Stage 1 of the Great American roadshow started on January 24th when the bosses took themselves off to Heathrow to fly to Philadelphia.  This is one of several trips this year and the aim is to consolidate the work that's been done in the American market over the last few years and one of the most effective way of doing this is to attend trade show.  Our market share has been stimulated enormously by our association with distributors such as Bradley Calwell, The Healing Barn, and Smartpak, but there is plenty more work to be done!

First stop was the Hilton Herbs warehouse in Souderton, Pennsylvania, to collect stock for the first show which was the AETA (American Equestrian Trade Association) held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Centre in Oaks, PA.  The show started on January 23rd and ran for three days but unfortunately, possibly due to the economic climate in the States was quite quiet with orders down on 2009, but some useful trade contacts were made with potential re-sellers.

From AETA they went down to south Virginia to look at pickup trucks and RVs (recreational vehicules) - the aim being to buy a pickup and gooseneck trailer to help cut down on hotel, restaurant, and shipping costs on their regular American trips.  The visit resulted in the purchase of a 'fifth wheeler' or 'toy hauler' as these pickups called on the pickup internet forums - yes, seriously!

The "Beast"

Some of the trailers are more luxurious than most people's houses but the bosses restrained themselves and bought one that only sleeps six!

The trailer!

From Virginia it was back to to Hershey (where the chocolate comes from) for another trade show.  This one is organised by Bradley Caldwell Inc. one of our distributors in the US and a major pet wholesaler on the east coast of America.  By this time the predicted snow storms had hit and the journey to Hershey, in a hire car without snow tyres, was distinctly dodgy.  There was 22 inches of snow overnight brought in by one of the worse snow storms in American history!

The Hershey show was very positive with plenty of orders, despite worries that the snow would lower attendance as all tv and radio stations were telling people to stay at home!

From Hershey it was back to Souderton and the warehouse for a stock-take.  Another major snow storm had hit the east coast in in the interim an overnight stop in Quakertown, PA became a day-stop because the snow made travelling too hazardous!  The Holiday Inn had no restaurant and all the restaurants in Quakertown ere closed so the only food outlet was at the local Wa Wa fuel station, down the road from the hotel!  As someone commentated on our Facebook page "yuck"!

Now they are safely back in the UK and preparing for the next trip which starts next Tuesday 16th March - check the Blog for udpates!