May 31, 2012
May 27, 2012
I wanted to share the details of my booth design for the National Stationery Show! When I was planning to exhibit for the first year, I found other stationery companies' blogs with similar posts be extremely informative and helpful, and I wanted to do the same for anyone out there thinking of jumping down the tradeshow rabbit hole.
The Walls
Since this was my first year to exhibit, I wanted to keep things simple, while still doing my best to show off my designs. I had Manny Stone do white foam core walls, and then used velcro dots to adhere the cards to the wall. The genius to leveling all of the cards and keeping things straight - tape measure washi tape! This was probably my best pre-show purchase. It made lining up the cards beyond easy. I didn't have to worry about making marks on the walls or the top layer of the walls peeling off. (See similar here.)
My favorite part of the booth was the hand drawn walls. I actually hadn't originally planned to do this. Given that all of my designs are hand drawn, I thought it would be both eye-catching and a great talking point to have large-scale hand drawn flowers along the walls. We ran out and got thick permanent markers, I sketched a rough design on a sheet of paper, and then went to town on the walls. There was no turning back once I started!
Lighting
I purchased clamp lamps from Home Depot. I had heard from many past exhibitors that lighting is one of the most important features of your booth, and I wanted to make sure that my designs were well lit. Each lamp was 60 watts, and the combined light from 8 lamps proved to be perfect. Being under the lower ceilings of the Javits helped keep things on the brighter side, too.
Flooring
For flooring, I used interlocking foam tiles. Armed with a generous discount code, I was able to purchase the tiles for a great price. They proved to be very comfortable to stand on all day and I even had retail buyers remark about how nice the floor felt!
Signage
I originally had a vinyl decal of my company name and tagline that I intended to place on the back wall, but I got freaked out that would completely ruin it since each tiny letter was a separate piece. I ended up using a canvas sign that I had also printed. I did end up using vinyl decals for my booth numbers. Next year, I definitely want to have a better/cooler sign made.
Furniture and Accessories
Since I live far from NYC and wasn't shipping a pallet of goods, I needed to keep the furniture simple and as inexpensive as possible. I rented a small table from Freeman and had a fabric runner/topper made with my paisley print. I used a flame-retardant full-length tablecloth beneath it. Hidden under the table were storage cubes holding all of the supplies I needed during the day. Next year, I think I'd want something a little more accessible, as I found myself fishing under the table a lot. We picked up two wooden bar stools at a nearby department store to perch on during the day.
On the table, I displayed some boxed sets of cards and some singles so buyers could see how items were packaged. I also had a sign with details about my products (pricing, minimums, show special, etc.). I was a little worried about putting all of that out there, but buyers seemed to appreciate it. I also had business cards, extras of my pre-show mailer postcard, and my catalog. One of the best things I did was to putting all of my cards on large key rings. I found that buyers really liked to flip through them so they could touch the cards, look at designs up close, find their favorites, etc.
I was really pleased with how the booth turned out. I received many compliments that the design was fresh, bright, and appealing. I was also very lucky to avoid any major disasters or errors (I've heard some crazy stories of leaking and walls falling). And, of course, I'm already thinking of plans for next year's booth design!
May 12, 2012
We're busy bees running lots of last minute errands for the Stationery Show and packing everything up! With so many new designs debuting at NSS, we spent a lot of time photography products. Here's a few close up shots!
May 06, 2012
We were so thrilled to see Happy Cactus Designs mentioned in the Spring 2012 issue of Stationery Trends, the leading trade magazine for the industry. This is the pre-NSS issue that many retailers receive and read in the weeks leading up to the show. Happy Cactus was highlighted as one of thirteen first-time exhibitors that "merit a visit, since their wares are typically distinguished by their fresh approaches." You can check out the "Budding Pinks" patterned note card featured in the magazine here.
May 05, 2012
It’s hard to believe The National Stationery Show is merely days away! Happy Cactus Designs officially launched in September 2011, and our sights have been set on exhibiting at NSS ever since. Preparing for the show is not for the faint of heart. Here’s a brief breakdown of some of what has gone into preparing for the show.
Designs
Since
Happy Cactus launched last year, it was pretty clear which of our
designs were the bestsellers and really represented the brand well
(including Garden Blues, Happy Birthday Blue Blooms, Welcome Baby
Elephants, Budding Pinks, and Heart Drops). That said, I was eager to
build out the collection. Over 70 designs will be making their debut at
NSS this year, including a bevy of new patterned and thank you cards,
colorful designs for special occasions (think Mother’s and Father’s Day, Congratulations, Christmas, Hanukkah), and even more Birthday and Baby cards.
Booth
Perhaps
the most ambitious part about exhibiting at NSS is pulling together a
booth design. Since Happy Cactus Designs’ work is so colorful and
pattern-driven, the choice was made to keep our booth clean and simple.
I’ll share a full breakdown of the different aspects of the booth (and
photos!) post-NSS.
Networking
One
thing I did not expect when I launched this company was the number of
wonderful stationery designers, store owners, and consultants to the
industry that I would have the pleasure of getting to know. Everyone has
been so supportive, welcoming, and encouraging of one another, and I
cannot wait to meet my new friends in person!
A
lot of this “getting to know you” has taken place on Twitter and
Facebook. It’s awesome to have a sounding board to bounce ideas off of,
to ask stupid questions, and to support. A huge component of this has
been Tradeshow Bootcamp, founded by Kelp Designs’ Katie Hunt. Katie
created TSBC as a resource for newbies like myself to learn the ropes,
and has done as amazing job pulling together NSS veterans to guide us
through the process.
Marketing
While
I wish I could spend all day doodling, designing, and creating new
products, I end up spending a lot of my days wearing different hats.
While you may think just having a booth at NSS is enough, a lot of prep
goes into the before and after, and I’ve been wearing my marketing “hat”
a lot lately. Pre-show postcards announcing my company’s debut, booth
number, and show special were designed and sent to a carefully curated
list of wonderful stores across the country. The Happy Cactus Designs’
website underwent a revamp and I’m thrilled with the end product. New
business cards were created, too.
Perhaps the most ambitious undertaking was creating and designing a catalog of my entire collection. This included taking styled product photography, learning an entirely new program to design and layout my catalog, and figuring out the details of printing the darn thing. Fortunately, the catalog turned out beautifully (you can flip through it digitally here), and I can’t wait to share it with retailers!