On Mon. and Tue., Feb. 16 and 17, I had the pleasure of attending my very first Grainger Show. I must say, the experience was not what I was envisioning; it was much cooler!
The 2015 Grainger Show, held in Orlando, Fla., welcomed more than 17,000 attendees; bringing together its customers and suppliers to help demonstrate some of the unique ways it serves its customers.
In its 11th year, the 2015 show was the largest to date. The event hosted more than 750 exhibitors on a show floor that was 367,000 square feet of space. The show also included seminars, workshops and networking opportunities.
The first day there, members of Grainger's communication team led us (the press) down to the show floor to get a sneak peak inside Grainger Town.
This area of the floor brought to life some of the solutions and best practices that Grainger has to offer.
In the photo above, I had the opportunity to view what Grainger calls its "Social Media Command Center."
The mock command center, located within Grainger Town, was set up to display what really goes on behind the scenes of Grainger's social media team.
The team, which was created nearly three and a half years ago, is made up of only three people, but I was awestruck to find out just how much analyzing they really do.
Located inside Grainger's headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., the team is constantly pulling in live content via its social media channels. This gives Grainger insight into what hot trends or relevant issues are being talked about in the social universe, allowing them to develop white papers, seminars and other learning opportunities around what's "hot."
Tracy Crane, Senior Social Media Specialist at Grainger, said safety impacts everybody, regardless of the industry you're in. That's why, she believes, it has continually been one of the most talked about trends throughout the social world, including Twitter, Linked In and Facebook.
What I found really fascinating was how depending on the positivity or negativity of the certain topics, the key words will actually change color.
Green, for example, is something that is being talked about in a positive light, while blue is neutral and red is associated with a negative connotation. So, for example, if there was a death or a violation on a plant floor, and everyone in the social universe was talking about it, the key word "safety" would turn red.
I also had the chance to meet with some really interesting Grainger experts in topics such as safety, eCommerce and inventory management. Keep an eye out later this week for some articles on those hot topics in the manufacturing world.
ENTRIES OPEN:
Establish your company as a technology leader. For 50 years, the R&D 100 Awards, widely recognized as the “Oscars of Invention,” have showcased products of technological significance. Learn more.