The 50th Birthday

Well, it wasn't quite as lively as a food riot, but it wasn't far off. The morning session at the Stirling Street premises of Camera Electronic had all the right ingredients for a good time - if you were prepared to take no prisoners., I checked in about 10:00 and the place was packed. Some of the packing turned out to be the staff , but a lot of it was customers...and to their credit, a lot of them were spending money. Or spending credit cards, which is almost the same...except you delay the guilt for a month. I'd left my ruth at home so I was ruthless as I moved through the crowd seeking out victims. They were there in droves - the staff members, the management figures, and the industry representatives. And a few old customers. And the marvellous thing was they were all there for the same reason; to have a good time. I think they all did. I;'ll show a few of the hightlights in this week. a. The Coffee Truck Man. I'll amend that: the coffee and cookie truck man - paid for by CE and dispensing free java and biscuits to everyone who came through to the shop. The chap who runs the truck is a hot rod enthusiast - that's why its a Ford F-100 from the golden era of pickups. He goes to events like the CE birthday, the car enthusiast events, and doubtless many others. He is cheerful and kindly and does an absolutely superb coffee and cookie. I enjoyed the macadamia and butterscotch immensely. If you see this yellow and black Ford 50's pickup, patronise it above all others - you will not be sorry. I noted that he seemed to be rather sweet on the Sony rep. There may be more to this... b. Vivek the Manfrotto Man. Sounds like a Mattel action figure, doesn't it? Well he's been repping Manfrotto and other products for years to CE and I don't know of a more helpful or knowledgeable figure in the trade. I've promised him some pictures for his marketing department - to prove that he's out there and doing the job - but Manfrotto products are always good sellers anyway. They do what it says on the tin... c. Michael the Nikon Man. He looks good, doesn't he? Nikon have an asset in him, and the fact that he's in WA to sort out Nikon matters means that enthusiasts who use this flagship brand can be confident that they'll get good service. d. Sheryl the Sony Lady I would have taken a more flattering picture of Sheryl but she was busy talking cameras to a customer. She's got a lot to cope with - Sony maintain a large catalog of cameras, lenses, and associated photographic accessories and their reps need to have answers for questions at all times. It takes a supple mind and an ability to retain a lot of information at one time to be a rep. If you meet them, be kind. They need to be alert and professional all the time - it helps if you are genuine yourself. Now that's the professional reps in the place. There were more stories to be heard from other people...read tomorrow to see what other visitors were doing.