Greeting Card Designer: Stationery Show Tips: Behind the Scenes

Here's a great article about different people who exhibited at the show and their advice. Lot's of great photos too:

Excerpt:

When it came to the money, most of the exhibitors I interviewed had budgeted roughly $5000-7000 for exhibiting. Some were spending as much as $10,000 and one as little as $3000. The discrepancy in costs often is attributed to where you stay (with friends vs. nearly a week in a hotel, if you have to travel far to get there and even the costs of getting your display to the show). These costs also don’t include the expenses involved with developing and manufacturing their lines.

So how many products do you need to have at a show like this? Obviously the more products the better, with more choices for the finicky buyer to choose from. But a large line also means that many more designs you will have to produce. The number of items available at these ladies’ booths varied from around 50 up to nearly 150 different designs. Some of the larger companies had designs running in the hundreds of items. While hundreds of products may be a little out of your capability, it is important to have realistic goals. letterarypress told me, “If I take enough orders to cover expenses, I will be thrilled. My main goal is to open as many new accounts as I can, meet with reps, and maintain a presence in the industry.”

According to albertinepress, “Participating at NSS or any other trade show is a huge endeavor. Don’t go in unprepared, and don’t expect to be a huge success overnight. Spend a lot of time to make sure that you’re reflecting yourself and your work in your booth display. Buyers are visiting over 1000 booths (or rather, walking by over 1000 booths). You need to give them a reason to stop at yours. Then you need the products to keep them there. But have fun!”

Article Continued...

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