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In this episode, Lucas and David are joined by Cavan Robinson and Tony Mercury of Vehlo from STX 2026. Cavan and Tony explore the evolving trade show landscape, discussing how rising costs and market saturation have changed their approach to event participation. They also dive into the growing influence of AI in the industry, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges it brings to shop management and marketing.

00:00 Evaluating trade show expenses

10:25 Finding the right trade show staff

14:31 Attending the Northeast Show and Milwaukee Event

17:37 Improving event attendance strategies

25:47 Issues with recurring trade shows

30:12 Questioning Technical Training Value

35:21 Lunch with Margaret discussing retirement

38:42 Advice for growing your business

46:56 AI's impact on SEO strategies

53:41 Managing AI Data and Partnerships

57:36 Using GuestX for call issues

01:00:29 Catfish leads to divorce