Only 3 more days before the National Stationery Show begins and I’d like to end the pre-show talk with interviews from both sides of the spectrum. First up we have a seasoned veteran sharing their tips and experiences from the 14 years of exhibiting. And then we have the pleasure of reading about the roller coaster of emotions from a rookie.

First up is the Inviting Company based out of North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Tell us about yourself and your business?
Inviting Company has always been known as an invitation and stationery company, but recently we have expanded our business to include paper tableware and a wide variety of gift products.

What have you been doing to prepare for the show? Did you do anything different than the years past?
We are continuing to diversify our product line to bring customers what they have been asking for – which is more fantastic stationery products from Inviting Company, but also expansion into gift products.

Any tips for new exhibitors?
Every contact or lead is like gold – treat them that way!

And we round up our pre-show interviews with a rookie exhibitor, Nancy and Beverly, from Hazel and Violet.
Tell us about yourself and your business?
We are a small letterpress company in Arizona – At this time it is the two of us. We have been friend for 25 years and have always shared a love of paper and typography. We do custom invitations, personalize social stationery and greeting cards.

What made you take the plunge to move into wholesale?
We really liked the idea of making greeting cards. We have so many ideas we wanted to express and it seemed the best way to make the kind of cards we wanted. We have partnered with a fabulous designer who really ‘gets it’ and knows exactly what we want. It will be interesting to see if this avenue works for us.

What have you been doing to prepare for the show?
So much work! We thought the hard part would be the printing – We were wrong – it’s the press releases, the catalog, the press kit, the marketing! show specials, packaging…on and on. We think we are finally together though.

Thank you ladies for sharing your preparations. Check back in the next few weeks with my experience walking the National Stationery Show and finally an After the Show wrap up.

Perideau Designs :: Pre-Show Picks
Two Trick Pony :: Booth #1641
Mint :: Booth #1351
Rifle Paper Co. :: Booth #3053 + 3055
Fugu Fugu Press :: Booth #1456
Twig & Fig :: Booth #1435 + 1437
Gilah :: Booth #1535
Sycamore Street :: Booth #1549
Old Tom Foolery :: Booth #1729
Red Leaf Papers :: Booth #3312
Whitney English:: Booth #3408
Kelp Designs :: Booth #1563
Sapling Press :: Booth #1948
Inviting Company :: Booth #2940, 2942, 2944, 3041, 3043, 3045
Elum :: Both #3013-3017

Who are your top picks?

Image courtesy of Old Tom Foolery

It’s that time of year again where all the paper aficionados are talking about the National Stationery Show. Who’s launching a new shop? What are some of the new products and collections? Today, we can get answers to those questions in real time with the help of Facebook and Twitter.

Patti Stracher, the show manager says in the January 19th social media press release:

“Social media sites are becoming increasingly important for impromptu business discussion, in a world that has become accustomed to instant feedback and news. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and others are helping us to communicate quickly and concisely in a way that works for busy professionals on the go.”

Last year I was fortunate enough to be able to walk the show for the first time and get a feel of the hard work that goes into preparing for the show when launching a new product or shop. This year as I begin to walk again, I decided to reach out to some of my fellow stationers to get an inside look at the preparation of getting ready for such a big show. So let’s meet some of the veterans that will be exhibiting as they take us on a journey of the 2010 National Stationery Show. This will be broken down in 3 parts: Before the Show, During the Show, and After the Show. Hope this brings some insight to those thinking of exhibiting next year.

Sapling Press is a letterpress shop based in Pittsburgh, PA where Lisa specializes in greeting cards, wedding invitations and baby announcements. This has been her full time gig since 2003.

Kelp Designs is run out of California by Katie, who specializes in eco-friendly stationery products such as notecards, invitations, and accessories. I met Katie last year at the National Stationery Show and she was kind enough to share her perspective being a new exhibitor. I’m thrilled to have her back on the blog to show us what she’s learned.

Katie, of Kelp Designs, shared how she prepared differently for her second show this year. This is what she had to say:

“My mantra this year is ‘keep it simple’. Last year we tried to get really creative in our booth design and it back-fired…This year, I took advantage of every free marketing opportunity provided to NSS exhibitors (something I didn’t do last year). I submitted several products for “Best New Product” Awards – and five of our products will be in the running at this year’s show. I also sent photos and product descriptions to industry media and was excited to be included in the latest issue of Greetings, etc, which has prompted three calls from retailers in the last week. We upgraded our online profile on the NSS website and utilized the free pre-registration list from NSS for our promotional postcards.

One thing I changed, which has had incredible results, is the voice of our promotional postcard. This year I included very little company information on the postcards, but rather included large product photos with minimal details about pricing, order minimums and our URL for more info. We’ve received several calls due to the postcards and even wrote an order with a new retailer prior to the show because they received our card.”

Lisa and Katie were kind enough to share some of the tips and tricks they learned over the years that helped them grow and be successful at the National Stationery Show.

11 tips from veterans to new exhibitors:
1. Set your budget and stick to it. Things add up quickly.

2. Pay attention to deadlines. Early ordering saves you money and stress.

3. Sign up for NSS pre-show webinars, particularly the one about booth logistics. Lots of helpful resources and info on what to expect.

4. Consider joining NSS’s mentor program, where new exhibitors are paired with veterans.

5. Evaluate product line and carefully price products for wholesale. Too high and you price yourself out of the game, too low and you can’t make a profit.

6. Prepare professional looking line sheet or catalog, price list and order forms. Include product details, item numbers, terms and details on how to order.

7. Get the word out. Let folks know where to find you at the show with pre-show marketing campaigns, press releases, social media, etc.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people are happy to answer questions and/or offer advice.

9. Read Crafting an MBA for tradeshows

10. Know your product. It sounds simple enough, but when you’re crazed and run down from all the preparing you’ve done, it’s really easy to get tripped up on the simplest of questions.

11. Enjoy yourself and play nice. This industry is booming with veterans and newbies that come along each year. You’re obviously there to sell your product, but take the time to get to know some of your neighbors. It will make you love this industry even more.

Later this week I’ll be showing who’s on Perideau Designs list of shops to watch out for at the show. But stop back later this week for more advice from a seasoned veteran as well as hearing from a first timer.

Are you exhibiting this year? Have any other tips to share? Be sure to include your booth # so I can stop by and say hi!