Home Shows

[MinUph]

Chris and anyone else that may have done shows.

  We went to the Florida Home show yesterday and my wife offered up the idea of taking our business to one. I'm not sure about bringing pieces of furniture to a show but am considering cornices, headboards, that sort of thing along with a book or two of pictures.
  Can anyone offer some tips on the best way to go about this? Are some shows better than others?
  I have been to several of these through the years and can't say I ever saw anything to do with Upholstery.
  It might be an interesting experience. I know I would need a sales person to be part of it. I'm not the greatest in sales. But I would be there. It seems there are a few things that are required. Carpet, lighting, tables, walls. What might I need?

[SteveA]

I've never done one but did go to a couple.  You might think about whether your presentation is directed toward a consumer or other trades .
SA

[MinUph]

Good thought Steve, I had thought about the consumer end of it but the designer side is worth thinking about. I wonder if there would be metrics on who goes to these shows. I would lean towards the consumer end. But I don't know.

[kodydog]

The Rotary Club puts one on every year in Lake City. We went as spectators and handed out cards to several business owners. Like you said not much to do with upholstery. Mostly water purifiers, solar energy, home builders  and such. Just didn't seem the right fit for our business. We have attended several antique shows with some luck. The wife mans the booth while I stand out front and hand cards to anyone who shows the slightest interest. This has gotten us several jobs and we sell several pieces at a two day show. 

[Mojo]

Paul:

I have done so many shows I forgot the number. It is a big part of our business. It took a couple years to know which ones to attend and which ones were a waste of time. I culled some shows based on attendance.

A couple years ago I invested in a really nice display. It really add's a professional touch to our operation. I paid $ 750 for it and then had about $ 300 worth of banners. I also invested about $ 150 - 200 in uniforms ( embroidered dress shirts in our corporate colors and khaki pants ). Would I have spent this much to do one show ? No. But we hit the road in January and finish in May. We do shows all over and in other States.

I did large trade shows back when I was still working in the corporate world. I designed booths for clients, etc. so had a deep understanding. Not all businesses will benefit from a trade show and there are some who will see no sales. But having an appearance and getting brand awareness and your name out there is key for many companies. Handing out cards, brochures, etc. shaking hands, talking with people, etc. are big benefits of shows. Sales are a plus as are leads.

We pretty much saturate every show we attend with our name. I also coordinate our exposure at shows by putting on educational seminars. Somehow or another my name got out to others in the industry so I get calls all the time to put on seminars for groups. I am now doing 5 seminars per show on average and attendance is growing every year. Standing on stage in front of 60 people does not bother me and throwing out jokes and humor along the way keeps my audience interested. I always hand out cards and brochures to every participant and try and drive traffic back to our booth.

If you do decide to do a show, let me know and we will meet for dinner and I will go over the do's and don'ts of shows. Also, I apologize as I have been meaning to call you and discuss something with you. You need to hit all of the furniture places on HWY 19. My wife and I went through them looking for a bed and I talked with sales people and owners and no one has heard of you. Tarpon Furniture said they would love to have your card as they constantly get calls for recommendations on upholsterers in the area. I told them about you and they said they didn't even know you existed. Put on a company shirt and get out there and visit all these places and hand out cards to the owners, managers and salespeople.

I am always here to help Paul, all you need to do is ask. If you want to do a trade show I can get you set up with the banner company I use and you can borrow my display if I am not out doing a show. I will do all I can to support you, Rick, Ed and Mike.

Chris

[MinUph]

Thanks Chris,
  I am still in the "thinking stage" Not sure I want to take on the expense for a one time show. I also don't think I want to do out of town shows. And the display I would need would have to be built so I could hang cornices, and headboards from it. I more than likely would do furniture at a show except in picture format.
  If I decide to go further you will be the first call I make :)

[Mojo]

It is a grind. It can be expensive as well. I skip the big Tampa RV show because the costs are outrageous. They also give preference on booth assignments to previous vendors. I understand that but I am not laying down $ 1,500 - 2,000 to be stuck in an outside building with less foot traffic.

I am currently putting my show schedule together for 2016. I have three big shows booked so far and will be adding more. I am also going to change things up a bit and do some private shows for select associations.

I am typically exhausted after an event. One event goes a whole week which is why I always hire a booth girl to staff the booth. Combine that with inspections and my old butt is worn out after an event.

Always here to help you Paul.

Chris

[gene]

I did a lot of trade shows back in the days of selling packaging materials.

One thing I found to be very important was to keep track of all expenses, including hours for each trade show. Then implement some way to determine how much business comes in from a specific trade show. This was the bottom line for me as to whether or not it was worth our time and money.

In furniture upholstery, it may be a few months or even a year before someone who got your card from a specific trade show gives you business. It's good to be able to assign these folks to that trade show for your evaluations.

The only trade show I was involved in with furniture upholstery was a BIG home and garden show in downtown Cincinnati. I reupholstered a chair and ottoman for free for an Interior Designer who had a big booth at the show. It was very good for me. She got a lot more upholstery business, as did I, from that exposure. I only did that once, although she used the chair and ottoman several years.

gene