went to a trade show last night with a buddy (i believe renny’s epic experience was at a trade show-ish event too). my buddy’s business partner wasn’t able to make it and the ticket included an open bar and dinner so i figured i could dress up and shake hands for a few hours for free booze and food. 
the look
i was probably the best dressed guy there (i guess people don’t really dress up for trade shows? saw lots of casual suits, khakis + polos, etc. rookie mistake, but in my favor) freshly pressed suit, sharp tie, shiny shoes. easily could’ve continued the boozing at a cocktail party and fit right in.
the gear
2d a314 on the back of my hand, rubbed around on my other hand, then dabbed on my jawline
2s mx272 front neck
very very tiny spray of ammo back neck. there was a to-go that had just a little bit more to give before being completely spent. half a tg spray, if that.
7pm
the good stuff
7:45pm (the drive was long, i had only been at the actual place a few minutes)
bar stand
the bartender on my side looked like one of those old-school ladies that worked the bar at some classy lounge back in the “old vegas” days of the 40’s and 50’s. for kicks, i ordered a tom collins. she smiled. it wasn’t a hit for the pheros so much, but i think she was glad to see someone divert from the norm of beer (guys) and cranberry vodka (ladies). on later trips to the bar i threw everything her way: sidecar, old-fashioned (she didn’t have any bitters, that’s fine with me), any of these old school drinks she was happy to make. i wasn’t able to hang out with her for too long but the happy presence of me plus the outgoing pheros seemed like it hit her well.
8pm
some booth, a gal working it (high 20’s, blonde, hb8). professional dress clothes couldn’t hide that body of hers.
i’m just being a touristy guy walking around looking at booths. when i stopped at her booth she was talking to another person so i just stayed around the table reading brochures and stuff. i picked one up and flipped it over many times to make sure i read both sides (translation: i was fanning my mix right at her 
). she was busy during vendor time and dinner so i never talked to her but her eyes were glued on me the whole time i was walking around. when i neared her table she would just stare at me for long periods of time while continuing to talk to another person. when i was on the far side of the room from her table she would occasionally scan the room for me. if we met eyes she would look at me for a few seconds and then look away. interesting.
about an hour after getting there
some booth, a lady there (shieeet… high 30’s? low 40’s? dirty blonde, very cougar-ish)
the good old law of “no free lunch” holds true. i had one job to do and that was to take pictures of my buddy at his booth, then walk around and get some shots of the whole thing. he said something about making a presentation and analysis to see how they can get more results from trade shows. pretty nice gear from his company too, a canon 20d and a tripod. so here i am walking around with a nice camera and a tripod. earlier i noticed this lady watching me but i didn’t pay any mind to it. there’s a really great action shot of a bunch of people shaking hands and laughing at the booth next to hers so i walk over and snap a few shots. she comes up to me and asks “are you a professional?” then she looks down at my nametag (as is common at trade shows). i couldn’t use my buddy’s business partner’s tag so i wrote one of my own at the check-in booth. it read “jay, photographer, caretaker of sarah, commander of middle western earth, pheromone user extraordinaire, brave voyager of putatives and molecules and beyond.” kidding. it just read “jay, photographer.” so i said “yep” and even before i could finish (and after she read my tag) she exclaimed “oh wow, you are a professional!” she told me she had a bet with her friend that i was a professional. this strangely sounded like one of those wingman pick-up lines like “hey, i have a bet with my attractive single friend over there, can/are you…” very touchy feely at this point too. hand on my arm, shoulder, damn near put her arm around my waist at one point and then kinda backed off, i guess she realized that wasn’t professional or photo-worthy. i joked with her later and said “how about one for the magazine?” (some random magazine, i don’t know) her friend wimped out and ran away, she posed with her two male coworkers. now my buddy has a picture of 3 random people and the corresponding caption/note of “i think she tried to hit on me.” haha…
the “renny” hit
8:30pm
dinner, an older guy sitting next to me
we started off with a round of intros at the table and then some casual chatting. my buddy was busy doing business so i chatted with this older guy and his wife. he was retired but still enjoyed coming to the shows to see what’s new and take his wife out for free food. turns out he studied the same thing as me in his undergrad, and that we knew a few of the same people (it was mostly a local/regional trade show). then the switch turned on. warm conversation, his wife jumped in, lots of understanding and rapport. basically he’s telling me the mistakes not to make in life and i’m keeping him up to date on the new technologies. long story short, if this was a business deal or meeting a client or something, i think it would’ve gone very well. something about a314 and mx272 strikes business folks very well. good social aspect, good respect/rapport aspect, nothing flagrant like you’re trying too hard.
the close
smiles and waves on the way out from all the ladies i talked to, the younger booth girl was still looking at me, firm handshakes all around, good conversations, and all this stuff came back at me and made me feel good, thus this showed in everything i did, and the cycle continued. definitely check this mix out.