Working A Show

With the CHA Summer Show 2012 just a few weeks away, I'm posting my business tips on " How to work a Show.

You need to be starting your Show preparation now to be ready to have a successful and profitable CHA Show.

The tips below can help you do your Show Prep.

The success of any trip to a Show is dependent on the preparation we do prior to going to the show.

As a  buyer for department stores like Macy’s Atlanta among others, I attended many trade shows.  My store management would not allow me to attend these shows without first preparing a detailed plan for how I was going to spend my time at the show.

The first thing I was told was that a show is a trip to accomplish specific things that were planned in advance.

Here's what I had to do to prepare for a show.

1.Analyze my business

What categories were contributing what share of my business? I must know where my business is coming from to plan for future growth.

What categories do I consider growth categories and which are stagnant or in  decline.

Plan how much money I intend to allocate to each of these categories and in what month I plan to receive that merchandise.

Plan what promotions or special events I had to buy for .

2..Analyze my vendor base

Which vendors contribute what share of my business.

I must have plans to meet with my current vendors in those categories . As a buyer, I had to have specific appointments scheduled with the Representatives of my key vendors. Not just I'll stop by your booth, but SPECIFIC times to meet.

3..What do I want from the vendors?

Visiting a vendor's booth with your Rep should have specific goals to accomplish..

What's new??

What's hot??  Don't overlook hot sellers from a vendor. A product doesn't have to be new to be hot.

What's your show special? Take advantage of the specials offered at the show.

Do you have any special events planned for the future? Shows are a good time to line up things for your special events.

4..First Things First

Your first appointments at the show should be with the Reps and lines that you do most of your business with. If I told my management at Macy's that the first morning I was just going to walk the show and see what's there I would be sent back to my office to redo my plan. I was expected to use the first days of the show to work with those key Reps and Vendors where I did most of my business.When you have your key businesses covered there will be time later to walk the show.

5..Put it in writing

You need to put all of your plans down on paper.. Don't trust to memory.

Have a buying plan done by month with dollars allocated by month. You know that all the new merchandise doesn't ship right away .  Then write your purchases in the month it's expected to ship. Compare those to your planned purchases for that month.

Knowing how much you've spent and when to expect the merchandise is critical.  You want to “Front Load” your purchases so you can take advantage of the Show Specials. That means to spend more money  at the show than your stock plan calls for. But be sure you adjust your purchases later in the season to get back to your planned average BOM stock level.

You should review this at the end of every day.

6..Save some Fun Money

Your primary reason for being at the show is to purchase that merchandise that you know will contribute most to your business. You'll want to buy some fun new merchandise  that will spice up our assortments. You definitely want to do this but, it should be the last thing you do, not the first. Don't run out of money for important purchases because you spent too much money on fun stuff.

This is how I was taught to work a show by some of the most successful retailers in the world.

But the most important thing to remember about working a show is

BE PREPARED