I just spent two days at the New York City Licensing Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. While I got some great interviews with some very famous celebrities – I also got plenty of my favorite thing in the world – free stuff.

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved free stuff. I remember once when I was very young, my mom took me to a Brooklyn Festival at Grand Army Plaza. When I left, I had a whole bag of free stuff I got from each of the tables that I passed. From bumper stickers to pens and pencils to keychains, all of it was free and my day was made – from that day on – I loved free stuff.

Being in the field that I am in, I frequently attend many conventions, shows, festivals and events. I am not lying when I tell you that every time I leave one of these shows – I leave with bags and bags full of free stuff.

A classic example of this would be when I attended the Cigar Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in May of 1998. I spent three days at the show and when those three days were over – I had at least two hundred and fifty cigars, a few bottles of scotch and vodka and dozens of cigar accessories – all for free. Some of the cigars I received were samples that the companies were giving out, but most of what I took home was given to me because I interviewed the owners and executives of the companies. I will admit that whenever people at a booth sees someone with the word “PRESS” on their show badge, they always try their best to make sure they get a good story from him or her – and that usually involves giving them a sample of their product. Considering the fact that I conduct dozens of interviews at each show I attend – it’s no secret that I go home with a lot more then I show up with.

I can name at least one item from each show I have attended that really blew me away when I received it. Most recently, at the Licensing Show, Universal Studios gave me a vinyl and suede carry all bag with the Jurassic Park III logo on it to promote the upcoming movie. At the 1999 Tattoo Convention at Manhattan’s famous Roseland Ballroom, Studio Enigma, the famous tattoo studio gave me a free tattoo – and at the Brooklyn Brewery’s 1998 Beer Fest – I got enough beer memorabilia and beer to fill whatever empty spaces that were left at Paulie’s.

What’s really great is that now that I am trying to get recognition and notoriety for Ring Fever, I can truly appreciate the promotional efforts companies put into trying to gain recognition for their products. Because now, instead of just collecting the free stuff, I am the one giving out free Ring Fever T-shirts so people will wear them and the Ring Fever name will be noticed by everyone who sees it. So instead of just seeing free stuff as – well – free stuff, I can now understand the reasons behind it and treasure whatever goodies I collect all that much more because I know first hand the reasons why companies give it out.

And believe me, they give out a lot.