JOY by Mel Lim at NYIGF August 07
In less than 3 years, we’ve exhibited in over 10 tradeshows. We know many of you wonder which show is worth the investment of time and money. Especially if it’s your first debut. We have a list of shows that we’ve attended as buyers and exhibitors, and shows that we hope some day we will be part of.
We think the first thing is to research your target buyers. The show management people know best what type of buyers are attending. Sometimes they are very eager to share that information with you, just to draw you into booking a space. After all, that is their business.
However this is not always true. Some shows are truly exclusive and the waitlist could be up to 5 years!! We suggest that the sooner you apply, the better. And even if your collection may not be complete, get your package in, so that the sales management team is aware of your company and product line. If you are not able to find out what type of buyers attend the shows, Google! Especially if you don’t have the luxury to fly across state/country to “walk” a show.
Another option, call some of the past exhibitors. You can easily look that up on the corresponding tradeshow websites. We have talked to several exhibitors prior to attending a show and 3 out of 5 are NICE people. Those are good odds of getting someone to talk to! Some are even truly honest. They will tell you upfront; DON’T do this show, wait and do the Spring show. OR some may say YES, we’ve been making 50k at a show and we have done it for 10 years!!
Take all the feedback you get and truly evaluate all aspects of exhibiting at tradeshow. Just because one company makes $50k at a show it does not mean we all can, especially when one sells $200 handbags and the other $3.00 greeting cards! There are so many aspects involved; the type of products, the type of buyers/crowd attending the show, price points, economy, trends, cost of show, size of booth, marketing, branding and the list goes on.
The key is to be realistic. You can set high expectations but also know that even if your competitor is making a theoretical $50k, the show may have easily cost them $40k! In your case, you may make $15k, but your costs may only be $3k. Don’t be to eager to compare or compete. Furthermore, it’s the quality of your buyers, NOT the quantity of completed order forms.
Taking your products to a trade show is the fastest way to test your products competitively. Some designers have done really well in their local market but when they debut at a show, it has been a disappointment. Every year hundreds of new companies debut their line. If this is something you truly want to explore; we encourage designers to do it, and give it their all. As an alternative, you may want to consider spending on direct marketing such as mailers, eblasts and trunk shows. They are less risky but they can work!
However, if this is merely a part time hobby to earn extra income, Etsy is absolutely the venue for selling one off items with minimal production cost and overhead. Don’t forget Ebay!