Trade Show... in Napa!

Napa Trade Show blog #1
At the hotel - Mon, 8 Sep 2025, 4:30pm.

This week I'm headed off to staff a trade show for my company. It's JFrog's (a small software company's) annual conference and this year it's in Napa, California. I staffed my company's booth at this show each of the past two years. I've found it a well run smaller conference (~500 attendees) and a worthwhile strategic engagement for my company.

This year JFrog SwampUP (yes, that's what they call their conference, including the unusual capitalization) is in Napa, California. That makes it an easy trek for me as it's just a drive across the San Francisco Bay Area.

I left home around 2pm on Monday and arrived at about 4:15 after a brief stop for gas on the way. The drive wasn't hard though two things did make it a bit of a chore. One, I hit traffic slowdowns in several spots. Yes, apparently rush hour begins at 2:30pm now on this route! And two, the weather in places was a bit on the hot side, with temperatures in the upper 80s. That, combined with the grinding traffic, made it less enjoyable commute— because I was in my convertible!

I started out with the top down, planning to enjoy the warm afternoon, fresh air, and wide ranging vistas as I drove over the mountains and through the valleys to get to Napa. If I'd been able to drive 55+ mph the whole way, the sun and heat wouldn't have been bothersome. But sitting in grinding traffic climbing the Sunol Grade on I-680, boxed in on three sides by gravel trucks and a concrete divider on the fourth side, sucked all the joy out of a warm afternoon. I put the top up— traffic was rolling slowly enough I could do that without pulling over— and left it up the rest of the way there, running the air conditioner.

As far as the resort venue I've landed at in Napa.... It's not what you might imagine when you picture "Resort hotel in wine country". Resort seems like too strong a word for it. It's an overgrown 3-star hotel behind an office park just off one of the main highways. In fact the street I turned on is literally called Napa Valley Corporate Way. 🤣 It's comfortable inside. But the only view I have of, say, a rolling hillside covered with grape vines is the framed picture of a rolling hillside covered with grape vines hanging on the wall.

What I Forgot This Trip (This One's a Doozy)

Napa Trade Show blog #2
At the hotel - Mon, 8 Sep 2025, 5:30pm.

I've joked various times before that Every trip, I forget one thing. It's a joke not just because it's amusing but also because it's not strictly true. I mean, there are some times I don't forget anything. And there are plenty of times I forget to bring something I thought about bringing but turned out to be inconsequential anyway. But occasionally I forget something that's a doozy. And that's when the joke is funniest... though that's also when I'm the butt of it. 🤣

I forgot something that's a doozy on this week's trip to a small software trade show in Napa. I'm planning to dress up as Jenkins the Butler part of the time at this show. "What's Jenkins?" Here's a reminder from a show I did in March this year:



The doozy is that while I packed my tuxedo shirt and jacket for this trip I forgot my tuxedo shirt pins, cuff links, and bow tie. The cuff links are the least important of that set. The shirt pins, medium-important; the shirt has buttons for people who don't have pins, but pins are critical to the overall authenticity of dressing in a tuxedo. And the bow tie is crucial. Jenkins isn't Jenkins without the red bow tie!

I realized the mistake when I was driving across the bridge over the Carquinez Strait Monday afternoon. Why there, on the bridge? No particular reason; that's just where it suddenly occurred to me, "Oh, crap, I forgot these important things!" And the bridge is a landmark on trips along that corridor. For Monday's trip it signaled that I was about 3/4 of the way there in terms of travel time.

It was too far from home to want to turn back. I'd add minimum 3 hours, likely much closer to 4 with rush-hour traffic, to my drive. I decided instead I'd have to see what I can find once I got to the hotel in Napa.

Once at the hotel I looked up menswear stores in the area and started calling around. One, a name-brand place you probably have in the big city nearest you, wasn't sure what "tuxedo shirt pins/studs" are until after I explained it— and then confirmed they don't carry them. With the help of the hotel concierge I found a local men's suit shop that was open 'til 5:30pm, called ahead, and drove to quaint downtown Napa. Shirt studs, cuff links, and a bow tie set me back $50. The things I do for my craft!

Trade Show Day 0: Late to Bed, Early to Rise

Napa Trade Show blog #3
At the hotel - Tue, 9 Sep 2025, 6:45am.

There are two things I often say about working at trade shows. One, trade shows are a marathon, not a sprint. They're multiple days, generally multiple long days, so you've got to pace yourself. And two, you especially have got to avoid hitting it too hard on the first day. Or in cases like this, the first night. That's after the team arrives in town, everyone's spirits are high, and none of the tiredness of long days on the show floor has set in yet.

After I arrived on Monday afternoon things seemed set for a reasonable evening on Day 0 of the show. I mean, even my need to rush out to buy missing hardware for my tuxedo was resolved with a minimum of fuss... and $50.

I got back from my emergency shopping trip in time to catch the second half of the late-afternoon reception and hob-nob with my colleagues over a few glasses of wine. I would've hob-nobbed with customers and prospects but, frankly, there were barely any present today. In fact the reception was about 80% employees of the host company, identifiable by their green shirts with a cheeky slogan on the back.

After the reception my colleagues and I went into town for a fancy dinner. Regional VP Alan is back on the crew for this show (he'd tagged out over a health problem then tagged back in when he recovered much faster than expected) so you know we went out to a good steak-and-wine restaurant. That's Alan's way. And the steak house was just 2 doors down from the suit shop I'd been at 90 minutes earlier. "If anyone needs an emergency bow tie," I said loudly to the group, "There's a shop right next door!" 🤣

Over the course of dinner I was careful not to hit it too hard. For example, I stuck to drinking wine, no cocktails. And I alternated glasses of wine with glasses of water. I still enjoyed it all, of course. The point was when we went home I had a light buzz going instead of a drunken stagger. But something I ate or drank (or both) disagreed with me. I'll spare the unpleasant details and skip to the result: I was awake, in discomfort, until 2am.

Even worse than being unable to fall asleep until 2am, my morning alarm was at 6:15. 😖 I've got a sales forecast meeting with my boss at 7. Then after that, a full day at the show. Yeah, I'll catch a break of about 2 hours after lunch. But then it's showtime again through this evening's reception ending at 7pm.

I expect tonight is going to be an early night. We'll see if my stomach problems stay gone. I'm not 100% sure because right now I'm not sure I'm back to 100% yer.