How to Work a Show

Happy New Year everyone.

The CHA Winter Mega Show 2014 is just a few days away. The Education program starts January 10, 2014 and the Marketplace starts January 11,2014 and runs through January 14,2014. I hope everyone is planning on attending the show and have all your plans made. You can get details on the show at the CHA website.

I feel strongly that every independent Scrapbook retailer should attend this show. This is where all the new products are introduced and gives you the opportunity of being the first in your market to offer the new merchandise and lines. You'll also see categories of merchandise that you might want to add to your store. Besides traditional scrapbooking merchandise you should consider expanding into other paper crafting categories like cardmaking.

For as long as I've been doing a Business Tips article , I've always published the How to Work a Show tips just before the major Shows.

The success of any show is dependent on the preparation we do prior to the show.
As a Buyer for Macy's Atlanta and other major department stores, I attended many Shows in my career. Whether it was the Housewares Show, The Stationery Show, The Furniture market
or whatever department I was buying at the time, I was always instructed to do a detailed plan of how I was going to spend my time and the Stores money at the show. I was told that the Show was a trip to accomplish specific things that were planned in advance.

First I had to analyze my business. I had to know what categories and vendors I was getting the bulk of my business from.
I had to take advantage of the show specials that were being offered. And where these specials might fit into my promotion plans for the next few months.
I was also instructed to be sure I had specific appointments with my key Reps and Vendors.
Not just "I'll stop by the booth", but specific times to meet.
I'd have to put all of my plans down on paper and review what I had accomplished at the end of each day. I had to list my orders and dollar purchases daily to see where I was in relation to my plans and open to buy.
But I was also instructed to look for new interesting and exciting merchandise or new vendors at the show. I had a certain amount of open to buy allocated to this.

The above is a simplification of the planning process. But it is vitally important to the success of any business.

Here's wishing you a happy and successful 2014

Sandy
Sandy Woodford Inc.
Consulting Services