Anyone going to the BMAC in Philly?

[lucidvisions]

Just wondering if anyone is an exhibitor or if anyone is going to attend? If you haven't gone before and are in the area you should try and go. It really opened our eyes to the wholesale marketplace, and you get to see some greaqt art. If you do go come say hi to us at booth #4431.

Josh

[jahglass]

I went last year to check out what was going on, pretty overwhelming to say the least. Lot of great work. I couldn't even find your booth in that maze... I was thinking about doing the visiting artist program this year. Is it worth the $200? Id love to hear from someone who has attended. Matt

[dogmaw]

I'd love to, I just can't afford the travel and the hotel and the sessions I'd like to attend. :(

[UmaJulz]

I'd like to check it out, especially the Visiting Artist program. Just a matter of time and money.

[lucidvisions]

Jah, we didn't have a booth last year, so your eyes are still good. I'd say the visiting artist program was ok. We did it last year and attended most of the seminars. They were hit or miss. Bruce Baker is worth it for marketing and all round advice on selling handmade art. The portfolio review is also a plus. We had a great time checking out all the wares and got to meet some lampers and blowers that we'd admired for years. Philly is definately a fun city. But this year it's all about work....

Josh

[Racer X]

I got offered a booth this year but there is no way Milissa or I could come up with enough goods to make in time. And realisticaly, I have no clue what I would want to make for a show like that... wish I could check it out though.

[slinger]

hey josh, y'all gonna come bowling again this year? :)

[lucidvisions]

Slinger, bowling for sure! We'll get in about two days early, so I think we can play for a day. I e-mailed Josh and he's down. You should definately make an appearence at the show if you can too.

Josh

[Groundjoints.com]

When is it? I'd be happy to offer some USTpitality to any glass artists visiting philly.

[J Howard]

i think i'm doing it. at least i've been offered a booth. now i have to pay for it . ouch! wish me luck.

[lucidvisions]

It's Feb 15th - 18th. Craven, congrats on the Niche Award nomination, hopt to see ya there.

Josh

[Steve Sizelove]

I'll be there. This will be my second BMAC.

It'll be good to see you guys. However, I am concerned if they are actively seeking exhibitors at such a late stage. I hope that doesn't mean that artists are not returning due to poor sales. I think that I'm going to make a call today to see what I can find out. Probably not much.....

By the way, congrats to Nate and Craven for being Niche finalists!

[lucidvisions]

Congrats to you also Steve! Steve I don't know what your opinion is but I think the show is in need of new blood. Maybe the galleries are just seeing the same old thing every year. I personally thought that most of the work I had seen before. Don't get me wrong though, there was some great work there also. But alot of the work seemed rehashed. I think there are many lampers out there that could do well exposing themselves in this marketplace and I think it would help fresh'n up the work being shown at shows like this. I know of some galleries that say it's the same artists there every year and their additions to their production line are minimal. Of course it's a big investment for galleries and artists alike and that's whats got me concerned also.


Josh

[J Howard]

i don't think they're actively seeking new artists.... the glass and ceramics director has been asking me for a little while, especially after i applied to NICHE. the 2000$ price tag has kept me at bay for a while. i'm sure it's worth it eventually, but it's still 2Gs i have to come up with

jason


hope this works out and i get to see you guys down there

[skip]

I'd bet money their attendance is down a lot. Every show I have applied for so far this season has had openings. Attendance was down at most of them as well.

2 g's to be in a sea of glass artists is a big gamble IMO. The economy is a joke right now.

[lucidvisions]

2Gs? Humph! I wish that was all I spent. Then I would have some nails left.

Josh

[J Howard]

the economy may suck, but rich people are still rich.... and that's who's still buying. shoot the moon. i'm having better luck with higher end stuff.

[vetropod]

They are definitely seeking new artists. I was solicited for this via email and asked around to a couple of folks whom I know that do a lot of shows - attendance has been down so they are seeking fresh blood. I would love to have done it, but it is absolutely not financially feasible for me at this time.

:o:

[lucidvisions]

When we come back, I'll be sure and post some percentages in relation to monies spent vs orders that can hopefully help others decide if it's something they could or want to do. Of course most of our expenses ended up in the booth, display products, and the four weeks of work we're doing for it, which is money we won't have to spend again as long as we treat out stuff with care. The expenses that will reoccur will be; booth fee, travel, food, lodging, storage and promotion. We really think it's a gamble for any show but hopefully it's a gamble that pays off.

Josh

[vetropod]

Josh - that would be really great, thanks! I would love to have done the show, but I just couldn't justify all of the expenses when I had no idea what kind of income the show could generate for me.

[Robert Mickelsen]

I am concerned if they are actively seeking exhibitors at such a late stage. I hope that doesn't mean that artists are not returning due to poor sales.
My thoughts exactly. Only a few years ago the demand for getting into this show was so high that they would insist that new applicants do their summer show (which sucked even in good years) before they would even be considered for the winter show. The wholesale craft market continues to slide downhill so proceed with extreme caution. Cut expenses in every way you can think of. This show costs dearly to do.

RAM

[skip]

Those are words of wisdom from a true veteran.

[J Howard]

ok, after all the dismal sentiments, i sent in the final payment, i'm campin out at a friends house, and i'm ready to crash and burn!

[vetropod]

ok, after all the dismal sentiments, i sent in the final payment, i'm campin out at a friends house, and i'm ready to crash and burn!

Good luck!!!

[lucidvisions]

Yes, Good Luck!

Josh

[UmaJulz]

Good Luck indeed!

I guess if I were to go, I'd be looking, asking, and taking a lot of notes. Shaky economy makes investing in this level of venue quite scary.

[Frrrit]

I'll be there, done this show for years. I heard that they are increasing the number of exhibitors this year, could be because the Baltimore show has become a wasteland and peeps are leaving that show this year.

[barefoot stash]

Where are y'all staying? I still have to book a hotel. Anyone have room for four (two beds) , floor space, etc???

[J Howard]

hey dave

we're in the downtown marriot for the first 2 days, and a friends for the 2nd 2. i thought being close and being able to walk through a concourse to the show would be nice in the beginning.

priceline worked great last time i used it. this time i booked through rosen, b ut the deadlines' past

look me up!

[barefoot stash]

Will do Jason! I'm sure we'll be able to squeeze in somewhere. If I bring my herbie up, will you have room to bring it home with you, and mabye take a look at it? We're in booth 5021 I'm sure we'll all be slammed, but I'll try to duck out for a bit hunt down some fellow artists.

[barefoot stash]

Hey if anyone is still looking for a place to stay, I just scored a room on Priceline for $75 at the Hoilday Inn Downtown (.5 miles from the CC). I talked to the front desk and there are plenty of rooms available.

[lucidvisions]

Cool to see that other's here are going. We'll be there early Monday before the show, way too early...don't ask. But it would be cool to all get together and have a couple,...ok four, drinks. We'll be in booth 4431, stop by it'd be great to meet you all. Pm me for our cell phone # to get in contact with us.

Josh

[Racer X]

Cravyn is going to offer gay-dog walking services again. He usualy banks off of that service when he goes to the shity of brotherly love.

[J Howard]

rex's dog wears a bandana.

[skip]

How was the show?

[Kool]

I think it just started today. One of my friends does this show twice a year and I know he doesn't get back until Tuesday night.

[skip]

Damn I thought it was over already.

I am very interested in the turnout and especially the boro sales.

[Kool]

I know he feels like it's been a long term investment for him. The first show was rough, the second better. He said that it wasn't until his 4th or 5th show there that it really started to pay off. Now he gets enough orders to keep him busy the entire 6 months until the next show without having to find any other business. He's all boro stuff.

[barefoot stash]

Wow, what a great experiance!! We did better than we thought we would this being our rookie show. It was definietly a differnt world from the retail shows we are used to doing. Everyone was very nice though and all the other artists were extremely helpfull. It's the big leagues, we had Milon to one side and Bandhu down the other way. I learned more in one weekend than I have in years. Milon even came by the booth and gave us pointers (and props) on our work and suggestions on what we could do to make it sell better. Sales at the show on a whole seemed to be down from what others were saying, however it was still very much worth doing. We will definitely be doing this show for years to come.

Mad props to Lucid Visons for their kick ass work/booth setup. Those boys went all out, and it worked! Also, congrats to Nate for scooping up the Niche Award!

Jason, take care of that Herbie, I can't wait to try it out all tuned up!

[susheke]

You have to think long term when it comes to wholesale. Picking up an account means the possibility of sales for years. I stopped doing BMAC and wholesale for another medium 3 years ago. I just closed my last account a month or so ago. I have been getting reorders from when I picked them up 6 years ago. That account alone made the single show I snagged them from worth doing. So when you walk away from a show with only 5 or so accounts, just remember they each have the potential to pay that show's cost ten-fold.

My advice for doing shows like BMAC is make sure you plan 5 years to make wholesale work. Otherwise you could very well be wasting your time and money.

[lucidvisions]

Hey all, it was great to meet all the peeps up there in Philly. A special shout out to Zen glass (thanks Candice for helping us break down!), Philly Glass Works for they're hospitality (congrats Nate on the Niche Award!), Bandu, Milon, Shiloh, Justin and all the other talented artists we met. It was truly a blast, but a true trial by fire. We went in betting our whole shop...literally. It was either come back and work at Taco Bell, or get to work on the torch. We ended up not having to fill out the apps for the Bell, thank God!

All in all I heard that buyer attendance was about one third of what it usually is. All galleries we talked to were very concerned on the economy and it's impact on clients and their purchases. But to our benefit they thought we'd do well in their gallery. We had an excellent show and are now pretty booked up until the next show in the summer.

I think the the show was definately under attended by buyers. But I also think that the buyers are looking for new work and new artists. They've been seeing most of the same artists and the same prodo stuff for years now I believe. They probably don't do much searching on the web to find their artists, and rely maybe on word of mouth and the few American Craft shows that exist to find new work. I believe also that the expenses and shear STRESS of doing the show scares many artists away from the process. I was truly shocked to see how our crate and most other's were handled. All with little or no respect from the union workers with fork lifts. I saw forklift holes through crates, saw crates dropped, saw crates being used to push other crates into booths, crate stacked upon cardboard topped pallets, ect, etc. Complete chaos. To their credit they do have a shit load to move in and out in only one and a half days. Then four days later break the whole thing down in 9 hours. CRAZY! I really know now why you build or buy the best crate available. Most said their crates lasted about 5 shows until they were unusable. We must have been a little naive, (yes I'll admit it) to think the union guys would deliver them on pillows with a polite British accent. Luckily most of our items were delivered with little or no damage.

In the next few weeks we'll post a more complete list of our experiences, expenses, lessons learned, and what we thought of the overall show for those who might be considering doing a large wholesale show to hopefully help those who might need it. Also we welcome any questions that you may have that we don't cover and we'll give our 2 cents. Please if you did the show, add your experiences as well. I think this could be a very helpful thread to help us all make that next step if it's thats where we're headed.

Josh

[jusbag]

Can I nominate this for most informative thread of the year? Thank you for sharing your experiences!

[Snurf]

yes!! thank you for the info....

[J Howard]

i'll add my nickel:


i'd say our first time was a success as well. we broke even the first day, with similar sales afterwards. i heard multiple times that this one was one of, if not THE, slowest BMAC show of all times, but i didn't hear of anyone tanking it. only up from here right!? some did down right great (including Lucid Visions- you guys killed it for boro!) some did ok. the new peeps seemed to fair well in comparison. i'll second the statement where it seemed like galleries were definitely looking for new and different stuff... so go for broke on the experiments. i can say that price points are key unless you have something absolutely killer, so keep it affordable until things out there pick up. that said, the really high end stuff still sells too... just not the medium range it seems. i look forward to next year when i can bring everything... this year was just a taste as it all had to fit in a subaru.

a little background info so you can understand the lead up to our experience. this show felt like the ultimate get'r done project for me. just dial in your line and get it all done in 6 weeks and hope for the best. last year i did 5 retail shows and 4 gallery shows. the retail shows were my first. i've always done medium end gallery shows and pipes for production in the past. kind of a polar opposite mix, but i'm sick of the pipe thing (for now) so this past year has been about making the switch to something a little more regular, or at least different for money. i used the craft shows to test out prices and try out the new wholesale work, as well as get the feel of dragging around and dealing with a booth set up and learning where it needed a tweek. i definitely feel like they were a good move, so do a few of them first if you can. it's helpful to have real selling experience with your own product, as it helps you sell it on a larger scale to the gallery owners later. if not, i think it'd be alot harder to be successful your first time there, as you need some sort of semblance of professionalism to get the buyers to bite. when they do bite, it's really nice taking big orders from someone you've never sold to in a town you've never been to. use the craft shows to see how much you can really sell stuff for. if you're going to make lots of stuff, at least get the price right!

I also volunteered at the BMAC summer show in 2002 to see what it was like... that was definitely a GREAT move because the first booth i designed had BMAC in mind from the get go, so i've always had a decent booth, and i knew what to expect from the show ahead of time. i felt as prepared as i could have been for the time i gave myself. i'd still change a few things (like bringing work up to the edge of the booth to entice the walkers by). i wasn't really planning on going to this show until december... i think i was planning on starting with the summer show first (like they like you to do) but i was basically told that by being a NICHE finalist i was a shoe in for a booth, so i went right for the 2 year winter contract. in the end, i only brought 4 wholesale items (plus gallery pieces for the professional booth look): ornaments, drawer pulls, hanging dragonflies, and stemware. Stemware is really hard to sell, but it's really challenging to make so i can't resist. luckily, it went really well, so i'll have some more actual orders to practice on. the ornaments fly cause they're cheap. galleries like low price points during recessions.

next year i'll add more lighting to my booth. 500 watts was not enough (but that's a common limit for craft shows unless you want to drop another 75$ for an additional 500 watts). i'm working on getting a trailer- lugging all this stuff around is a bitch. i'd definitely spend some time on making better crates- things that are easy to stack and load- a home for everything. the tear down for this show is intense... anything that makes that part easier and getting out of there is a good thing... the actual selling part was easy, if not fun. wholesale selling is great too because you don't have to box and wrap everything... just bring a calendar and try and space them out.

thanks to all the boro peeps for representing. it was a good experience on many levels

[slinger]

yo yeah it was fun to walk thru and see what was up, last fall i walked thru the november show with RAM, and this one was better IMO, more younger artists, and artsier stuff..... was cool to catch up with Jason, and meet Steve Sizelove for the first time, also i finally got to meet Kevin O'Grady, and even asked Milon if he would be down to do an interview for my documentary, and he said "yes", so plan on setting that up this spring.... really i have no info on wholsesale craft to share, i just wanted to holla @ Jason and Josh and Lance, congrats on a good show, see y'all in philly next time...

oh and BIG UPS to my man Nate Purcell and his Niche award!!!

[J Howard]

yeah, word on the niche award nate..... i like that i "lost" to a bong. that actually made my day . nice sneakin that one in there


and big ups to philly in general. i think half the fun of this show is just the fact that it's in philly. everyone's chill, the place has a soul, the food's good, and it's so accessible to country kids like me

[Mac Maestro]

Thanks for sharing the experience guys. This is valuable stuff to me and others.


Got any pics? :)



In the next few weeks we'll post a more complete list of our experiences, expenses, lessons learned, and what we thought of the overall show for those who might be considering doing a large wholesale show to hopefully help those who might need it. Also we welcome any questions that you may have that we don't cover and we'll give our 2 cents.


Looking forward to that. I'm curious about crates and set up amongst other things...

[skip]

Good to hear sales were good. Acre should be decent then I would imagine.

[barefoot stash]

Unless you are trekking in from the other side of the country, I wouldn't reccommed crateing/shipping your stuff. Just seems like more of a hastle than it is worth for a few reasons. First and foremost they are treated horribly. As Josh mentioned before, they get stabbed, flipped, dented, dropped, rolled etc... To the laborers credit, most seemd like really nice respectfull people. They just have to load in/out a ton of stuff in very little time through some tight spaces. Second, it's not cheap! Even freight shipping is spendy when you don't have to do it. Thirdly, it's a wholesale show, so you don't have to bring a ton of backstock.
You are better off desiging a booth that can pack down into your vehicle. Being Zen Glass, our's has more of a asian feel and I desgined out walls to look like soji screens. I saw a great looking booth constructed from copper tubing that packed down into a bag the size of an ez-up.
One important lesson I learned was that you need to get your product right infront of the buyers. They are on overload mode when walking the isles and you need to make it easy for them to see your stuff. We even changed out set-up after the first day and moved our display right up to the carpet. I then did most of my sales in the isle it's self (just be sure to have it pushed back by 3pm on the last day!) Our sales improved drasticlly the second day. Another benefit to this setup was that we could keep all of our boxes and packing stuff in the booth and didn't have to wait for them to bring it out of storage. That made the difference of getting out of there around eight instead of midnight. If you are planning to do Baltimore, this would be a absolute must if you want to stand of a chance of getting there on time to avoid the fine.
If you have never been to one of these large wholesale shows, I would recommend do one of the visiting artist/mentor programs. Or maybe sneek in by helping out one of the artists here. We got two extra assisant badges with our booth and could sign up for like five guest passes at 15 bucks a piece. There is so much to take in I would bring a notebook and talk to as many people as you can. I met artists that have been doing the show for 30 years. Everyone was very helpfull and willing to help out a rookie. From set-up to sales techniques, this show was a 180 from the retail I'm used to . I would list this show right up there with the GAS confrence, AGI, etc as far as a learning experiance to further my art career.

[Steve Sizelove]

It was great seeing/meeting everybody! Nate totally deserved the Niche Award for flameworking. His piece was great!

Glad to hear that everyone had a good show! I'll write more about some of my thoughts a bit later. I'm out of it right now... Unfortunately, I got the flu almost as soon as I got home. Sucky.

Here is a pic of my booth...

10869

[colonel4bin]

Wow this is a great thread, I'm getting ready to do ACRE this spring, not as big or established as the BMAC, but it's building, we really needed a show out west!

Any of you want to share some booth photos? I've been killing myself trying to figure out how to set up my both the best way? I was thinking something like steve's with some pedestals and what not. Lots of good info here....Thanks guys!!

[Spider]

Steve - your booth & glasswork are really nice. I get exhausted thinking about all that packing up & whatnot. Tradeshows made me grey a long time ago.

Thanks to all who posted info about this show.
Spider

Hey Misha - I just noticed my library badge - I need to get back to the library - when I'm not shoveling sooo much snow. I want the sun!

[vetropod]

Here is a pic of my booth...

Hey Steve - what's that John-Kuhn-looking cube on a corner in the front of your booth? Some weird kind of goblet display???

[colonel4bin]

I was wondering that too wes, looks interesting!

[Steve Sizelove]

I had three new pieces that are painted steel shadow boxes for small vessels. In the back of the shadow boxes are populated computer circuit boards. It was a lot of fun to take the work that I'm doing and show it in a different context. They have a really great contrast between the circuit boards and the classic lines of the vessels. The effort was definitely toward the sculptural.... For the most part, I like the outcome, but I look forward to these pieces evolving. There's a whole lot to explore....

For what it's worth, the BMAC was not the right place for me to sell these pieces. I did, however, get some great critique.

As soon as I figure out how to photo them, I'll post some pics....

[vetropod]

As soon as I figure out how to photo them, I'll post some pics....

That would be great - I'm always excited to see some new concepts...

[J Howard]

For what it's worth, the BMAC was not the right place for me to sell these pieces. I did, however, get some great critique.

As soon as I figure out how to photo them, I'll post some pics....


hey steve,


did you find that having some of the "unsellable" work with you helped your other sales? i mean anything concrete, or just a gut feeling"

i can't really tell, though they come in and look



hope things are fairing better now

j

[Steve Sizelove]

The new pieces didn't generate any sales, but they did get the attention of a few people that might not have otherwise noticed my work. Buzz and energy can never hurt sales....

Mostly, the pieces were for me. The BMAC tested the water.

Now it's time to plan for August. From what I hear, I should think of the holiday market.

[susheke]

I call that Booth Bait. It grabs interest, often starts a conversation and puts you up higher in the "what an artist" category. Well worth showcasing a piece that makes you shine. In additon, anyone who orders has a great story to tell when selling your work.

[lucidvisions]

Booth bait as you're putting it, is a definate must. Steve did a great job with that, the "Computer" pieces we're very conceptual and they were the first to catch my eye. I can't wait to see where you're going with them.
Our booth bait was the florals we do and we devoted half of our booth space to them. We were going to do a full page ad instead of bringing them to the show, but the price was pretty much the same for the extended space for the booth to display them in and we felt that the real thing had so much more of an impact than a print ad. It really paid off. We expected no sales whatsoever from them as their price points at wholesale were very high for the BMAC show in my opinion. I was proven wrong though, which was great, in the first ten miutes of the first day we sold five of the ten arrangments. I was floored. I truthfully believe that they also helped in showing our range and where we were headed as artists. I believe that they helped sell our ornamentals and sculptures very well because it showed we were well rounded and possesed skills and goals past the normal production items. I hope they saw that as a studio we had a future vision and galleries I think want to support that. It also shows the gallerys that they're investing in progression of the artist and studio and that we won't be stagnate. Helping show this makes them trust that you'll be around for awhile and that they can count on you to be constantly evolving with your work hopefully leading to better $ for the gallery.

One point that I thought of while typing this was what we noticed in regards to "selling yourself and your work". We saw artists talking on cells, walking away from there booth for long periods of time, sitting down, and overselling. All big no's in my opinion when everything counts. We saw a lot of artists approaching gallery reps before they even stepped into their booth, giving them literature, offering up why their pieces were "special", what sold the best, ect.. They acted as if they were selling a used car.
The Gallery owners are there to buy.
They know what they want.
They know what sells in their gallery and demographic location.
They are not browsing, they have spent money to get to the show and they are there to buy.
Most are in a hurry, and do not want more paper products (catalogs,line sheets, postcards and business cards) to lug around all day.

Ok so my point is, as an artist, that you shouldn't have to do much selling. If you're confident in your work, you've displayed it properly, your literature is out in the open if the buyer wants it and you just chill. Outside the booth. Acknowledge every buyer that enters your booth with "If I can answer any questions, please let me know." Then leave them alone. Do not hover. Watch for them to make eye contact with you and that's usually your "in". Now they will usually be ready to just place an order or want more info. Now is the time to explain why your work is special and sellable, why they need it in a sense. Tell a story behind the pieces that spark their interest. Do not over do this however, let them lead you into giving out more info. If they say thank you and leave, they'll probably be back. Most buyers would scope the whole show the first and second days and very quickly, taking info on artists that stood out to them. They take that night to look over the literature and make their decisions and return the next days to order. Point is, at the wholesale shows I think it's a world or difference between doing retail. Retail is hard, most people goin to those shows are there to browse, and maybe make a impulse buy if something is there they just can't live without. The buyers are a bit more fickle, and be proactive to sell your work is very important. Wholesale is also hard, but I believe the buyers are there to BUY. They know what they what and how exactly it will fit with the feel of there gallery. All you have to do is sit back, wait for contact and most will end up in a sell.

Enough for today, I think the torch is telling me something....oh yah I got work to do.

Josh

[lucidvisions]

Oh yah one more. Do not present yourself as a starving artist. Dress up. Nice shirt, tie, slacks ect. Most of our buyers are women and they always like a well dressed guy. They want to see that you have success and you put it out there in the way you present yourself. This should only be done for the shows. Ties and torches don't mix kiddies.

Have fun.

Josh

[J Howard]

Oh yah one more. Do not present yourself as a starving artist. Dress up. Nice shirt, tie, slacks ect. Most of our buyers are women and they always like a well dressed guy. They want to see that you have success and you put it out there in the way you present yourself. This should only be done for the shows. Ties and torches don't mix kiddies.

Have fun.

Josh


definitely. even if you're having an off day, pretend like you're having your best day. people want to buy and share in success, and will turn that off day around.

[susheke]

Great points Josh. You have to remember the buyers are in the business of selling. They can see a sales pitch a mile away. They appreciate honesty and a straighforward approach. But they also appreciate you looking professional. If you can't take the time to clean up nicely, you are giving the impression details don't matter. They do. Wholesaling glass is very competitive. Nobody wants a flaky artist over a professional.
I've heard it before, "My clothes shouldn't matter." Probably not, but they do. If you aren't willing to play the game, don't expect to win.

[lucidvisions]

Hey all, here's some pics of our booth at the BMAC. Sorry for the blurryness on the photos. I'll post next with a list and links to all of our suppliers we used to do the booth.

Josh

[UmaJulz]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting your set ups. I should have gone to do the 4-day program for potential exhibitors. I think it would be pretty helpful and motivating. Have any of you guys done that? did you find it helpful?

I volunteer to help sell for others frequently enough, maybe I ought to seek out some bigger shows to work at. Get me over the jitters... always seems easier to assist in selling other's work, than it is my own.

appreciate all your info and expertise.

[lucidvisions]

Hey all, Here are the links to the suppliers who provided us with all the aspects of making our booth.

Actual Booth was designed by us and the company was very helpful in getting done what we had invisioned in our head. They sent cad drawings for approval until the designs met our specs. The Booth was made up of trusses that started out flat and then were popped into a locked position into a 3-d box like structure. These were all assembled by an allen wrench. This same company did all the graphics for the headers of the booth. The headers were magnetic and very durable, made from thick plastic. The graphics were of very high quality and I was very impressed at the printed outcome. They also provided us with the lighting which was very substantial even though we only had 14 lights. Some other booths we saw at the show had upwards of twenty to thirty and some even more, of the track lights. the whoole booth came shipped in heavy duty plastic containers that could be reused over and over again. Thhis was pretty expensive to get all of it done, but it paid for itself the first day of our show.

The flooring was great. Most buyers and people that entered our booth expected to walk on hardwood floors put you could see the reaction when they found out it was all high density foam that felt squishy. That really helped save our feet and fatigue as well as the buyer's tired feet. The only issue we had with it was a lady walked into the booth with stilletto heels and punched some holes into the flooring.

The pedestals I must say I was pretty disappointed with when they came to the studio. If felt they would look a bit better than black corragated cardboard. But to my amazement they looked great when all assembled and they held up to 200 pounds. They were very light to move and you could hide all kinds of stuff in them for storage without affecting there structural integrity.

So here are the links if you're interested.

Josh

Booth: www.skyline.com
Flooring: www.alessco.com
Pedestals: www.easypedestal.com

[lucidvisions]

P.S.

All of our Postcards and Business cards were printed online at www.vistaprint.com. They've always done a great job for us.

Josh

[dogmaw]

I prefer sharpdots to vista. Vista screwed up my last postcards and I couldn't get any sort of refund or reprint.
www.sharpdots.com

[barefoot stash]

Another thing to consider with your set-up is the work you are presenting. Most lampworked stuff tends to be on the smaller side as compared to offhand work. As the buyers move down the isles they are looking for something to catch their eye. We had a bunch of small jewlery and perfume bottles towards the back of our booth and they got no attention the first day. So that evening we got a little crazy and turned our whole booth around (with a little bribeing of the guards to let us stay late) and brought the whole set-up forward. This saved the show for us. The buyers are in a tired daze by the time they get to the newbie booths so you really have to make it easy for them to see your product. Milon suggested displaying blown up pictures of our small items which we will definitely do in August.

[lucidvisions]

Thanks for that dogmaw, looks like better pricing too. If you don't have a vector program for type Vistaprint can sometimes mess it up.

Josh

[J Howard]

i had a bunch of postcards printed up by gotprints.net . they turned out really well. there's a design feature on the site, and they're really fast
.
paul stephen did my business cards a while back. his site is www.meridianagency.com . a little pricier, but better card stock and a glassblower business