Trade Show Diaries - 7 Weeks to go!
I am about to embark on my 4th Trade Show and thought I would start a weekly diary, to share about what happens in the build up. This diary will be about my preparations for Top Drawer Aw24, it’s not going to be highly polished and i’ll maybe compact this into one blog after the show, but if you are interested in reading about what goes on in the build up I hope this is interesting!
7 Weeks to go!
This week I spent some time making a list of what I still needed to complete in the next seven weeks. A big one was to start getting my catalogue/brochure updated. I’ll touch on some of the others as I get to them in the coming weeks.
Updating my Catalogue
A Catalogue or Brochure of products is an essential part of selling to trade, it is how potential and existing customers can view my products. It doesn’t have to be a physical thing and can be digital or both but having an updated collection of my products that I can share is a key part for me in getting ready for my trade show.
I actually outsource the design work of my catalogue, partly because I don’t have the design skill to produce the type of professional brochure that I want and partly because of time, I knew it would be something that would take me ages and that would be a much quicker job for an expert. It’s been one of the best decisions that I’ve made and I think it’s helped me elevate my brand and attract some amazing stockists.
I’d already updated my catalogue at the beginning of the year back in January as I had created some new cards as well as discontinued quite a few of my cards, but even since this time I’ve added some newer designs and also had a Brand Photo Shoot to improve some of my brand images, so it needed another update and sort out.
So this week I went back through it all, made a big list of what was staying and being added and images that I wanted to be updated and re-briefed it back into a designer. We’ve set it up with a few place holders of new products that will be added in nearer the time (as i’m still painting them!) but it’s mostly there now. Each edition I feel looks better and I am happier with, it’s an ongoing process.
To print or not to Print?
I like to have a printed physical copy of my catalogue. I print onto 100% recycled paper to produce mine its a lovely quality. I know I could find companies that could produce this cheaper but I have always prioritised quality and sustainability into the products that I make and it wouldn’t feel right to produce a catalogue that didn’t also follow this ethos. I do also have a digital PDF file, that I can email out as often buyers do not want to carry piles of catalogues around the shows. Someone asked me how many they should print for a show and I think 25-30 is enough. I printed 100 last year. Posted 50 out to my stockists and i’m left with 25 that are out of date, so 25 must have gone at my last show!
Thanks for reading. If you’d like to learn a little more you can ready ABOUT ME here
