Trade Show Talk

Spring is trade show time, so I thought I'd write a few tips for first time attendees. Attending shows is an expensive proposition, so you don't want to waste any money. the first thing you should do is pick which shows are the best fit for you. for example, if your dream is to do greeting cards, you would probably want to go to the National Stationery show in New York. So here is a list of shows (I might have missed some, as there are conferences for just about every niche you can think of).

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1. Atlanta Gift Show, January, Atlanta, GA : this is my personal favorite show. It is held in the Merchandise Mart and it is huge! The show covers most of the three buildings that comprise the Mart. There is a license and design section where artists can have a booth to show their work, although this is new and hasn't quite reached its potential yet. The manufacturors there represent anything you might find in a gift shop: Cards, figurines, garden ware, tableware, gift wrap, etc. There is also a summer show, which is in July this year. It is a bit smaller, but still good.

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2. Craft and Hobby Association Winter show, January, California (I'm not being specific on location here, because this year it was in Anaheim, but next year I think it will be in L.A.): CHA is geared towards all aspects of crafting and hobbies, so you will find fabric, scrapbooking, stickers, stitchcraft, puzzles, paint-by-numbers and just about everything else you'd see in a store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. Attendees are mostly craft shop owners. There is a license and design section where you can have a booth, and one of the nice things is that the organizers bring in art directors (from all categories)especially to attend the licensing section. There is also a summer show, in July in Chicago. It is quite a bit smaller, and does not have the licensing section.

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3. Toy Fair, February, New York: Okay, so February in New York is not the ideal time for a show, but if you are interested in this category, the show is huge. This is geared to anything you might find in a toy shop, so potential licensees are puzzle manufacturors, craft kits, stickers, paint-by-numbers, etc, in addition to toys.

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4. Surtex, May, New York: Surtex stands for Surface and Textile Design. This is one of the biggest shows of the year, and runs at the same time as the National Stationery Show, in the same building. It is huge. Surtex has agents' and individual artist's booths, where clients browse to look for licensable art. The Stationery Show has manufacturors of all stationery products: cards, gift wrap and bags, journals, partyware, all paper products. This is a huge show for artists and clients to connect. However, it is also the most expensive as far as booth space, and attendence has been down the last couple of years.

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5. International Licensing Expo, June, Las Vegas. This will be my first year attending this show (and I really don't like Vegas much, but I will suffer for my career, I suppose!). This show is heavily weighted towards character licensing, although the other categories are growing here. Many artists and their agents have booths here (in addition to all the manufacturors' booths), and the attendees are both shopowners and manufacturors.

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The most important thing to remember if you attend the shows (walking the show rather than having a booth), is that for the exhibitors, this is probably their biggest expense of the year. Wandering around with a portfolio hoping to snag someone's attention is really frowned upon at Surtex (and may result in you being asked to leave). At the other shows, make an appointment to speak to the manufacturors first, and you can bring some work to show, but never interrupt anyone when they are talking to someone else. The prime reason for all the exhibitors being there is to make money. If you see someone who is alone, you can chat for a moment and leave a business card, but excuse yourself right away if a customer comes up. The most important reason to walk the show is to get a feel of the marketplace, see what is out there and how you might fit in, and gather information to follow up on later. Shows are extremely stimulating and exciting, and I know I have gotten overwhelmed by them, but as long as you bring comfy shoes you are in for a great experience.