The latest in PPE’s series of guest columnists, Jonathan Grassi, overseas manager at Italian balloon company Grabo International, looks at how the effect the internet has had on the party import and export market.
“I’m just stating the obvious really: the 21st century has tied us all closer together, made our connections quicker, our conversations easier, our range of choice wider. In a fast-paced and infinitely interconnected world, the role of exports is certainly crucial. Not only you can find a whole new world of products completely different to those offered in your local area, but you can also source better products, more products, better prices…
The Facebook and Instagram generation requires instant availability: everything must be accessible to anyone – anything one might find in a screenshot – and it must be there tomorrow, or sooner. And of course, as suppliers and manufacturers have to face fierce competition and battle to do better than the next company, this widens the selection for the consumers, who are spoilt for choice and can finally find their needs and desires more than amply suited.
Of course, there are downsides to this type of cannibalistic globalisation and gut-driven exporting and importing. The cross-border reliability of business partners isn’t always solid: it often occurs that importers, when not affiliated, use imported products at their own end. On the other hand, exporters can – and, sadly, often do – sell low-quality product over and over again to different customers before the end user realises the product is no good.
Unfortunately, even if the balloon and party business is protected by artists, passionate decorators and far-sighted entrepreneurs, some business-wrecking dumping is still being perpetrated by external agents and non-professionals.
But let’s not forget to balance the added value exports give with the love that people put into the development of this great business. It is the stuff dreams are made of.”
This column originally appeared in the May/June issue of Progressive Party Europe. You can read it in full here.
