Chapter Fourteen
Taimi convinced the concierge of Caesar's Palace, Sam, to load the shower on a large trolley. They had a shower and they were in Vegas, but they needed a stand to showcase their design at the bathroom shower and accessories fair. Clarity moved towards reception.
"We need a stand for the trade show," said Clarity.
"There are no more stands," said Mirna, the receptionist.
Clarity tried to find a way to get some showcase time, even if it were only an hour or two, or to rent some space from other vendors, but the receptionist kept saying no, most reservations had been made several months in advance. After a few minutes, Clarity glanced at the line which was beginning to form behind them. Other exhibitors were checking in, and several large vans were parking outside, bringing in shower and bathroom equipment. She whispered to Taimi holding her hand that she suggest to one of the incoming vehicles that the venue for the trade show had changed, and was being held at the Sands Convention Center. A few minutes later, Taimi came back, and pulled Clarity aside, while Cynthia was saying to the receptionist that she couldn't understand what was happening, because they thought there was a reservation made in the name of Stevenson bathroom accessories.
"I had to use my ingenuity and my own smartphone to confirm their new venue, which is no venue, but they canceled their stall here, stand five zero nine," whispered Taimi. Clarity walked past Cynthia, bringing one additional piece of information to the reception counter.
"There is one free stand, five zero nine is available," she said. Mirna checked reservations and frowned, realizing Clarity was right. She checked them in reluctantly.
"You need an exhibit, gotta check with our rental exhibit companies over there," she said, pointing to two additional counters a few feet away from reception.
Clarity glanced at the counters of the two trade show exhibit rental companies offered by Caesar's Palace, Mile Ventures and Denicore. The counter of Mile Ventures was made of styrofoam and the sales person was wearing a Dover Pepzing soap costume. She veered right and opted for the second alternative. She approached the counter of the Denicore exhibit company, which offered custom and off-the-shelf exhibit displays for trade shows. A man named Simon sitting at the counter showing sleek hair and darting eyes looking at various areas of the counter, was shuffling several pamphlets corresponding to the various exhibit models offered. Cynthia came running towards the counter and reached Clarity a few seconds later.
"We need an exhibit stand for a shower exhibit, for today," said Clarity.
"Rent or buy?"
"Neither, we can offer a shower stall with side jets as guarantee for payment, until we can actually pay, which actually may not happen," said Cynthia.
Simon looked beyond Clarity, looking at the shower stall loaded on a Greenfingers large trolley, pulled by Sam, the concierge, and watched by Taimi.
"No downpayment, no payment, no cash, hmmm, well, we've got some spare modules unused. Since the fair is already under way, might as well use what we have. All right, we'll take your stall as guarantee, you'll have to pay ten thousand dollars in six months or so, two or three installments is possible, you can have it for today, and return it end of day."
Clarity's eyes widened. Ten thousand dollars for an exhibit? For a few days? My goodness, she thought, remembering that there was a wire for half a million dollars which was still being investigated at Stevenson. Simon brought Clarity and Cynthia on the rental company counter. The floor began moving in a circle, until they reached one of the modules offered, the Movizigoove exhibit, a ten by twenty area filled with cardboard panels, a worn blinking neon light buzzing intermittently on two benches, a small presentation area with a backlit screen, and two literature pockets which could fit the Kauai Bianca catalog which they didn't have.
"This is our cheapest," said Simon, "your shower can go in the middle."
"All right, this one," said Clarity.
"Will you be needing installation and dismantling labor, material handling, paperwork? It's only one thousand dollars more," said the salesman. Clarity glanced at the cart on wheels and shook her head.
"No, we've got Sam," she said, "he can take care of that, we just need a marker to write our company name."
"It's all yours then," said Simon. He handled Clarity a black marker.
"How do we carry all of this stuff to our stand?" asked Cynthia.
"Our labor crew can do it," said Simon.
"Only five hundred dollars," said Clarity, guessing his next sentence.
"Seven hundred fifty," added the sales person. She pointed at Sam, saying he was the perfect person to do the work. They helped him carry the cardboard modules, the chairs, the presentation screen, the benches, shelves, and the literature pockets to their stand, stand, five zero nine. Clarity wrote the name Stevenson bathroom accessories on the larger display with the marker. Satisfied, she glanced to her right, and saw the neighboring stand, which said Bormbayle.
"I can't believe it," said Cynthia, "we're next to Bormbayle's stand." One large television screen kept announcing the visit of Emery Bormbayle on that day.
"Keep your head low, they don't know about Stevenson bathroom accessories," said Clarity. Two hours later, no one had stopped in front of their booth, business was slow.
"Without a catalog it's not the same," said Cynthia.
"Without a tv screen, it's not the same at all," said Taimi, looking at the blank presentation screen, showing nothing. They were at display disadvantage, thought Clarity, turning off the neon light above one of the benches, which kept buzzing without completely lighting up. Clarity opened a lunch box offered by the trade show organizing group, and began biting a roast beef sandwich, thinking calmly. They had a shower which was all right, there probably was a way to showcase it in some way, which they had not yet understood. A hand tapped on her shoulder. She moved her head and saw Brock standing right next to her, with Emery Bormbayle talking to a few journalists behind him.
"What are you doing here?" asked Clarity.
"Well, I just came to speak to Mr. Bormbayle, because we're missing half a million that went to his company. What are you doing here, we've been looking for you all day yesterday, and today." Brock eyed the Movizigoove stand behind Clarity.
"What is this, there is no Stevenson bathroom accessories division at Stevenson."
"I can explain, it has to do with talent development and lateral thinking. If you start with a garden company and move your thinking laterally, you notice that water used in gardens can be used in other ways, a shower group or unit is a natural avenue for growth."
"I'm going to have to write a report," said Brock, "this is unacceptable, totally inapropriate, Mr. Stevenson has been cursing all day asking where half of the Cisco commercial paper money went."
Clarity began arguing that he had already written a report, and that the next report was due the following year, because employee reports were written once a year.
"Excuse me." Clarity turned around and saw a short man carrying the name tag Lamond Liew and the word Singapore underneath.
"Is that shower for sale?" he asked. Lamond Liew pointed to their shower on display, and to Taimi, who was mimicking a shower, showing herself naked inside the stall to add some buzz to their display. Somehow, Taimi had managed to turn-on a small, half-filled water tank, and two of the side jets were working, showing the unique features of the shower.
"Yes it is," said Clarity, "the woman inside is not part of the service."
"How much?" Clarity put together all the knowledge acquired during the previous weeks.
"Fifteen thousand dollars," said Clarity.
"I'd like one hundred of those, I work for the Bennington Salm Hotel in Singapore, I like the side jets, we've got nothing like that. We've got more rooms, but we'll test one hundred."
"That can be arranged," said Cynthia, stepping forward. Clarity was doing the calculation in her head, fifteen thousand dollars times one hundred, five figures and two zeroes, am
ounted to seven figures, one point five million dollars, one million dollars over their investment in the shower design patent, excluding a few additional costs, like transportation, Flake's overtime driving the load truck, and the trade show exhibit rental cost. Overhearing the conversation, Mr. Bormbayle attempted to lure Lamond Liew into considering the horizontal shower they offered. Mr. Liew declined the offer.
"No one is going to shower lying down, it's annoying, no thank you, I want this one."
Brock could not believe his ears, but Clarity began to think her real talent was beginning to emerge and to be understood at Stevenson. She ignored what Brock was saying, glancing behind him, and saw Mr. Stevenson walking along various exhibits towards them, with Mrs. Stevenson by his side, and Heather, Patrick and Lareya Marquez following them. She took the plastic folder with all the official documents confirming ownership of their shower design, and handed a sales slip to Lamond Liew, to close the sale for one hundred units of their Kauai Bianca unique shower.