Say hello to Erika Firm, Delphine Press; Rob Fortier, Center Aisle Group; Nole Gary, Oh So Beautiful Paper; Rachael Hetzel, Pistachio Press; Susan Kropp, chirps & cheers; and Carina Murray, Crow and Canary — just a few of the Tradeshow Bootcamp instructors. Each speaker brings a unique background to the seminars in order to cover each frightening (and exhilarating!) detail of successful exhibiting. And each is just as passionate about creating a thriving stationery community.
Erika Firm, Delphine Press, @delphine_studio
Erika Firm is the president of Delphine, an award-winning invitation, stationery, and design company, and a Felt & Wire Shop seller. You may remember their design of the 2009 winter quarter Strathmore Show call for entries. Erika be speaking about wholesaling and industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping, and packaging during the upcoming Tradeshow Bootcamp seminars. Besides her passion for the stationery industry, Erika is excited to be a part of Tradeshow Bootcamp because of the “relaxed, we’re all in this together attitude of everyone in the group. I also believe that seminars like this help to increase the overall quality of stationery trade shows.”
Rob Fortier, Center Aisle Group, @centeraislegrp
Rob Fortier is the Principal/Creative Talent Wrangler at Center Aisle Group and the co-author of two industry books (Pushing the Envelope: The Small Greeting Card Manufacturer’s Guide to Working with Sales Reps, and Showtime! The Greeting Card and Gift Company’s Guide to Trade Show Success). Rob’s presentation focuses mainly on follow-up and avoiding expensive financial pitfalls when exhibiting at trade shows. “It’s not just about showing up and hanging out in your booth,” says Rob. “What you do before and after the show is just as important as what you do at the show.”
Nole Garey, Oh So Beautiful Paper, @beautifulpaper
As the editor of Oh So Beautiful Paper, Nole Garey’s goal is to help connect “all of those amazingly talented stationers with the widest possible audience,” which is why she’s thrilled to participate in Tradeshow Bootcamp. Nole brings the perspective of the media and press to the seminars, approaching trade shows from an editorial perspective. “The way a booth looks is just as important as the product inside and helps get the attention of both press and retailers walking the show floor. Tradeshow Bootcamp helps exhibitors understand the importance of press outreach and booth design, in addition to wholesale pricing and product development.”
Carina Murray, Crow and Canary, @crowandcanary
Photo credit: © Shimelle Laine.
You may remember last week’s Q&A session with Carina Murray, founder of stationery sales repping agency Crow and Canary. (It was actually Carina who told us about Tradeshow Bootcamp in the first place!) “At Crow and Canary, we cherish our strong relationships with buyers,” says Carina. “This gives us a keen sense of what both buyers and reps are looking for on the tradeshow floor, which is incredibly helpful insight for new exhibitors.”
Rachael Hetzel, Pistachio Press, @pistachiopress
“I love Tradeshow Bootcamp!” exclaims Rachael Hetzel, owner of letterpress print shop Pistachio Press, also a Felt & Wire Shop seller (we love her valentines). “It’s such an amazing way to connect with other stationers and share ideas. New exhibitors have a lot of questions, and speakers at Tradeshow Bootcamp generously share information, even when their lessons were learned the hard way!” In the upcoming Spring Teleconference series, Rachael offers advice on designing, setting-up and pre-planning booth logistics.
Susan Kropp, chirps & cheers, @chirpsandcheers
Even though she’s a Tradeshow Bootcamp instructor, Susan Kropp, owner of retail stationery shop chirps & cheers, says she “gained a whole new perspective of the design process and what it takes to exhibit at a show. I felt as though I got a Masters degree in stationery!” As a retailer, Susan offers insight into what customers are looking for in albums and products.
There’s still time to register for the upcoming Tradeshow Bootcamp Spring Teleconference Series, beginning Wednesday, February 29th.
Lead image: Pistachio Press’ booth at last month’s AmericasMart.
