Hello jewelers,
I am seeking suggetions on participating in trade shows in the East
coast. I have never exhibited my work at a trade show before. I make
silver & vermeil jewelry w/ gemstones (priced bet. $80 to $300). The
shows that I have in mind are the Rosen Philly show and JA show. Here
are things that I’d like to find out:
-
Do the Rosen & JA shows have many exhibitors who are small
manufacturers and also specializein silver jewelry? Or do these
shows tend to have exhibitors who specialize in more high-end
materials such as gold and diamonds?
-
Its a subjective question, but how many pieces of jewelry would I
need to fill a 10x10 booth?
-
Are there any other shows based in the east coast that might fit
my jewelry type?
Thanks,
G-Young
Hi; the Rosen show is order only so you won’t need to bring alot of
stock to fill a booth, and they will want to see a photo of your
booth layout before they let you in, you also will have to sort of
"jury in" so that they can maintain the integrity level of the show
which I think is a good thing, I’m planning to exhibit in the summer
show which is much easier to get into, they probably won’t let you
into the winter show which is much bigger and better untill you’ve
done a summer show (paying your dues I guess).
The price points you mentioned I would guess would be fine,there are
prices higher and lower.
The show is wholesale only (of course) and they will want you to be
able to answer these 2 questions.
- what is your turn around time on orders?
- what is your dollar minimum? for opening orders and 2nd orders?
Hope it helps…Frankenstein
G-Young,
If you’ve never exhibited before, you might want to try and get some
experience with smaller shows that fit your market before jumping
into the huge shows. That will help you polish your display and
“patter” (how you interact with customers) and fine-tune your
marketing materials and approach without as much expense as the
really big shows. That way, when you do move to the big shows, you’re
showing yourself as a polished, experienced presenter who buyers can
feel confident with.
You also don’t say whether you are in the wholesale or retail market
(or both). Handmade? One-of-a-kind? Production? Artistic? Beading?
The answers to those questions will drive your choices of shows and
which shows are likely to accept you.
In terms of how many pieces, again it depends on the type of show. A
wholesale, order-only show will need far fewer pieces than a retail
show, where people are (hopefully) buying and you need to continually
restock. You will also need to determine your merchandising
philosophy… there are those who believe a “packed” booth display
(lots of goods, densely displayed) drives more purchasing than a more
sparse display. Conversely, there are those who feel that showing a
few items, highlighted in their own special way, speaks more to the
valuation of those items. It’s a merchandising philosophy that needs
to be closely allied with how you position your work in the
marketplace, so it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. I’ve seen both
approaches, as well as many things in between, work well for people.
The key is consistency with the overall marketing plan.
As with others who have asked similar questions, I’d say: Do your
business plan and know your market segment. Then research which shows
in your geographic area target the same segment that you want to be
in. You can then contact show organizers (and this list) and find out
whether the show does what it says it does in terms of bringing in
the “right” demographic and whether it’s well organized and promoted,
and thus narrow down which show(s) you want to spend your marketing
money on.
Hope this helps!
Karen Goeller
No Limitations Designs
Hand-made, one-of-a-kind jewelry
www.nolimitations.com