Hilton Hotel. The snow stopped coming down just in time to allow the key buyers in the industry to begin to put together their attack plan for early Fall. Sure it's a long way off....but to build an arsenal that holds its own in an economy like this doesn't happen overnight. It takes months of research, coupled with experience and a little luck & FFANY is where it all starts. As important as it is for a buyer to begin to look into the future, manufacturers need to make themselves known too. And that is the beauty of a "directional" show; companies can take risks and put themselves out on a ledge hoping to finally attract that illusive account. If there is an audience that will notice; it is the FFANY buyers.

The question is the expense.

Holiday time in New York...the first day of Channukah, X-mas bells a ringing....and $600/night seems pretty reasonable for a room! Plus an airfare into NYC, a few client dinners and your share of $15 cocktails can make this a pretty expensive show. And...it's only the start of the season.

So does this expense create such a high barrier of entry that the industry misses out on the creativity of the new, up and coming designers? Is it only the companies with the checkbooks that break through? I mean talk about a crowded marketplace....how do the buyers do it!

I am not sure, but I will see them all again in New York in 8 weeks and vegas in 10!