Is This What Economic Recovery Looks Like?

Is This What Economic Recovery Looks Like? Trade shows can be microcosms of the industries they represent. With that in mind, consider the fact that there once was once a trade show in Chicago called National Manufacturing Week. During its heyday, it took place in the cavernous McCormick Place exposition center. Vibrant and full of energy, NMW used to take up much of the center's 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space. To some degree, NMW always reflected the health of industries from which it drew exhibitors and attendees. So it was no surprise that with the shuttering of 40,000 American factories since 1990, NMW also began to shrink. Attendance at trade shows of all sorts has declined over the years, but NMW's fall-off has been stunning. The colocated shows that made up the event once occupied three separate exhibition halls. They eventually shriveled to the point where everything could easily fit in one hall. Organizers at last decided to move into a smaller facility in a Chicago suburb. The new digs are about one-third the size of the show's former home. That brings us to this year's gathering, which concluded late last month. It no longer bears the National Manufacturing Week moniker. That seems to be too grand a term for what takes place in its exhibit halls and meeting rooms these days. Though economists insist the U.S. is no longer in a recession, you wouldn't know it from the feel of the booths and the demeanor of the people in them. Despite being housed in a less-spacious venue, the show had a lot of empty spots around its edges, screened off behind curtains. All in all, it gave the impression of a person draped in an overcoat a couple sizes too large. That said, there are a few niches