As some of you may know, I attended the Hawaii Trade Conference last week and I came back with a much better idea of how much the economic depression is affecting the industry than before I left.

While the sluggish market has hurt everyone involved in the collectibles industry, it certainly appears as though some have been hurt more than others. If the Trade Conference is any indication and things are as they appear, I predict we may have a new top dawg in the card making business within the next couple years. Upper Deck, Topps, Press Pass and the new kids on the block with all the familiar faces, Panini, were all in attendance, but some definitely made more of an impact and impression than others.

For example, at a Trade Conference such as this, the card companies are basically there to promote their new products, outline their initiatives for the future, discuss and receive feedback on current issues and to schmooze with the various dealers and distributors on hand. During the four-day event, each card company will typically host/sponsor an event or two, where they toot their own horns a little while creating a buzz for their latest new products or online options. But because of the economy, every one of the companies were forced to curtail their spending for such events and a lot of the frills were eliminated from this year's event all around. Despite the economic crunch, I left the conference feeling like Upper Deck, Press Pass and Panini by Donruss, as I refer to them, had all weathered the storm better than the Topps Co. had.

While its impossible to gauge a company's financial situation based upon a what you see at four-day Trade Conference, it certainly appears as though the company-wide cutbacks we've all been dealing with have hit the oldest card maker the hardest. Out of respect, I won't go into details that help support my point but let's just say, it appeared as though some of the companies spent a lot more time and effort trying to reach out to their customers than some others did. While this could all be misconception on my part or maybe it was just a case of some placing a higher value on the Trade Conference than others, it was clear that not all of the companies on hand came in thinking the event was all that important. And while I wasn't privy to any of the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing or one-on-one meetings with the various dealers and distributors, judging by the lack of presentations and the lack of personnel on hand, the Trade Conference appeared to just be an afterthought for some.

I on the other hand, believe that in times like this its even more important to put on a smiling face and put your best foot forward, even if you might be holding back tears on the inside. But hey, that's just me.