May I have your attention please.....

I just returned home from Comic Fest 2017. It was fun. It is supposed to be fun, so that’s a good thing! I did, however, feel like I was in a dream sequence from “The Big Bang Theory” television show.

I learned of Comic Fest via my son’s old college roommate who is destined to be the next “Stan Lee” and it was cool to see him again.

What I REALLY wanted to do, was meet as many artists, animators and creative people as possible. Via the NYDLA.org we have constant, ongoing demand for creative talent. Things like whiteboard explainer videos, animated websites, and all things “UX/UI” need creative people to make things online to... come alive. We cannot hire creative people fast enough.

While User Experience is a conglomeration of tasks focused on optimization of a product for effective and enjoyable use; User Interface Design is its complement, the look and feel, the presentation and interactivity of a product. But like UX, it is easily and often confused by the industries that employ UI Designers.

There. Was that nerdy enough for you?

So, I walked serpentine, up and down all the rows of the trade show, collecting business cards from as many animators, artists and “creative folk” as I could find. I might have handed out a few of my business cards as well. Well, more than a few of my business cards. Well, maybe a few hundred.

But then it hit me.

All the people in the building...all the people dressed up as characters...all the people who paid for a booth...all the people who were displaying their talents, displaying their skills, displaying their body of work:

They all wanted my…….. attention.

Nothing happens until I have your attention.  It does not matter how good my product or service might be. It does matter the price, or the size or shape or color. It does not matter if you need it or not; if I do not have “your attention” for 30 or 60 seconds (or more) nothing is going to happen. Nothing good, and probably nothing bad. But it will be…..nothing.

We are all in the “attention business” whether we realize it or not. Once I have EARNED your attention, I maybe (maybe) have a shot at winning your business. But until I indeed have your focus, your attention, everything is just a big waste of time and money.

Why did I stop at THIS booth and not that booth? Why did I stop to take a picture of THIS person and not that person? Why did I GO BACK to a busy booth to talk to the person later, making a mental note that this person has “earned my attention” they just don’t know it yet.

Yeah, that was my lesson for the day.  We are all in the attention business. If you read today’s blog this far, then I earned yours.

And, if you did not read this far…….then you won’t be able click here, right?

Oh, you know you want to click it.  Go ahead. Nothing bad will happen, right? Don't worry, there are enough Superheroes around today if you need any help.