The Exhibitions

Düsseldorf

On the last Thursday in August I boarded a plane and took off to Düsseldorf. Which turned out to be quite an adventure. Like most know, I am quite the traveler who can easily cope with most situations. My colleague had booked the flights for me and I flew on the same plane with my former boss, who was also going to the exhibition. Since I hadn’t received any info on whether someone was picking me up from the airport, which hotel I was staying at, where I should come upon arrival or anything else, I texted my colleague to ask about these things while on the bus to the airport. He said he’d be busy and couldn’t pick me up, so I should take a taxi to the address, which he’d send me later. I waited. And waited. When I landed in Düsseldorf I’d still not received an address, so I told him that now would be the time to let me know where to come. Finally he told me to come straight to the exhibition center and when I arrived he was confused as to why I was already there. He’d thought I’d arrive the next day…

The next eight days I spent at the exhibition in Düsseldorf. Our company had six stands at the expo, and I was positioned at the stand for dealers. I spent the week getting to know my new colleagues (who were great!) as well as most of our Scandinavian and Baltic dealers, making myself familiar with the products and really just enjoying the warm and great atmosphere. We (the Scandinavian team) had dinner with our clients and both the boss and his son (who is in charge of buying) invited me to have dinner with clients on two occasions, which came as quite a shock to me. I was honored and apparently I’d made quite a good impression. It was all very exciting. Everyone seemed to have been recommended the same Italian restaurant, since I ended up having dinner there three times. It was delicious though, and I had the chance to try out a lot of things from their amazing menu. It did feel like Düsseldorf only had one restaurant to offer though. I had an amazing week, and I couldn’t wait to start work at the office after the exhibition round.

At some point I was told I’d have to drive the big Sprinter van to the exhibition in Sweden, which was a pretty scary thought. Not just because of the idea of driving on the German Autobahn, but also because the van was almost six meters tall and over three meters high at its highest point. We started out  in Düsseldorf in the morning and I really had to concentrate to keep up with my colleague, who was driving about 160 km/h… The van was shaking and almost every time I passed a truck, it felt like the van would collapse. So scary! After a VERY long day (14 hours), we finally arrived in Jönköping, where the next exhibition would take place.

My hotel room in Düsseldorf.

Dressing up for dinner with clients.

Yes, that's a motorhome WITH a garage...

The smallest BMW I've ever seen.

Stopping in Lübeck, half way to Sweden.

Jönköping

That Sunday was theoretically the first free day after starting the job eight days earlier, but since I had a client who was waiting for a translation, I ended up working all day. Luckily we stayed at an amazing hotel called Best Western John Bauer, where the fantastic breakfast had a huge organic selection. Yumm! The sauna was really crappy though... The next couple of days went by quickly while building our stand for the exhibition that lasted from Wednesday to Sunday. Again I had the chance to meet many retailers and I even got to know some guys from a company, whose products we are selling, which was exciting! And again I got to enjoy amazing food at dinners with clients, which was a lot of fun as well. 

The following Monday we headed to Stockholm, where I spent the day with an old friend, eating great food and walking around. It was just what I needed after working for more than two weeks in a row. In the evening we boarded the ferry to Finland and I noticed that work was showing up in my sleep. I dreamed that my cabin at the boat was our exhibition stand, and I had to get out of bed every time clients showed up. It was a very restless and intense night.

The beginning of putting together a stand.

Jönköping is quite a charming city!

Delicious hotel breakfast with oatly yoghurt, berries and fresh fruits.

Ready to rock Sweden.

You could win the little fella by giving a name to the big fella. I didn't participate.

Ready again for dinner with clients.

Alde and Truma had a very impressive back room.

Delicious chocolate sviss.

More oatly yoghurt with fresh berries and organic müsli. Yumm!

Full house at the megastore of one of our retailers.

Lahti

After arriving in Turku early in the morning, I steered the van straight to Lahti. I was very tired and hungry, so after arriving, checking in at the hotel and bringing the van away, I headed straight to an Indian restaurant to get something to eat. For a minute I thought about maybe checking out Lahti and enjoying the beautiful weather, but I just ended up going to the hotel and taking a four-hour-nap… Yes, four hours. No need to repeat the fact that I was exhausted. The rest of the day I relaxed in the sauna and hung out with a friend. It was a perfect afternoon, because the next day was all business again. 

The week in Lahti was a bit more relaxed than the previous ones. No dinners with clients, just the days at the exhibition talking to people, both private customers and clients. It was very lovely 3,5 weeks, but I was exhausted when I came home and very happy to get to sleep in my own bed. Which wouldn’t last for very long though.

Enchanting Lahti.

An old Volvo with an old trailer.

Ready to rock Finland.