Surface Pattern Design Trade Show Prep-Part 2

1. Surface Pattern Design Trade Show Prep-Intro: Hi, everyone. I'm Abbey Life. All I'm Andrea took and welcome to part two over video. Siri's where we're gonna be talking about some last minute bits you can do before the show conducting business at the show, our work purchases and what did you after the show? 2. Surface Pattern Design Trade Show Prep-At The Show!: So once I have everything packed, some of the things I do before I get on the plane is I'll make a really handy map. Google Maps says this wonderful feature that you create a map with points on it, and what I'll do is all Mark. Where the show is, Mark from My hotel is and color code everything. And then I look up local, Ah, convenience stores like Walgreens or CVS or Duane Reade. And I marked that on the map because I'll usually need to make a run there at some point during the show or staples and also mark interesting food, places to visit and coffee shops. And like other points of interest that exceed the agreed with FedEx, FedEx is again. Sorry, put that a month. Yeah, just sort of that one. This could put that on my map, and then it saved in my Google doc. And so I can access it from anywhere, and that's always really helpful. A note about packing up your prints. I packed mine in the boxes that the printer paper comes in and a lot of people will ask me , You know, do you check your prints or do you pack your prints and carry on? I don't feel comfortable checking them. And I personally, I've never had a problem with checking my prints in the bag, but goes under the plane I never take mine is a carry on because they're literally too big and too heavy. I would break my shoulders, so I packed them in a suitcase are at bubble wrap around the print boxes. I sort of had the edges of the suitcase, and after doing, I don't know, five years of shows I really haven't had a problem. And as far as my banners go, I check the box that their shipped in. So I'll take the box to the airline. I put it up on the scale and they send it through and I've never had a problem. I always fly Delta, and they really haven't given me an issue. Have they ever given you an issue on I'm exactly the same. I put my artwork in the boxes that they came in and a big suit. Kids goes in the hold. We fly united cause we're coming from Ireland. Never had an issue. Old goes in the hold. The thing that just eases my anxiety that I purchased the luggage scale. One of Amazon's like 11 bucks and you can weigh all of your suitcases before you go. £50 is the limit for domestic flights. And just having that use of mind that they're not gonna tell me the airport, my bags do heavy. It is just its key. Yeah, we do quite a lot of travelling, So we've got a special service that we use where we can bring some extra luggage. So that's the way we get through. And I think, yeah, it could be really nerve wracking to be at your booth. And then the clients come in. You're like, What do I do? What I say? How do I add what I do for have to be a person? How do I people? Uh, and some of my tips are I think it's really important to be engaging but not overbearing. So you can stand there and you can smile. You could say hello is clients walked by like, Hey, how are you? And then that kind of starts the conversation that gets some just sort of look in your direction. But being overly walking out of your booth and like pulling them in. That's not cool, so don't do that. But just be nice and genuine, open and biting. I think if you see them immediately looking at the artwork and they're slowing dying a little bit, you know that they're interested in your artwork. So it's a really good opportunity to say, Would you like a business car? Would you like a postcard? Can I give you any information? Would you like to know about the prices? Are you looking for anything in particular? Anything specific and sometimes And usually the will answer their smile and home, looking for holiday and looking for Christmas. And then it's like, Oh, I got some Christmas here and you sort of pull your artwork, pile over and start flipping ITT's kind of practice, saying You'll learn toe read people, and I think also be yourself. So I tend to be quite jokey because that's just me. So I'll say, take appear when we start talking about anything other than the art because you just want them to relax. Andi. I find that when you're showing artwork, it's not a hard sell. You either like the art or you don't. So anyway, that you can relax them, talk about restaurants that you visited. Have you been to any good shops? And, um, just anything that you think? Oh, yeah, is taking their minds off the pressure that I don't know you. You're a complete stranger on. I'm sitting only three feet from you and Oh, my God, this is quite scary. And you Just after a while, you're all relaxed. And then they start Teoh, get involved in the artwork and start selecting or Starsky by prices. And can you do some commission work? And it's all good, that awful. So that goes back a little bit to the map I talked about earlier was that's you've research up. There's a good coffee shop around the corner. This is a great place to eat. This museum is having this exhibition. You should check it out, or I'm going to go check it out later. Those little bits help with kind of breaking the ice and making it uncomfortable experience for everybody. Not everybody who sits down at your booth will want to have a chatty conversation. So you have to read people in there, uh, mannerisms and kind of how they're responding. So if they don't seem like they want to talk, they probably don't. And you just let them look at the artwork because they're there to do a job, pick artwork and then they'll be on their way. So you've got somebody that sat sat, dine at your booth and they're engaged in a conversation with you on. They're starting to look at the artwork, and then they're starting to pull light artwork that they're putting in a selection on. Sometimes they might say, Do you have you got frogs on dogs on the folk? And you're like, No, I never thought of that one and you just have to remember Well, you can't do everything for everybody. It's just not possible. But that made their selection. You might be fortunate to have a good conversation with them on everybody's happy on they're going through. This selection on at that point is important to step away and give them a bit of space so that they can think through the artwork that they want to purchase because they'll be thinking about possibly or work that they've got from other people lines that they want to fill on. You just need to give them a bit of spears that they can do that, and then they will want you to start the invoice for more point of view. We actually don't give them an invoice there and then, but we will list all of the artwork on the invoice carbonated carbonated called rightward time for better than 300 defecate or trip ticket carbon paper. It's not a sodastream. Yes, at that point they will want the information about the costing off the artwork. So I would basically find out when they need the actual digital files on. Do let them know if I'm not back in the office straight away, I'll be back then a particular date. And that's when I will deal with the artwork we write. Dine the code. We might give a description of the artwork so that we know when we get back. But this is the exact artwork we'll put. The price will get the client to sign the invoice pound. They get a copy, we get a copay on, then they may well, the actual paper artwork or we might have to FedEx it. Then when we get back, that's when we deal with the digital files, what do you do? Do you awful send digital invoice once you get back to the office? Yes. The invoices raised yet leader debt. So what happens when, uh, so clients at my booth happens little differently on my side? Uh, they'll be sitting there. They'll short list several prints and then usually at this point, they'll actually ask me my price range and like, double check and I'll give them the range. And sometimes, depending on who they are and how many princesses selected, I'll work up because I know my prices don't work up. Um, about what it would cost. And then I sort of we'll lean back in my chair. And usually I have a note pad that I sit with at my booth and I take notes or my partner Ben. He'll also take notes of Prince that they liked or they're open to commission or freelance or what not, Um, and I'll kind of not pretend that I'm writing, but I'm kind of listening to what they're doing and making mental notes in my head of like the transaction that's about to happen, but kind of clearly giving them their space to make a decision because it is a big financial decision. And they need that space to take the time to make sure the purchasing the right artwork and so usually the do a short lose talk amongst themselves and be like, OK, we're gonna take, you know, these five pieces? Awesome. I take those fight pieces, I get out my carbon copy invoice book. I write down the print number. The description, the price. Give them a total. I have them signed the invoice, and then I take the carbon copies out and I staple my business card to their copy and then their business card to my copy its key. And also tell them that I'm going to send them a digital invoice when I get home, because people tend to lose paper. And most of the clients they do want to take the physical printout of the artwork with, um, so what we'll do is we'll roll it up, secure it with a rubber band, and then I put tissue paper around it. And then I put it in these adorable little wine totes that I had printed from a company. And that's actually included on a resource page, and that's a nice way for the client to carry around the prince and helps the tissue they were helps protect the printed paper. I like that. I I might steal that. I do, yeah, that's really good. We share everything very often say that there is actually one other thing which is licensing. So if it was a licensed artwork, we would generally have a different shape to contact sheet. So you may or may not get a business card. If you don't get a business card, you just get them to write their details. Dine. They may have a business card for another member off their party, so you would staple out to the sheet. But you don't get them to write the particular details dying because that's the person that you're dealing with on. Then you'd find delight if it's J pegs that they want. What season is it? Four. When do they need the J pegs there any specific sizes that they need? Is there any informational? Not that they need. I would also probably get them to sign that just to make sure that I know I am dealing with that person, Andi. Then I wouldn't necessarily give them that sheet. But it's the information that I need to do the job when I get home to give them all of the J pegs that they've requested, because licensing is a completely different animal. I feel like I like especially licensing contracts. They happen after the show. Yeah, really well, aren't doing anything a long, long time after the show? It's quite the quite the process. Yeah, I think something to remember. I think nobody really talks about this is that when a client leaves your booth and they don't buy, it's not a negative thing. You have to, and I do this sometimes to have feel like dejected. That only picked eight pieces, but they didn't buy any of them like that's It's a crappy feeling. But you have to remember that you don't have the business card. You know how their email and they might reach out to you later. This has happened to me on multiple times where actually in the last hour of the last blueprint show a lady came by the booth and she sort of looked at the artwork. You know, we kind of had a short conversation. I think they did bath products or something and give me your card and like, Okay, we'll follow up. So we did the follow up. I got an email from her about two weeks ago when she's said, Can you give me a call? What's going? That's kind of unusual until they have a phone call like Everything is usually done over email and I called her up on DWI, had a great phone conversation about stuff, and she ended up buying two prints. Newt nights with the new client Foot in the door, didn't even it didn't even occur to me that this would go anywhere. So every interaction you have, every business card that you get. I mean, it's a win. It's a card in a conduct you didn't have before. And it's really important to remember that when the booth next to you is super busy and they're just constantly, there's two groups of clients that their booth and you just you're feeling just so low. I mean, I think every booth, I'm sure after 25 years, you still feel that way, too. But you have to remember that you know everybody's got a little bit of a different journey and to look at all of your contacts and interactions is unique and special. And I think you're also gonna have times where you are busy and times where you're not because you can't be all things toe. Every single person that that's out that show. You just have to figure out where were you fit in and everything takes an incredible amount of time. I think there's, ah kind of a misunderstanding about this industry where everybody kind of wants everything instantly and now. And I'm gonna be successful at this and do this and make a living at it right away. And it takes years to build client lists. I mean, I've been doing this since 2014 and I mean, I really only started selling prints outright since 2015 and it's this. It's a slow climb, and it's one show isn't gonna determine your future. You're gonna either have to do a couple or your first show. You might decide. Oh, this isn't for me. Maybe look for an agent. I don't know my very first show, I sought three prints on the last day. It was a four day show, I sought three prints. I thought, Yeah, I could make a living and I have were dinner, but yeah, it says it is a slow climb. The slow climb on every show is different and I'm still learning 100% t I think over the mini trade shows that we've done We've got a couple, like at the booth helpful tips to help you survive your 23 day trade show because they are exhausting. So I am the snack master. I have a little bag that have under the table. I have bottled water. I have pretzels. I have snacks that I could easily eat and put in my mouth that aren't gonna get stuck in my teeth. So little teddy grams grapes are really good. What about anything that might be sticky? You don't want have sticky chocolate, although do have chocolate on my table. But that's for the clients. And they usually are pretty good about not eating it as are looking at artwork. You know, the occasional. They set their coffee cup down on the table on your like, Please, please don't. Oh, else. I've under their gum. Uh, mince breath mints. Oh, that's a good one. Yeah. Yeah. Especially garlic. The night before you. I I don't snack. I'm not a snack person, but I will often bring my watercolor set with me on a sketchbook. Because if those times that or slow when it happens, I will just start panting. And sometimes that's quite a nice way of people. Kind of What would you do it, what to do? And then I just saw it. Would you like to take a look? Because there's more. Here. Here's my so it's quite good for engaging. Um, but I would say if I wanted a coffee because I'm slightly flagging. I would take it away from the booth summary from the booth because I have spilt coffee over my own artwork before I think I think we all have. I think we'll have it. Takes only needs one time. Feel like Yep. I do spoke things. Um, buffalo make friends with your booth neighbors on the other side. You're all in this together, and usually everybody is quite pleasant and fun to be with you. Trade tips. Ah, lot of times you can sort of, you know, say you met with somebody and then they sat down next to you and then they sort of left. And then you can kind of like, have a conversation about it. Really go like, what did you learn? What did you What do you think about this person? Sharing information and being at the show is such a supportive community and everybody I was there to help each other. E mean, that's what I love actually specifically about. Blueprint is it's a big family on. It's good if you need the restroom. Rick Coverage. Long trick on chicken trade. All of bank, any of those things. You rely the money. Thanks. So much coffee, too much coffee. You do actually need to make sure that you have tops that or area. So when you're bending forward, you're not giving too much away. So the merchandise on the table, not a up here, which is something I do. I buy dresses on like that for a show. That's fine. I can deal with that. And 100% you don't think about the stuff I have had to think about because I actually had a guy watching down my top, and I didn't realize until I just quickly looked up and he wasn't looking at the Oracle. Burke. Did he buy print eight any? Well, several. Hello, whatever works, whatever your business model is to you. So the trade show has wrapped up. You've made a bunch of new friends. You've interacted with some really cool clients you've hopefully had some sales of. That's your thing. You ate some really good food's awesome cool stuff. Maybe did some shopping. You packed up the booth. Breathe. Please, remember to breathe and you're on your way home. So what do you do when you get home? I actually go to sleep because I'm generally going the opposite direction. So Jet learn. Yeah, I am zonked on once I catch up on my sleep. Then I start to look over all of my notes that I have made all of the invoices. If it's contact sheets and I try and work out what artwork? I have a little artwork I need to request from other people. I'll put the mold into files when I get them on. Then at that point, then I'll start thinking about some of these files. A really big Hi, I'm actually going to send Um, yeah. So I don't know about you, but I love meal. Big files. That's generally what I use. I zip the file on bond broadband. Fantastic. It goes. I have no worries, but I'll also put a little I'll send an email prior to that. Just say I'm sending you a file in this format. Please, can you confirm receipt? And then I don't worry about the artwork not getting or the client not getting the artwork on time. That's smart toe. Request the receipt. Yeah, on on the whole, I do get a reply. I just just a quick Yes, I got it is fine on then I start worrying, but I let them know that I will worry about the artwork on that seems to work for me when I know it was really smart. So when I get home, I actually prioritize my file sending So anybody who's purchased artwork that gets a new invoice that's written that I send digitally than the R word files I use Dropbox and I don't really have a problem with. There are some clients that don't accept Dropbox, so I use male big file. I send those out and I have, ah, Excel sheet on my numbers sheet on my computer that I mark all the artwork that sold the number, the description, the prices so for and who the client waas like. I keep pretty detailed records because I'm not a huge studio. It was only like four or five artists in line and do that in the email. Thank you. You know, here's my website. Also do commission, freelance work. Um, send all that stuff out, and a lot of times there's a little bit of back and forth in those emails. If it's a new client, will usually send me is a W two or W nine w nine w nine form to fill out. Do you do that? Put to information there. Send that out, Make sure they have that. Um, yes, it happens with them and then for my other follow a lot. People who have requested J pegs or just want more information about the studio also in those files. And make a note that I said this to them on this date and then asked, I have ah, contact folder. So all those contacts that you make the show, I'll take their business card. I create a New Excel document that I put When did I meet them? Which show? What's the company? The address? Their email? Who? It Woz what we talked about. And I had this digital catalogue of every contact that I have. I know there's more automated services to do this, but this is what works for me. Our tables Really good. Yeah, yeah. On. You can take the information strip from the air table, copy paste into your email, send them an email. That's really good, I think a really nice thank you email on. I believe we've actually got a template off one in the program, but that's always really nice. Just something to say Really love the opportunity to meet you, looking forward to working in the future if they if they haven't actually purchased in New York work. But you there was something going on. If the bromance or a girl mounts, was something going on on? You want to keep in contact or think of me for any commission work? Because I know you like the work, but I just didn't have the right artwork. Andan that just keeps you on their thoughts on generally, once I've sent the artwork, maybe 34 weeks afterwards. If I still haven't heard from them because sometimes that happens for meetings, I would send them a follow up email. Generally, by that time, they'll know if the artwork is going to be used. If it's for licensing or no. If it's practiced artwork, you won't hear from them until the next batch of New York works ready or if it's a time to buy a particular topic. Definitely. Um, in my thinking emails, I like to include maybe a little tidbit, something we talked about, something kind of unique. So it doesn't feel like, Ah, completely template email because I do use a template in my thank you emails, and I change out the correct information in a very diligent about making sure we change names and company names on all of that. Other is definitely have made mistakes before, Um, but I will try and say, Oh, you know, did you try such in such restaurant? Or I went to the shop and it was cool. Did you make it there? Just a little nugget that shows that you were paying attention to them and you had a good conversation. Not every client will be that way. There are some that sort of just buy and give you their card, and off they go. And so them all to say Thank you. Visit my booth here to remind her image. I have a website catch you later appointment. Another thing I like to do after a show was sort of a quiet like a recap moment. This I'll actually get out of the office to do this one. I'll go sit in the coffee shop because actually, when you get home from a show, it's a let down. But you're so used to being with all your colleagues and friends, and it's a really cool, creative environment. When you get home, it's a little bit like, you know, it's exciting, but you're tired and you just like, need a minute. So I'll go to a coffee shop, get out of the office and all right about my overall thoughts of the show. What worked? What didn't work? What days were busy is what we're clients looking for. Was there no one? Your everybody kept asking me, You know what? What's the next Fox? What's the next popular animal, and I didn't have an answer. So for the next show, I try to do some trend research till we figure out what I'm gonna say when people ask me, what's the next sloth or you know what, replace what replacement thing. And so you have, like, an answer to that, Um, some of the things that you like about. It's interesting that you do it after the show. I would never remember after the show because my head is filled with. I've got to get all this stuff done. I tend to do it at the show and on Keeper a notebook for each specific show that I do. So I've always got reference Teoh go back today. But each show I learned something different. It doesn't matter where or when or how long I've been doing it. My thoughts will change for each show, considering what clients are asking for things that I haven't got things that I have got. But maybe they're not quite right. Maybe they're not the right scale. It's hard to say, because every every client will be different, but you will find everybody will have notes smeared on bond. It's up to you to kind of decipher in my kids decipher what I've written on. Then I will put that into my yearly planner so that I know when ST Valentine's a right not to use this color. If that was something that somebody had mentioned, or I need a particular topic by such and such, yeah, so that year planner is actually a really important piece of kit. Yeah, that's really handy. Another thing that popped into my head is, as you were talking about, it was sort of writing down, especially if you're visit your first trade show, kind of who stopped by and what product category they were buying are looking for. So, yeah, if it's your first show, you might not know if your work fits more in stationary or home or no paper, whatever category. So who stopped by the most in kind of tailor your artwork and home for our work in a little bit to that category? If you really want to concentrate on that, I don't actually sort of. I like having a broad spectrum of our think that that's a really good point. I think you have Teoh. If it's your first show, you'll you'll find out what your clients are. But if you've done a show and then you think I'd actually quite like to get into the stationary market. But my artwork is much more surface pattern than you have to gauge your artwork to fit the clients that you want Teoh work with. What about rest? Because I know that my brand it just goes into overload when I get back. So once I've done the follow up, I'm kind of dreamed, but you feel like you need to get back to work. But over the many years I've found that jumping right back into creating artwork right after a show I burn out. Maybe like a month later, I'll just completely my brain goes blank. I can't I don't want to sit at the computer. I have almost a negative association with it. So I find that doing something different, even even if it's creatively like take a proper like a pottery class or journaling or how do you do? Go for a walk, go to the museum, go shopping, Even if it's just window shopping, Meet your friends. Have a giggle. Don't be so hard on yourself. I suppose you know I should be working. I feel guilty for not working. Actually, work. Just let it go. In the end, it almost doesn't matter. Just take a break when you feel burned out and it will benefit you in the long run. Could you actually more done because you won't burn out? I think you look at things in a completely different light because you'll have a fresh perspective on your art or just do abstract art. Just if you want to do it, just do something that's no the slightest closest way possible. A piece of art that you were going to sell. It's just a piece of nonsense and, you know, from those, like doing abstract herder doing and maybe sewing or whatnot, you kind of pick up different techniques that might actually influence your art. Down the road, you might discover something. I really like the way you know, stitches, looking paper. Maybe if I did some stitches and then scan that and apply that to my artwork, that's a new interesting thing I've got going on. So you sort of make discoveries, but not on purpose. So after you've done the follow up. You arrested? How do you decide? You know, to do another show. How do you go on and prepare? Plan out the rest of your ear? Yeah. My very first show that I was at Rice Salt, three prints. I thought you can make a living. I was actually freelancing on. I was freelancing three days a week. So I was earning enough money to be able to do something that I really wanted to dio Andi After that show, I considered what, my next show, Which bay? So I invested the time I went through the process that we've just discussed on. I started to get more clients. So more clients give me obviously more confidence and what I was doing, I was selling more or work. I was still keeping freelancing because it's impossible, I think, to do something without some financial, um backing when you do need a bit of money in the bank. So it enabled me to think about other things I could day, so I might have had three or four other different, uh or it related jobs on. I think that's possibly the best way to go forward. Don't just do one job because it's impossible in this day and age, with the all the financial turmoil that's happening in the world. To be able to say yes, I'm gonna be in this job forever. Never. Oh, man, because you don't know what things are gonna be right in the corner and you're you are gonna have to have lots of fingers and lots of pies. Um, yet so don't just think of one job to be in. You do need to be in lots of other different types of Martin jobs, whether it's freelance or you take on a day, a week of the store, several freelance things will keep you going while you're really pursuing the one thing that you want. Todo Yeah, definitely fingers and different pies has the the big one. I think I would like to add to that that see you to the show, and you just financially can't do the next one or not. It's okay, So let's get the year or skip shows and whatnot doesn't mean that you failed on. This is the end. It could be. Take a step back. Look at your work. Look at your notes and rework it. Retool it. Do what you need to do to keep going and then because I mean just because you do one show and fail at it, it doesn't mean you can't do another one again. Or you could find an agent like I hate all the logistics that go along with planning for Show the Sucks and you find an agent that could have been one of the studios at the show. It's why you make friends. That's why you mingle, take cards and what not and talking with people join forces with somebody, another artists. There's tons of collective out there that know 45 artists get together, and they have these delightful groups and fun, colorful booths, and they also share the costs of the booth. And but I'm not so sure the headaches on they share the jobs. So it's a win win set juice seen quite a few ah, successful collectives. Well, guys, we hope that you enjoyed this Siris on. You've enjoyed the templates and photos and everything that we've shared with you and the stories we had to tell. I mean, we love this industry. I mean, to even there shows is much is a headache as much of a headache as they are there. We keep coming back and have a good time. And I think also if you do come to show and where their do, say hello Come say hi. We're not scary. We won't bite. Well, I will if she might.