Devin Burke Reads Economic Barometer at the HD Boutique

Universal Cargo Management’s own CEO, Devin Burke and Managing Director, Kamy Eliassi were on hand in Miami for 2011’s HD Boutique Exposition & Conference (HD Boutique).

Mr. Burke, Mr. Eliassi, and other members of the Universal Cargo team are no strangers to trade shows. In fact, just last month they attended a furniture trade show in Las Vegas. While the HD Boutique featured many fine pieces of furniture, Hospitality Design focuses this event toward the Hospitality Industry. “Although it is similar to the Home Furnishings trade shows in exhibitors, it has a different clientele,” says Burke.

Hotels, restaurants, and real estate companies are a few of the kinds of businesses that fall inside of the Hospitality Industry’s umbrella. There’s much that can be learned about industries from attending their trade shows. Burke notes, “This industry typically has done slightly better than the Furniture industry I have noticed as I speak to various exhibitors, but is less consistent.”

Events like the HD Boutique are great places for the Universal Cargo team to catch up with existing customers, establish new business relations, and see trends in industries that frequently utilize import and export services offered by freight forwarding companies like Universal Cargo.

The HD Boutique is smaller than many trade shows, but that does not mean it is inferior. “… this show was the smallest I have seen in terms of exhibitors, but it has decent traffic,” says Burke. “It is much smaller than the one in Vegas in May, but I personally spoke with several exhibitors that were having better than expected years in terms of orders than in Vegas where there was a lot downward expectation.”

According to Burke, trade shows educate expectations concerning the economy. “I think these types of trade shows are a pretty good barometer of where the economy is headed,” he says.

What kind of forecast can be gathered from the HD Boutique barometer?

Burke says, “The indication so far is that at least in the Hospitality Industry there is reason for optimism, along with the overall fear that is everywhere. But I saw quite a lot of innovation and businesses that are weathering the storm quite well.”

Do you have an optimistic outlook for the economy? Share your economic forecast and how you determined it in the comments section below.