I love being at a tradeshow when it closes. At the moment it closes, exhausted exhibitors applaud as chaos and hubbub ensue and workers emerge from the loading docks to start tearing it all down. It is an organized, frenzied orchestra of elation and exhaustion.
I can only speak for myself, but I can see it on the faces of my fellow exhibitors as well: it’s a moment of victory tinged with frenetic desperation to get the hell out.
For the lucky ones, including me, a hired service will come to take care of everything, so all we have to do is grab the stuff we need to take with us and get the hell out. For the others, it’s the beginning of a long night of disassembling the booth and carefully packing it for shipping, hopefully to be done by midnight so you don’t have to return the next day.
Tradeshow work is hard–don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.