Exibiting @ JCK Design Center/ Granting Terms/Credit checks
Greetings!
I am hoping to get a little insight and advice on exhibiting at JCK
Las Vegas. It’s our first time and we were thrilled to be placed in
the Design Center section, but have heard that its such a huge show,
it can be hard to be seen. I feel Design Center placement will at
least give us the most chance of being found by people who
appreciate that our line is American made and handcrafted, but we
are still a little nervous about the whole show, as it’s twice what
we usually spend on other shows! *We have successfully done NYIGF for
5+ years and decided JCK would be worth trying to reach a new
demographic and hopefully attract buyers with larger budgets and
higher price points. Generally, our current buyers tend to be
independent boutiques placing smaller orders, often comprised 20 or
so single pieces rather than, say, 50 pairs of a one particular
earring. Any generalized info on types of orders written (size of,
acceptable lead time, average number of pieces buyers might order)
would be wonderful! My optimistic big fear is having a super
successful show and not being ready to handle the production. I
won’t address my pessimistic big fear 
*We had been advised to expect to grant terms (whereas we currently
only grant terms to established buyers after 3 orders). This is a
little nervewracking for a small business but we know it’s part of
moving up. Are Net 30 terms the norm for most buyers? Aside from
asking for references and checking them prior to shipment, do you
have any methods of protecting yourself in this regard? Is asking
for a credit card to keep on file or a postdated check acceptable?
Also, in terms of checking references, I found recently that some
places would only give with a signed waiver/disclosure
from the buyer. Is this something that is standard to bring to the
show and have buyers sign? Are there any other legal documents that
help with this process I should know about? *Do you/have you had
success cold calling buyers or sending them postcards or promotional
material to invite them to the booth. I was considering trying to
pinpoint buyers who might have a particular interest in american
made/handcrafted. If there are any buyers out there, do you
appreciate this?
*Lastly, insight on display logistics; did you rent showcases on
sight or build your own displays? I understand there are
restrictions on wall mountings, etc. We usually paint our walls and
mount shelves and foam core posters, but I am thinking we may need a
different attack plan here. Any advice or rental resources in regard
to display is helpful.
Thank you in advance for your time and insight! It’s always easier
to go into something new after talking to people who have done it in
the past, thank you, thank you!
Meg Moir