Page 209 - Demo

A re p re se n ta tive from Forest C ity, th e com pany involved in th e d e ve lo p m en t ofM e tro T e c h and th e P ierrep o n t O ffic e B uilding hands out in fo rm a tio n at a booth onD evelo p ers Row. T h is p ortion of the tra d e show reserved e s p e c ia lly for d e ve lo p m en tre la te d c o m p an ie s w as new th is year. (B R O O K L Y N ,IN C /K irk Photo)the cracks are and you can seal them,%u201dNeisz says simply, standing before a computer print-out that measures and computesthe amount of uncontrolled leakage in ahouse.Larger corporations also put in an appearance at the show, with an endlessnumber of key chains and bags in hand togive away. Independence Savings Bank,which recently started up a commercialloan department, took a booth at the show toWe've been in the businessthree years as a restaurant andeight months as a caterer. Thisis our way o f letting othercompanies know we dobusiness luncheons._______give out information on their latest serviceand to disperse key chains. Dan Rowlandfrom Methodist Hospital launched the institution%u2019s latest public service at the show%u2014 a wallet-sized Care Card that carries apatient%u2019s medical information on microfilmwith a sticker that can be attached to a rearview mirror to alert medics.It%u2019s a step beyond the I.D. bracelet,%u201d saysRowland, %u201cand it is aimed at providingsomething we generally felt people shouldhave.%u201d The hospital, participating inBrooklyn Works for its second year, optedfor a new appraoch this year.%u201cIt%u2019s not enough to say, hi, we care.That%u2019s not news. This is a lot more specificand it lets us get closer to the individuals,the companies, and the block associationswho will participate in the prorgram,%u201d heexplains. Indirectly, the presence ofMethodist Hospital was also felt outside thepier building, where an ambulance servedthe trade show in case of accidents.After a day of browsing at tables, collecting key chains, letter openers and company catalogs, a number of booths offeredthe sort of respite that caused long lines toform at their table. The Pasta House, a BayRidge Restaurant and catering servicecreated a small crowd at their table, givingaway artichokes stuffed with veal and freshricotta.%u201cWe%u2019ve been in business three yearsas a restaurant and eight months as acatering company and this is our way of letting other businesses know that we docatering and business luncheons,%u201d RobertPetrozzo, owner and chef, explained, as hedished out the hors d%u2019oeuvres. Similarly, onthe other side of the room, Fulton Ferry%u2019smost recent commercial audition, OneMain, served desserts to bolster thestrength of passers-by. Both restaurantspassed out countless menus, listing theirfare and prices. At the end of the day, empty tins and crumb-filled dishes werewhat remained of the day%u2019s food fair; aclear indication of appreciation for the product.Success those three days was measuredin any number of ways. As in the case ofDavid Hamberger Inc., sales clearly showed a business making transactions at a fastpace. For others, the theme of Brooklynlured them to the show. Interacting withother businesses and sharing the borough%u2019sbusiness news ranked high on the list of imBrooklyn,______incB ro o k ly n W o rk s w as s u cc es fu l in m any w ays fo r th e m e rc h a n ts b u s in es sm e n w ho n e tw o rked during th e th ree day fair. A variety of c o m p a n ie s p a rtic ip a te d , from flo ris ts toph o to g rap h ers to th e service in d u stries. (B R O O K L Y N ,IN C /K o c h P hotos)portance.Ralph Gelman, owner of Harvey Products, a company that has been in business30 years and specializes in advertising andmarketing concepts for businesses, provided foot vibrators to heal aching feet at theshow. Surrounded by every imaginable giftand marketing idea from the basic pen withthe company logo to a 36-foot boat that isactually only five indies long but has 36 pinkfeet attached to the bottom, Gelman says %u201cIam very pro-Brooklyn. This is a good showfor me because it gives me a chance to seemy old friends from Brooklyn.%u201d Pointing tothe foot vibrators, he adds, %u201cPeople cancome here, enjoy it and sit down and chat.Making sales is not the only thing this showis about.%u201dDespite Parking Problems, Show Organizers Say Expo Was A SuccessBY TRACY GARRITYAlthough organizers say it%u2019s difficult topredict just how many people attended the1986 edition of BrooklynWorks %u2014 the annualhome-grown trade exposition that bringstogether Brooklyn%u2019s business best %u2014 theparking situation alone leads them tobelieve businessmen travelled to Pier Twoin droves.%u201cIn 1985 we had a parking problem at theshow,%u201d says Dominick Massa, who in addition to his duties as chairman of theSouthwest Brooklyn Industrial DevelopmentCorporation also chairs the BrooklynWorksCommittee. %u201cThis year we added an additional 800 spaces for cars to park and westill had a problem. I%u2019d say that alonemeans the show was successful.%u201dMassa says it is difficult to gauge the actual number of participants. All of the 248exhibitors visited each others%u2019 booths over athree-day period, and not everyone whoentered the cavernous hall stopped at thefront desk to register. %u201cAt the very least wehad 12,000 people,%u201d says Massa. %u201cEveryyear we do better and better.%u201d Last year%u2019sestimate put the crowd at some 10,000 people for the trade show.Massa says this show was more successful than previous outings because of thevolume of business that was done at theshow.%u201cLast year some people did businessand made contacts for a labor date. Thisiroor nannln ntoro f\\n i nnntrofor ^ ------r * * v r * v ,%u2019 w '' *%u00ab *new business at the show. There was morenetworking, meeting people to do business%u25a0 with later. But many people signed the contract and did the business right at theshow.%u201dB orough P resid en t H ow ard G o ld en (sec o n d from left) helps B rooklyn W o rks chairD om in ick M assa sn ip the ribbon on B rooklyn W orks. H elping th em are (left to right)A ss em b ly m em b e r Eileen D ugan, C itib a n k 's Lucille G ro ssm an (rear), M assa, R obert B aileyof N ew York T e le p h o n e and G o ld en. The scisso rs used are said to be th e larg est e xistin gp air of scissors in th e w orld, and th ey w ere m ade in B rooklyn.(B R O O K L Y N ,IN C /K irk Photo)patties. %u201cI agree that it%u2019s a problem,%u201d saysMassa. %u201cWe are thinking of creating aminimum age of 18 to attend next year%u2019sshow. We%u2019re also looking into weekendhours, but we might really have a problemwith kids on the weekend.%u201dThe huge exhibit hall at Pier Two hasbeen cleared of booths from this year%u2019sshow for more than a month, and Massaand his BrooklynWorks staff are alreadyworking on next year%u2019s exposition. %u201cWe%u2019vebeen having meetings trying to pull a stafftogether,%u201d he says. %u201cWe still need the commitment of the Port Authority to use thepier again, but we%u2019re moving ahead.%u201dMassa adds that for BrooklynWorks to expand and for the audience to continue togrow, a huge building space such as thePier Two shed is essential. %u201cWe couldn%u2019t dothis without the cooperation of the PortAuthority,%u201d says Massa. %u201cYou need a hallthat big, or you just can%u2019t do it right.%u201dAnd BrooklynWorks must be doingsomething right because 29 companies havealready requested booths for next year%u2019sshow. %u201cAfter this year%u2019s show about 50 people asked how they could sign up for abooth for next year. We took their namesand sent out a letter. Already we%u2019ve gotten29 responses and reservations.%u201d He saysmost of the companies asking for a returnengagement are smaller Brooklyn firms.%u201cIf we counted businesses like the gas comnanv or the telenhone comoanv that vouknow will take a booth, that number wouldbe even higher.%u201dAfter three years, he says, BrooklynWorks is an unquestionable success. %u201cIt%u2019shere to stay.%u201dI think we addressed 99 percent of them,%u201dhe says. %u201cI think there will always be a problem or two, but the exhibitors are lookingat this much more professionally than theydid in the beginning. And many of themwant the show to have longer hours, or evengo into a weekend.%u201dThe only complaint this year, says Massa,was the number of children who %u201cworked%u201dthe trade show, cleaning out productsamples ranging from key chains to beefOne company, David Hamberger, Inc.,which specializes in animated displays, soldevery item at its booth. Hamberger got intothe trade show in 1985 at the last minute,and still did some business, but spent moretime preparing this year, and had a sell-out.This year%u2019s show was also the first yearBrooklynWorks moved from a boroughnovelty to a business exposition, and Massasays the transition was smooth. %u201cWe hadsome complaints after last year%u2019s show andO cto b er 3 0 ,1 9 8 6 , T H E P H O E N IX /B R O O K L Y N .IN C S ectio n Tw o, Page 13