Canadian alums, Think & Ink Studio exhibited for first time at the National Stationery Show with this booth. Bambs rented the hardwall package from GES which included the veloce walls and track lighting that they used. The walls arrived in 'as is' condition (aka dirty and big gaps in between walls). Bambs arrived to NY early enough that she was able to easily clean and fix the walls without too much stress. Their white masonite flooring was rented from Manny Stone. Everything was installed when she arrived. She rented 2 Eames chairs and 1 Saarinen marble top table from modprop.com in New York. She would use them again - their modern furniture suited her style and brand. They shipped boxes to a friend in New York via Fed Ex three weeks before the show (roughly $80). Bambs cautions people to arrive early, keep things simple and ALWAYS have a plan B or C if you must!
Read More2016 is already off to a great start, as evidenced, in part, by the fantastic news that TSBC founder, Katie Hunt, will be teaching four upcoming CreativeLive classes. CreativeLive is an online learning community where creative entrepreneurs can take courses to grow their knowledge base. These courses are taught by experts around the world, and they stream live in an interactive environment.
Read MoreThis was Kiss and Punch Designs' second year at the National Stationery Show and Julie had a 80 sq ft corner booth under the low ceilings. She ordered the Hard Wall package through GES that included track lighting, black carpet (which she kept under her faux wood foam tiles). Her acrylic signage was ordered from McNamara Signs in Seattle and affixed to the walls with foam tape. Julie recommends ordering all signage as early as you can to ensure accuracy. The MDF moulding that the cards sat on were affixed with foam tape. Julie had previously use the Ikea Ribba shelves to display her cards but she liked that the moulding provided more a few more inches of space in the booth! The chest, desk and bar stools were from Ikea. She and several other alums went in on a group order with the 'Ikea Guy' who delivers to Javits. Her boxes were shipped via FedEx to and from the hotel, which cost about $125 each way. Julie recommends bringing help for both set-up and sales during the day; doing it solo was tough!
Read MoreAt TSBC we love hearing success stories from our alumni and getting behind the scenes looks at fun collaborations and unique experiences. Today Jessica Bates, founder of Jack + Ella Paper is here with us to share her amazing story about hosting a Madewell pop-up shop. Jack + Ella is an eco-concious stationery brand based in Wisconsin, and Jessica is sharing her experience collaborating with a local branch of Madewell. Jessica shares how the event came to be, as well as all the details required by both the local and corporate Madewell offices in order to participate. Read on to learn Jessica’s main takeaways from the event, and to see photos of her beautiful display.
Read MoreBelle & Union Co. exhibited in a 200sq ft corner booth under the high ceilings for their third year at the National Stationery Show. The hard wall booth with built-in shelving was built 3 years ago and has been used for 4 shows. A parcan was used.for overall light and additional clip-on lights were used to highlight individual products throughout the booth. Meg and Josh used vinyl roll-out flooring over top of carpet padding. Extra squishy fo tired feet Their company name and booth number were laser cut and then they had paper signs for product categories which were affixed with an ATG gun. They sent everything to NY in two giant crates. Meg says it was expensive to ship the first time, but now they store everything in their frieght company's warehouse between shows. Meg recommends planning as early as you can. Investing in a booth that could be easily altered has saved them a lot of money over the years.
Read MoreHere at Proof to Product we’re so excited to announce that our fearless founder, Katie Hunt, was recognized by Stationery Trends Magazine with an Emerging Gift Industry Leader award.
Read MoreDeFrance Printing, a longtime Paper Camp partner, is a favorite go-to printing resource for stationery, catalogs, and more. We asked Ronnie Williams to join us today to share the best ways to make sure your files are ready for printing. When you outsource your printing, it’s important to follow these guidelines to achieve the best results.
Read MoreBriana and Jason of We Are Brainstorm exhibited at the National Stationery Show in a 60 sq ft corner booth. They built their own hard walls and have used them for the last two years. They love being able to set up the booth in their studio and configure their display before they arrive at the show. Their clip on lights were purchased at Home Depot / Lowes and spray painted to match the booth. Their first year they used daylight bulbs which were too bright and 'felt sterile' so they opted for warmer bulbs the second year and were much happeier. They purchased their flooring from Rubber Flooring Inc. Their logo and other signage was handpainted onto their walls. They chose to keep their product displayed minimal and place a stronger emphasis on their catalog, which worked well for them. The simpler booth required less hanging, less furniture and a calmer vibe for both them and buyers.
Read MoreDear Camp Counselors,
How many of each SKU should I have on hand prior to doing a trade show?
– Maggie
Dear Maggie,
First, there is no perfect number of SKUs to strive for. You want a product line that is large enough that buyers can pick and choose, and still hit your opening order amount. As much as we’d like them to, they won’t buy everything in your line.
Read MoreWe asked some of our TSBC alumni who joined us at Business Camp to provide recaps and highlights from some of their favorite conference sessions. Building A Brand + Surviving Biz Growth by Jen Gotch of Ban.do was one of our keynote speeches, and we’re so thankful that Sarah Almond of Shed Letterpress is sharing all the tips, fun, and inspiration below. Read on and let us know how you’re focusing on your top-level work.
Read MoreTradeshow Bootcamp had a 80sq ft corner booth. The walls were purchased, printed and installed through Manny Stone Decorators; 3/16" colored foam core matched to the PMS color of the TSBC branding. Custom white vinyl was created be Dave at EGI Graphics and installed by Katie and Rachael Hetzel. The carpeted foam tiles were purchased on ebay 5 years ago for around $80 and have held up well. The white bookshelf was rented from Manny Stone Decorators and used as an iPad kiosk. The chairs, tables and pillows were purchased at ikea. We rented one parcan and had brought several clip on lights with us, but opted not to use the clip on lights. Photos were hung on the wall with 3M adhevive tape. Plants were purchased at a local home depot and the tables at the corner were from Ikea.
Read MoreWe asked some of our Paper Camp alumni who joined us at Business Camp to provide recaps and highlights from some of their favorite conference sessions. Debbie Lee of penelope’s press jumped on board with her top takeaways from Tara Gentile’s session, Perception is Reality. We love Debbie’s recap, which dives deep into her takeaways, as well as actionable items to incorporate into your business. Thanks Debbie!
Read MoreDear Camp Counselors,
I’m not planning to exhibit this year, but I do want to walk the floor. The problem is, I’m feeling massively overwhelmed! Where should I start and what should I expect?
— Aubrey
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