Yes, we do know how to dance

I can tell you the exact moment my parents grew old. It was the day they stopped dancing. As a kid, I often watched them suddenly get up and do their 30-second version of the fox trot, a brief and poorly executed routine that invariably ended with both of them laughing uncontrollably.

One day, even though they still had the energy and stamina to dance, they somehow simply decided to remain seated. At that moment, they became old.

Until recently, I was worried that our industry was about to stop dancing and sit down. It seemed like every conversation was about a glass half empty and probably cracked, or business that wasn’t there anymore, or the missed opportunities, the impending storm clouds or some equally negative topic.

Too many of us were sounding old and tired. Many of us were acting old and tired. Had we somehow as an industry actually become old and tired? Had we collectively forgotten how to dance?

These were some of the thoughts running through my mind as I came to Las Vegas for the winter market.

However, virtually everything I saw and heard and felt at that market convinced me of two things: We still want to dance and, thankfully, we are nowhere close to forgetting how.

Chalk it up to the excitement of the new Building B. Credit the opening night’s performance by the Blue Man Group for helping chase away our collective blues. Cite the wall-to-wall people for creating some kind of cosmic energy flow. Acknowledge the positive mix of cool evening weather and hot new products during the day. Thank the World Market Center for being customer-focused and user-friendly.

Whatever the cause or causes, I can tell you this: Something happened at this Vegas market to rekindle our belief in who we are, what we do, what we make, what we sell and what we are capable of.

I think we’ve actually wanted to dance for a long time. We were simply waiting for somebody to crank up the music.

I hope our industry never sits down.