Big Blur

I’m taking advantage of the “work at home” day to write this blog – on Wednesday, instead of Thursday. The snowstorm that is keeping me at home in my pjs and sipping my home-brewed coffee gives me a visual analogy of what January was for me - one BIG BLUR!

Only one week after New Year’s Day, I was on the road visiting with vendors and reps who were hard at work at other trade shows. My “road work” didn’t really end until last week – Thursday, February 4th, to be exact! Whew.

This first “show season” of the year was truly exhilarating. Buyers were out in full force – evidenced by the over-stocked coat check areas in all venues. Speaking as a show management person, this is a great sign of a robust show in a cold climate!

These buyers who crowded the showrooms, escalators, elevators, hallways and aisles weren’t just looking at “what’s new,” they were placing orders! The reps and vendors I spoke with were reporting that their sales were up over the same time as last year, and often in a double digit percentage increase. This portends the end of a bad economy, I’m thinking. Hurray for that!

A number of companies I met with will be exhibiting in the National Stationery Show for the first time this year. In Atlanta I got to spend a nice amount of time with Jennifer Carroll of Jennifer Carroll Designs. Jennifer is already very accomplished – she’s a sought-after event designer with a new book on events in the works, and now she’s designing fabulous stationery. I can’t wait for you to meet her at the NSS!

While in Atlanta, I attended the Greeting Card Association’s reception – that was a great event. There, I got to speak with Bob and Melinda Blanchard from Live What You Love (don’t know them? Check ‘em out before the Show – they have authored a few inspiring non-fiction books, including “Live What You Love” and that’s not all they’ve done.) You’ll love their story and seeing their line at the Show this May. I also got to wave hello to Alan Friedman and Lisa Samar of Great Arrow Graphics. Regrettably, I didn’t get to spend much time with them, but I’m lucky enough to see them a few times each year. I think you know that Great Arrow will be back at the NSS this May!

In Dallas, I was glad for the opportunity to meet Sarah-Allen Preston, of Preston Paper – many thanks to rep Tosha Pearson of Erik Hahn & Associates for putting us together. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time. Isn’t that what trade shows are all about, after all? (Same place, same time). When we met, Sarah-Allen had already signed on for the National Stationery Show, but it was great to meet her (and her mom) in person. She had lots of questions about exhibiting, marketing opportunities, retailers, etc. I was happy we had a chance to scratch the surface on these broad topics and a few specifics. Sarah-Allen told me that she is planning on “attending” our exhibitor webinars offered to NSS exhibitors (and of special interest to exhibitors new to the industry, or new to the show). These webinars start tomorrow (Friday the 12th). Click here to learn more.

In New York, I bumped into (same place, same time) several key reps in the stationery industry who were walking the aisles. Each one of them had a few companies they told me wanted to exhibit in the May NSS. Many thanks to you all, Dan, Kris, and Mario to name a few. I’m in touch with all you suggested.

I also had dinner with a few NSS buyers - each a member of our Delegates program. I was honored to be asked to join the group. They are from disparate parts of the country, and traditionally get together at least once during a show to compare notes about what new things they’ve seen at the show, and what they’ve already ordered. I loved watching them pull brochures, catalogs and sell sheets out of their bags to share information with each other. These ladies also gave me the 4-1-1 on their current top-selling lines, as well as companies they want to see in the National Stationery Show this May. This kind of collaboration with buyers such as Hannah, Edie, Shara and Jean (bet you know them all) and the reps is part of how we work to ensure that the NSS delivers for you – vendors and buyers alike!

Our show floor is filling up fast, and we’re excited for a great NSS to come. Buyers, please make sure you walk every aisle – there are new resources to be found on each one, and many vendors you know have taken new locations. Make sure you register to attend on our website. One buyer emailed me today asking if she could bring an employee with her – the answer is a resounding YES! You don’t have to go it alone – just register your employee online when you click through to get your badge.

Those of you considering exhibiting – now is really the time to jump in and claim your space so that you can get your great line in front of the passionate, dedicated buyers who will be at the Show in full force this May! Drop me a line or apply online.

Until next time -
Kelly

The Game Change

Wow things feel really good. The fun is coming back, the attitude is great, retailers and vendors are excited, motivated, and open for business!

And, here at “NSS Headquarters” the buzz is shaking the ground. Exhibit sales and buyer registration hit record highs for the month and we scored some very big and exciting news that we’ll release closer to the Show. I really can’t tell you now.

But, I should mention how incredibly pleased we are to welcome back Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus to the Show floor! Great Arrow Graphics, Penny Laine, Odd Balls, Stevie Streck, too! And, how fortunate we are to be partnering with Martha Stewart Weddings on groundbreaking research that we’ll release at the Show. Maybe I should talk about some of the celebrity appearances that we’re working on. And, maybe I should tell you about the fabulous new companies that are launching in 2010. On second thought, I’ll keep those a secret for now.

The next 15 weeks are going to fly by, as we shape the exhibit floor, fine tune all of the educational sessions, special events, hospitality programs, promotions, pr, demos, media tours and so forth. But the fun is back, and we are loving the game change!

-Patti

“Client Visits”

Recently, Patti and I had the opportunity to visit with two NSS exhibitors while we were on a trip to California.

Our first stop was San Francisco (or, more accurately, Emeryville) to visit with the folks at Cardstore.com

Cardstore.com offers personalized cards for every occasion, and they license artwork from exhibitors in the National Stationery Show for its on-demand portion of the business. Some of these companies include Driscoll Design, Great Arrow Graphics, Spruce Avenue and Pipo Press – to name but a few.

Their offices are in this former industrial section of town, and they occupy a few spaces on the block – all just steps away from each other. They have one area for their offices (with loft ceilings), one for print and production and another for fulfillment. It was fun for Patti and me to see their printing equipment in action – and to see the custom orders coming out the other side. The VP of Operations, Paul Felber is amazingly knowledgeable in all kinds of printing equipment and inks (that’s years of experience for you), and he described how the different machines worked to Patti and me. I love this behind the scenes stuff! I’m sorry I can’t show you!

But here is a photo outside the office.

That’s Paul (L), Matt Cedillo, account manager (center) and Marty Reed, the company’s new CEO, (R) . (Matt has been my main contact at the company for 3 years and it was fun to see him in his home environment, so to speak).

Patti and I also met with Katy Borden, the Creative Production Director, but alas, only after this photo was taken. Katy has a great artistic eye, and I had a lot of fun getting to know her.

On Monday, I received this great, personalized thank you card from Marty. (I’ll just show you the front…)

The design is by Lilla Rogers Studio.

The next day, Patti and I went down to La Jolla, and got to stop in on Elum Designs! I have known Melissa and Brad Foster since before they joined the National Stationery Show for the first time back in 2002, so needless to say I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see how they create their beautiful line, and what it takes to store, pack & ship!

When we were visiting, we got to see Melissa finishing up an order of gorgeous letterpress invitations to a swanky fete that was being held in, of all places, White Plains! (That’s where we are, here at GLM). Her choice of paper and ink color and overall design – exquisite! It sure made me want to go to that party! (Don’t worry, I didn’t crash it!)

Elum has a few Heidelberg presses to handle the volume of custom letterpress invitations and announcements they create. I love these dependable machines – they look so big and clunky, and make a bit of noise, but they produce such lovely, even delicate results. Here’s one all inked up for a run. The press guys were shy about having their photos taken, though!

We also were treated to a tour of the warehouse. I was amazed by all the products there – staged to be shipped. I get to know exhibitors products by how they display it in their booths. So to see all the great giftwrap, notecards, journals and those amazing stationery desk sets (a Best New Product winner at the 2008 Show) on high shelves was really cool. I got a better idea of the sheer volume of products that this company is turning out. And to think, they got their start just a few years ago with a few lines of letterpress invitations. That Melissa, she’s talented!! (And she has a great team, too!)

When we were there, Patti asked about their efforts to be a “green” company. Brad told us that they use tree-free and recycled papers for their various products, and that they even recycle their steel-backed letterpress plates.

Here’s Melissa and Brad in one of their workrooms at the offices / warehouse.

You might be able to see that their workspace is clean, bright, organized and beautiful. What else would I expect from such a well-run company?

Thanks to both of these great companies for allowing Patti and me to have an inside look at their operations! We love to always be learning about how our customers do their business in order to fulfill the needs of their customers!

“Until next time!”

Kelly