1- have an escape plan: getting everything organized before the show is hard but at least you are in control. When the show ends everyone goes crazy and there is a lot less time to get out of the location. Not keeping everything properly organized and labeled created a big headache after the show when orders needed to be shipped.
2- seal the deal- make sure you get all the information to finalize the sale at the time the order is placed. Following up after the show for information that should have be obtained when the order was placed does not give a good impression. Beware of those who are not prepared to provide the information
3- firm but flexible- have sales terms but be flexible- this was a hard for the first show, but you have to draw the line somewhere. A lot of people at the show are not their for a b2b transaction. There were a lot of interior designer looking to get deals for themselves. Still, especially in today’s difficult business environment you need to be flexible.
4- make a statement- the booth must make a statement within the 10 seconds people will look while passing by the booth. One thing that I am proud of is that almost everybody who passed by my booth slowed down and looked. Many people who were not in the market for what I had stopped and looked and often commented favorably on my product. Still, I need to work on making a clearer statement of what Ethoshopper sells.
5- location, location, location- as a first time exhibitor I was delegated to a very poor location. The traffic where most of my competition were located was much better.
The trade show is finally over. It was a very hard week. Almost wanted to be a lawyer again- I didn’t say that. A lot of big things happened at the show. The next month is going to be big.
Beaming like a new father.
One of my babies.
OK, still happy but getting tired.
Anything looks good on her.
The minute the show closed pandemonium broke out. It was crazy.
I was very tired- no doubt.
But it was great to know I pulled it off. I was the last one out. The union workers and security guards were cheering me on!
If you don’t post do you exist in today’s internet crazed second-by-second world. Well, I assure you the answer is yes. In fact, the more time you spend on the internet, the less your are living. I digress. Things have been quiet here because we are hard at work. We will have a big announcement this week and be showing our new lineup at the New York International Gift Fair August 14 -17 at Pier 92 booth 30060.
Now just because you read it on the internet doesn’t make it true. So here are some pictures.
Unloading ceramics
Even the customs agents couldn't wait to see our products!!!
Customs agents are not as good at packing as they are at unpacking.
Jacobo, soy yo!!! I got a laugh when I saw these on all the crates.
A few months ago I was in Lima, Peru again. I know the city well I always keep my ear open for new places. At a South America Explorers’ Club meeting I met Carlos Morelli of insidelima.wordpress.com who gave a talk about Villa El Salvador. Soon thereafter I was on my way to visit this city on a barren stretch of the pacific coast south of Lima. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did filming it!
The site was recently infected by malware. It was very innocuous because it was in the php file so the effects were not always visible. Thanks to all the users who emailed me and helped find the problem. It took a lot of work. In fact I eventually deleted the whole site an uploaded a recent backup. So, I need to update a few things after I get some sleep.
I hope you enjoy this video. I sure had fun filming it! We just walked in and asked if we could film and the owner told us to do anything we wanted! I asked one of the chefs if I could film him preparing some food and on his own he give us this presentation. This accounts for the surprised looks on our faces and general lack of preparation! I hope you appreciate how different travel can be if you slow down, talk to people and take an interest in their life. Notice the tourists behind Tino when he is talking. They were brought in with a guide, had some Chicha at the bar, took some pictures and left 15 minutes later. We spent over one hour in this place.
We are especially proud to begin carrying these museum quality ceramics in limited quantities. Seminario is known throughout the world for its excellent craftmanship. Each piece is unique; there is no mass production here. We are happy to help introduce their products to a wider audience and help a region that is still recovering from [...]
