Webinar Report and Tips

Yesterday (Wednesday), I had the distinct privilege and pleasure of presenting a webinar for NSS exhibitors with two “veterans” (well, they are!) of the industry – Mike Oleskow of Max & Lucy & Modus Operandi, and Anna Griffin, president of Anna Griffin, Incorporated.























The webinar was on Exhibitor Display and Sales, and both Mike and Anna certainly know what they are doing when it comes to creating a great looking booth and selling! My part in the webinar was facilitate the discussion and present the boring stuff (“this is an “S” hook, the floor is made of cement…” ) away from these two superstars!

We had a record number of participants on the call – about 60! It’s terrific to know that so many exhibitors (and they weren’t all new) are so keenly interested and invested in their participation in the Show that they spent the time to “attend” this webinar. Mike and Anna shared fantastic tips & tricks – a few of my favorites were:

On booth design:

1. From Mike - Make sure that your tables do not block access to your product – that is, make sure that your buyers can get right up to your product and can touch it – don’t make them have to reach over anything.

2. From Anna - It’s okay to “double-face” your product. This means you can put the same product in two different places in your booth - a trick that helps you look like you are a bigger company with more product than you might actually be! And it gives you an opportunity to service more than one customer at a time.

What I would add to this is from the show management perspective:

3. Make sure that you display your company name and booth number so that buyers can see it – this is your “address” at the Show, and the way buyers will find you again once they walk away.

On sales:

1. From Mike – make a great first impression – Your booth is your company. Be positive, friendly and professional at all times. More on this - don’t sit down – instead stand and welcome your customers in for a look - all with a smile!

2. From Anna – give your elevator speech. An elevator speech is what you would say about your company or line in the length of an elevator ride. You include 4 things that you want the customer to remember – who, what, where and when. Anna included her own example. So nice of her to share!

What I would add to these two points is this:

3. Don’t forget to ask for the sale! Too many times I hear from exhibitors that they are so excited that stores are interested in what they have, that they forget to ask “would you like to start an order?”

The webinar covered so much more – with photos used as examples for booth display and selling. I can’t give it all away here, of course – those who participated paid for these great tips, after all!

Here are a few comments we received after the presentation:

“Even though 2009 will be our 5th show, we still found much of the information helpful and we have already been in contact with Mike. Please extend our thanks to Anna Griffin as well. Aside from being very entertaining and charming, we thought it was so thoughtful for her to share her insight and knowledge with the rest of us. We so greatly appreciate it and hope to be able to give back in the same way one day.” Lisa Chin Potash, PiPo Press - Booth # 2136”

“Good job... Content was helpful. Pictures were good. Looking forward to a great Show” Regina Goernemann, Designing Ducks – booth 1208

“The comments on various booth layouts helped me in (hopefully) improving upon my design from last year (though I will keep a significant part of the original appearance the same), I will hopefully make some good improvements.” Brigitte Thieme, BeeTeeWorld LLC – booth 1852


“Great information even for a seasoned exhibitor. Got my juices flowing for preparation for the upcoming Show.” Jan Sevadjian, Jan Sevadjian Designs, Booth 3426

We’re looking forward to a great Show, too! Whether you are a retailer or an exhibitor, please feel free to contact us here at any time with questions about the Show.
- Until next time – Kelly

Across the Pond - Spring Fair 2008

This industry is just so energizing, isn’t it? I recently attended Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, England. What a show! I love attending Spring Fair – for the networking, (with old friends and new), seeing the creativity in the industry “over there,” and hearing about business in general.

One of my first stops at the Show is always at the stand of Progressive Greetings. Progressive Greetings covers the National Stationery Show each year, and you’ve “met” the editor Jacquie Brown and the advertising director, Warren Lomax in Patti’s blog after attending the Henries this past fall in London. Now here, please also meet Angie Bryant, who is also with Progressive. She’s actually waving to everyone! She and I met several years ago (we thought it was probably 2003) when she last attended the NSS. She is a blast, and she loves this industry. (How can you not?)



Greeting cards are a huge part of the British culture, and Hall 3, which housed the greeting card section of the Fair had about 500 companies exhibiting – almost all of them showing greeting cards!

As it turns out, the British send more cards than those of us in the States. According to information on the UK’s Greeting Card Association website, the average number of greeting cards sent there is at 55 per person per year. In the US, according to our Greeting Card Association’s stats, the average US household purchases 30 greeting cards a year, and the average person receive 20 cards per year. Wonder what we’re doing with the extra 10? Saving them, perhaps, like me, for an unexpected occasion? (It’s always good to have a few baby, birthday – and sympathy – cards on hand).

One of my goals of attending Spring Fair was trend-spotting. I have to say, I think that both sides of the ocean are on the same page, mostly! Again, black design – like a black damask pattern over another color, or a silhouette look – was strong here. I saw some great examples of this at Nella and at the booth/stand of a new company called Over the Moon. (And I was over the moon about some of this company’s products – little thank you cards specific to any occasion!) I thought about getting the one about the cat for my cat sitter! See cards from Over the Moon below.



I also got to talk with David Faraday, the Director of hiPP., a gift wrap/packaging company, whom Patti and I met at Spring Fair last year. This company will be exhibiting at the National Stationery Show for the first time this May, and I’m so excited. They have great gift bags and packaging – some with beautiful flocking. Look at these blue bags, below. Who wouldn’t want to receive a gift in one of these bags!



At Roger LaBorde (they’ll be back in the NSS this year!) I saw so many beautifully layered color combinations. In their “First Press” line I especially liked the “salon floral” grouping which featured bright flowers in pink and raspberry and a greenish gold with black silhouetting. The colors were layered on top of one another – a very lush look.

I also talked with Sarah Watts, the business manager of Penny Kennedy. Sarah brought Penny Kennedy to the National Stationery Show last year with its own booth. This year, the line will be at the Show, with certain products being distributed by the Nelson Line and others by Calypso Cards. Of course, Sarah will be at the Show, and will be found hopping from booth to booth in support of both her distributors!

I asked Sarah if she’d seen a trend in what her buyers were ordering at the Show. She told me that their metallics are really strong sellers, and the blue with silver papers always do well.

I also talked with a new company showing letterpress products. In the whole hall there were only two companies with letterpress – a hard concept for those of us in the States, I know, but letterpress (a process only some 500 years old) has not caught on in the UK the same way it has in the States…yet! I should say that one of the two companies with letterpress was from the US. The other was this new British company, Blush Publishing. I’m hoping Blush will join our Show, but if not, I plan on checking in with the owner from time to time to see how he’s doing with getting the British to love letterpress the way we do here!

One of the nights I was in town, I had dinner with Eli Nelson, of the Nelson Line. Eli has been a distributor in the industry for 20 years – in fact, his first NSS was in 1988! Eli has a good eye and has a lot of great lines as a result! After dinner, we met up with the 2 sisters behind the company desertRose – Vicky and Sandra Daniel. They’ve been in business for a number of years, and most notably, they have this fantastic white design on color – for example, their winter berry design on blackberry colored paper or their holly brand design on platinum – this look is different and beautiful! Here’s a picture of the group of us (that’s Sandra, on the left, Eli, Vicky and me). I hope we’ll see them in NYC this May!



Finally, thanks to the good folks at TPS for hosting me as an attendee of Spring Fair this year. It’s always nice to see the industry in action! I can’t wait for our Show this May!

PS – Did you know that Mother’s Day is not in May in the UK? It precedes Easter there! This year, it will be on March 2. Who knew? If anyone reading this knows why the dates are different, I’d love to know!

Kelly

On the road again

It’s Show season! The winter markets are going strong, and our team is and will be out and about these next several weeks! I’ve already logged in my first winter trip of the season, and headed south. Attending Shows is one of the ways I get to spend time (even if just a few minutes) with the great people who exhibit in the National Stationery Show – or who want to exhibit in it; as well as talking with permanent showroom reps (invaluable!) and buyers. It’s also a great way to see trends.

Speaking of trends…what did I see? Still lots and lots of damask patterns out there, in all kinds of colors. Pinks and browns are still going strong. But I did notice a lot of black overlay looks. So take a color and then layer over it an intricate lacy, or tree branch, or flower, or bird pattern. Lots of this going on. One cool example was Wellspring’s Flipnotes. So far, we’ve seen these small metallic notepads in a single metallic color (pink, blue, a kind of gold, red…) but I just saw them with a black design on top, this is new, and you can’t even find it on the website. One of the reps in the showroom where Wellspring has a nice space told me they were selling like mad! There’s plenty of cards and stationery with this kind of look, and you’ll just have to wait to see it all at our Show. Believe me, it’s hot!

Another thing I saw a lot of was layered, or overlapping, colors. By this I mean that maybe there’s a red design with some orange layered color over color (not as distinct separates) and then one more time with a third color – a brown, or a deep green, or a blue. I felt like I’d not seen this kind of layering with a printed product before. I’m used to seeing it where the colors are next to each other, but not layered. Often the look used a branch and leaf motif. I think you’ll see lots of this in May. I wish I could show you an example!

I talked with a number of companies who have always been “green” –by nature of their product, or by diligence in design and printing processes – who were saying that now they are feeling the need to promote the fact that they are green, and always have been. Our collective growing concern about the warming of the planet has led to much discussion in our industries (lots others, too) about green products, and green manufacturing. In fact, there will be 2 seminars on this during the National Stationery Show in May. One for buyers, and one for exhibitors and other manufacturers. Stay tuned.

Of course, personalization is still going strong, and lots of companies are working hard to keep up with this strong trend. Anything with an initial or a name, or the ability to personalize seems to resonate.

I could go on and on! I am excited for my next trip – which is next week – out west, and then off to England to another show, and some trend-spotting. Patti is in Frankfurt right now visiting with customers and also trend-spotting there. Wonder what we’ll hear about that market! Can’t wait. Until next time…

- Kelly

The Show for us in Show Biz

There’s a trade show for everything, right? Well, I’ll bet you didn’t know that there is a trade show for trade show people. Yes, that’s right! Rooms filled with professionals from all over the world representing trade shows for everything from medical devices, air conditioning and plumbing, plastics, to…. well….you know… stationery!! We’re there to learn how to be better at what we do so that the results we deliver meet our customers’ needs.

Expo! Expo!, is produced by IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events). This year it was in Las Vegas.

I attended numerous educational programs. One of the most valuable was an all-day session on attendance promotion. I was reminded that no matter what kind of business – trade show management, rep, manufacturer, retailer – “if we build it” does not mean that “they will come.” (Recognize that “Field of Dreams” reference?) We have to be active, and creative to retain our customers!

We shared many of the promotional tools each of us uses to motivate attendance. The NSS direct mail includes postcard announcements, pre-show planners and, of course, badges. Our e-newsletter, PaperClips is circulated monthly, more frequently as we near the Show. We advertise in the leading trades -- Greetings, etc. Gifts & Dec, Scrapbook Retailer, Party & Paper Retailer, Giftware News, and Gift Shop and have a consistent publicity effort from October to May that produces news in print and online. I brought home a lot of neat “new media” ideas that I’m really excited about (stay tuned)!

At the exhibition part of Expo Expo, I am a buyer! I walk the floor to see vendors and suppliers to our business -- my only opportunity to meet new service providers and schmooze with the ones I know. And, they all do it up to let me know my value to their businesses. I received a lot of information from exhibitors before Expo! Expo! -- and I truly “felt the love!” It reminded me of what we tell our exhibitors: Buyers attend the Show to see you!! They want to know you want to see them, so invite them to your booth ahead of the Show. Do this by mail, phone, email, advertising – whatever works best for you.


Here I am with Jim Hamilton, the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Javits Center.

Jim and others from the Javits Center were at Expo! Expo! to promote the venue to other trade show organizers.

Other exhibitors in Expo! Expo! included contractors (like Freeman, the decorator for the NSS), companies who produce badges, and badge holders and others with lead retrieval systems, professional photographers, and more.

Here’s our friend Marty Bear of PMSI. He’s in the promotional items business.

As you can see, Marty works a lot in bags and badges!

All in all, it was a great experience. I came away with some great ideas that we’ll put in place for our Show. And it certainly is fun. I hope you love your work the way I love mine!

- Kelly

My experience at the Greeting Card Association Convention

Each fall, I attend the GCA’s annual convention. This year, was the 66th Annual Convention (yes, it is pretty well-established) and the theme was “Mapping Our Future,” using a Highway 66 sign as the logo for the event. Carlos Llanso of Legacy Publishing was the chairman of the Convention this year, and he did a great job.

I love going to the Convention every year, because it is a great chance for me to spend quality time with NSS exhibitors and suppliers in the industry. I also don’t mind that the Convention is always held at a nice hotel or resort. This year, the Convention was held in Naples, FL at the Naples Grande Resort and Club the second week of October, at a time when it was just getting chilly here in the NYC area.

But, as I said, the true highlight of the event is spending time with some of the great people in this industry. A welcome reception kicks off the event, with lots of hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. It also is a time when people are scrambling to meet each other and get their signatures! A few years back, a GCA member came up with this great idea of facilitating attendees chatting with each other. We all get a signature sheet (really 3 pages, front and back) that includes the names of all speakers and attendees. As there were more than 100 attendees, this was quite a challenge! Everyone gets pretty “into it” as there is fake money to be won here – this year, Frenchies- named for outgoing GCA president, Don French, of Paper Magic.

As you can see, Don has a good sense of humor!

The money is used on the last night to bid for great prizes in the live & silent auctions – fun!! The real point, though, is to talk to folks, and this little signature thing really works! The reception is lively, people get to meet each other on the first night, and they have a reason to introduce themselves to each other! I love it!


Here’s Rick Ruffner and Chip Owen from Avanti, on the second night, after getting back from a dinner cruise in the gulf:


And here’s David Hutchison of BrightMARKS with his wife Connie (love her!) in the hotel bar’s lounge area after the cruise:



Of course, the program also features a good number of presentations and committee meetings. This year’s line-up was stellar, and the highlights for me were Ed Tate, a professional speaker who inspired the group reminding us to say “yes” to our potential; and Mary B. Lucas, who talked about succeeding in the people business. Mary wrote a book of lessons she learned from her dad, things that helped her in her business. Her dad owned a butcher shop, and so the book is aptly called “Lunchmeat and Life Lessons.” My favorite lesson is “look for the like”; that is, look for something that you like in every person (in Mary’s case it was a tough client). Not that I have any tough clients, of course!! Hallmark sponsored Mary’s presentation, and even bought each and every attendee Mary’s book. Thank you! I’ve shared it with Patti, and will pass it around to the rest of the team members when she is done. Two other speakers I enjoyed were Sue Buchta from American Greetings, and Margaret Walch from the Color Association of the United States.

There are other get-togethers throughout the event, and some down-time, which I enjoyed with Dorene VanHouten, publisher of Greetings etc.

Here’s Dorene with Susan January of Leanin’ Tree:



Some of the people I got to know better during the Convention included Nicky Burton, from Calypso Cards (who’s exhibited in the NSS since 2000, but this was my first chance to really get to know her – she’s great – and has led an interesting life!); Sheila O’Hara from Avanti (so involved in her community); and I always make sure to talk with Richard Evans from Birchcraft and his wife Catherine, as well as Tom and Cyndee Otto from Exclusive Bordering/Harry Otto Printing. These are all fun and accomplished people – it’s work, but it doesn’t’ feel like it!

Here’s Catherine, Cyndee and Tom:



The final night features a dinner dance, but only after the auction, led so very well by Mark Vando of National Envelope and his lovely wife, Yolanda. Here’s Mark with Jack Withiam, executive vice president and general counsel here at GLM and also a GCA Board member:



Mike Oleskow of Max & Lucy has been attending the GCA Convention since 1999 (he’s a great dance partner, btw) and here he is with Jodee Stevens, of Cardthartic, who attended the Convention for her first time this year.


Okay, I know this one is really scary, but here is April Durrett, of B. Shackman wearing her auction prize, a fantastic mask from the Paper Magic Group.


Pretty great, right? I wonder if she scared any Trick–or-Treaters at her house last night. I would probably turn around and run! But April is much better looking than this! Here she is with her mother-in-law, Johanna:


See, much better!


If you are a greeting card publisher, or a supplier to the industry, and you haven’t attended the GCA Convention, you might consider it for next year. The event is a lot of learning, sharing and fun. And, because this is the greeting card industry, after all, you will find every attendee more than welcoming, happy to see you, and interested in what you do! For more information, visit the GCA’s website.

Hey, and this is not supposed to be a plug! But truthfully, as a person working in the greeting card industry (even if it is from the show end) I really believe in the Association and in the value of attending this Convention, and I thought I’d share some of my highlights with you!

- Kelly