Three weeks ago I was Birmingham when I met Hugh Burnett, managing director of Cash Bases in Newhaven.

He asked: "Would you like to give us a hand on our stand at the Retail Solutions Exhibition at the NEC?" "Of course." I replied.

I was sent a programme.

Company staff were to wear suits and be on the stand at 9am. There was a list of staff, led by the managing director and sales director, and notes company products.

I have visited the NEC on many occasions. Sometimes I stay with friends in Tamworth, north of Birmingham.

Laughingly, they refer to Tamworth as the centre of the universe. It's as far as you can get from the sea. It had the first snowdrome and, if Tamworth votes Labour, Tony Blair will win. And do you remember the Tamworth Two?

Those remarkable Tamworth pigs who escaped from a slaughter house, ran down a road, swam across a river and disappeared into a wood.

Overnight, they became as famous as David Beckham and now live comfortably miles away from the bacon factory.

Unaccountably, I was nervous about the exhibition but determined to do my best. I read the company brochures and resolved to arrive in plenty of time to mug up on its products. As often happens, woke before the alarm and was in Birmingham with hours to spare. I arrived on the stand.

"You must be Tim Parker, I'm Harry Coates, I'll show you round." We went rapidly from product to product, I nodded wisely and then we came to a mobile sales unit. "This has interesting feature," said Harry. "Every time you close the till, the notes disappear into a safe". "That's marvellous," I thought. Here was something I could demonstrate. I punched the button and the unit crashed.

Harry was not amused.

Visitors began to arrive.

greeted my first customer, an Indian from Bombay. "I want a large cash drawer." Proudly, I showed him the drawer the company makes for Woolworths. "Not big enough," he said. "We can make you a bigger one," I offered. The Indian smiled and walked on - you can't win them all.

Sales director David Westcott and his team worked hard.

Cash Bases has many friends among its customers and there were plenty of new inquiries.

The company is dedicated to providing top-class products and offers a superb service;

that is the reason it has been so successful.

Suddenly, the loudspeakers announced that the exhibition would close in five minutes.

The day had gone in a flash.

That evening, we celebrated David's 50th birthday. I was proud and pleased to be a very junior member of the team.