If you design and make any kind of paper goods, the National Stationery Show is certainly the place to be. Every May, buyers from around the world (I saw a good assortment of locations represented at the show yesterday) head to New York and the Javits Center to make their paper purchases for the year. Yesterday was the [...]
Participating in a trade show is a great way to build your brand, attract new wholesale accounts, connect with the press, and network with other makers. But it can also be intimidating for first time exhibitors. If you’re thinking about diving into trade shows, it’s good to walk one first to get a feel for [...]
This is a great question to ask any buyer or customer that walks into your booth. It only requires a yes or no answer from the buyer, but either response gives you a starting point for conversation. If they are familiar with your line, you can ask where they’ve seen it before. This can give [...]
Today I’m so excited to finally announce the launch of my very first ebook – The Crafting an MBA Guide to Wholesale and Trade Shows! I’ve been hard at work the last few months putting together this extremely comprehensive guide to selling your work wholesale and exhibiting at trade shows. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned [...]
Today I’m excited to bring you a guest post from Leslie Yang of Feisty Elle. Leslie has graciously agreed to share her experience exhibiting at the POOL trade show. Thanks, Leslie! Hi everyone, I’m Leslie Yang, owner and designer for Feisty Elle, a San Francisco-based business offering sustainable jewelry and accessories made from merino wool [...]
Well, I’m hard at work on my very first ebook – it’s going to be a comprehensive guide to wholesaling and trade shows. I thought for today’s post I’d share a little snippet from the book, since this is a topic that came up while Tara and I were walking the Buyer’s Market last weekend. [...]
Another week, another convention center… This weekend, I headed to Philly to check out the Buyer’s Market of American Craft. It’s been 4 years since I last walked the show, so I thought it was time for a revisit. The Buyer’s Market has been an institution when it comes to wholesaling American craft – in [...]
A few weeks ago, I asked if you had any trade show questions. Here are the ones I received, and my thoughts. If you’ve got anything to add, or any additional questions, feel free to leave ‘em in the comments. My products are pretty small. Do you have any suggestions on filling up the booth [...]
Exhibiting at the New York Gift Fair is always an emotional roller coaster for me, and this show was no different. (Though I do think I held it together a little longer than usual in the pre-show planning phase.) Between show prep, the expense of doing the show, and the length of the show itself [...]
I’m back from the gift fair, and after taking most of the weekend off, I’m slowly easing back into things. I’ve got two posts planned recapping the New York International Gift Fair. The first post is going to be more a general post about the show to give those of you thinking about doing it [...]
Megan Auman is a designer, maker, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a multi-faceted business around her passion for great design and sustainable business. Her eponymous jewelry line is sold in stores across the US and online. In 2009, Megan founded Crafting an MBA to help designers and makers develop their business skills. In 2011, the site name was changed to Designing an MBA.
Learn more about Designing an MBA.
