Total Licensing Winter 2007 - (Page 122)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 TOTAL LICENSING Most of the drivers are young, some cars are nice DISCOVERS RUSSIA and big, others small or old – and when you like the looks of the driver you assume that they do not belong to the Mafia and won’t kidnap you. You show them a piece of paper, wave arms, and hold up fingers until after suitable five yards away, there is actually an open one? Russians, however, can overcome obstacles very well: when a delegation from the Interior Ministry comes to visit a stand not far away, personnel stretch tape across the aisle. Placed high or low for the whole hour of the visit, fair visitors of all ages creep under it and step over it in both directions – they are unstoppable! The Fair grounds are a part of a very large Amusement and Memorial Park – and it turns out there is to practice their English. Others give up in disgust when our Russian translator is not around. Not withstanding the broad popular dislike for the USA, they are universally friendly; little children bring us presents and we in turn, having pre-studied and having brought “I Love NY” souvenirs, try to reciprocate. The love for the book is everywhere and thousands mill around outside of some 200 tents that surround the Exhibition halls selling every kind of book, children’s book, print, poster, postcard, and even toys. Now I understand why the International Book Fair sits on these grounds. There is certainly complete literacy. At the Fair grounds there is also a missile, a plane, and other such objects, on display and there is an orator who waves a Communist flag, wears an army uniform, and endlessly promotes his beliefs. The display stands of the big companies are gorgeous, large affairs, quite a few two stories high with microphone equipped barkers whose high-decibel mounted large speakers blare out their pitches. Beautiful princesses in gowns hold events and outside the booth there are medieval warriors in metal uniforms battling each other. On the open ground in front of the building there is a Tartar on a horse pathanks to some pre-arranged appointments with existing customers, but we even make a few new contacts. Our Russian fellow exhibitors report an excellent Fair. To learn more, I’ve launched myself into an ambitious program to get an “overview of the Russian mood and conditions” – omitting of course politics – and my prepared questionnaires have been translated into Russian in Cyrillic script, so careful, cautious interviewees can read and check what they will be asked. My generous Russian licensee also provides me a 22 year old Marketing Manager who can speak English and who helps me for a good part of two days, so that we can work on this project. The public throngs to 150 tents between 2 halls selling books, magazines, cards and gifts minutes of bargaining the driver either says “Nyet!” and drives away, or you have settled for 200 rubles approximately $8.00 . The fare is from 100 to 300 rubles - depending on your bargaining skill not the distance – and often the driver who has said “Da!” yes , very friendly and cheerfully, and you with your Russian map, patiently go through many, many overpasses, cloverleaves, underpasses, one way systems, which your map doesn’t show – but you always get there and the price is never changed. A word is a word! And you get a friendly “Spassiva” Thank You! . If the driver has refused, “Nyetchevo!” It doesn’t matter! . There is always another one within 2 to 3 minutes. There are a few regular taxis – with a sign on top, but they are very few and hard to find and unfailingly charge at least 50%-100% more, and bargaining is still needed because there are no taxi meters and they too don’t have a map and Moscow stretches over one thousand square kilometers and is home to more than 10 million people. This, however, is no travel log, so only two more quick vignettes from Fair days: Why is the toilet securely locked on setup day, and only observation teaches you that in another Fair building, about 500 an old bus. It sort of comes, it has sort of stops, it has no discernible schedule, and the stops it has have no markings – but as always, the miracle happens, somehow you get near your building, and when you return on it to go home it finishes near the entrance to the Park – that, besides restaurants, amusement rides, fountains, beautiful flower plantings, lots of large decorative beautiful gold buildings, also contains the modern glass exhibition buildings for the Fair. There are no escalators or elevators anywhere, but lots of stairs. Altogether, outside of the deepest Metro subway in the world built by the Soviets to protect the population from air attack , there are stairs and more stairs everywhere – pity the infirm who creep up and down one slow step at a time. We are the only American stand in our entire hall – and maybe one out of a hundred passing visitors stops AMATEUR PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH We ask our prepared questions of six randomly chosen business people in telegram style and compile their answers. How long have they been in business? : Mostly ten to fifteen years, one only five years. Some individual owners, some part of larger corporations. Three had under twentyfive employees, three over 500. Exports? : Of the small ones, only one had some exports to USA and France, the other two had local sales - or all Russian sales. The large ones had a little export to the other ex-Soviet Republics, and Germany, France, USA. Volume? : The small ones all had volumes below $5 million – the large ones were all reluctant to give any volumes, even approximately. What about the projected economy for the next 3 years? The small varied from no growth prediction to “stable”. They all expected business to be better over the next five years, however – one added “I hope Greeting card display at our government will Hallmark Russia be more loyal to the people.” They all rading around. International stands are small and wanted “stability”. One said “The few. This is a Russian Fair – even if development of Russian production when Russian companies will it is called International. Our own Fair results were good, be famous all over the world, then there will be expansion of produc- 122  Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Total Licensing Winter 2007

Total Licensing Winter 2007

https://www.nxtbookmedia.com