he writes, "In Coach Wooden’s early life, his father set an example that had a very significant impact on him. He created a set of rules that he bestowed upon his sons: Don’t whine, don’t complain, and don’t make excuses. Just do the best you can. Nobody can do more than that."

Coach devised and collected a number of maxims regarding the best way to respond to difficult situations. They are great triggers that you can use with yourself, your staff and your team to rekindle a positive attitude when the going gets tough.
• Bad times can make you bitter or better.
• Never make excuses. Your friends won’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.
• Things usually turn out the best for people who make the best out of the way things  turn out.

Coach Wooden said, "Complaining, whining and making excuses just keep you out of the present. By handling yourself in such a way through difficult situations,you will not only find your own outlook improving,but you will likely inspire those around you, too."

Who we are personally shows up in our business affairs everyday. Take the time to respond better to difficult situations by rekindling a positive attitude. Live your life to the fullest right here and now, and remember...

Just do the best you can!
Eliana Barriga
[email protected]