“Blue Sky Meetings.” In an article posted earlier this week on Trade Show News Network, Rachel Wimberly gives an inside look at the National Retail Federation’s annual “Blue Sky Meetings.” More than 20 staff members and stakeholders get together—usually nine months out from the annual show—to discuss how to solve the challenges they have related to the tradeshow and how to make it a more personal experience for attendees. According to Susan Newman, NRF’s vice president of conferences, several ideas generated in the meeting have been implemented at shows. One example is its Fast Tracks keynotes, which are a spinoff of TED Talks and feature up-and-coming retail companies doing things differently.