Week 7: trade shows, sales paperwork and presenting yourself and your work

Week 7

Trade shows, sales paperwork and presenting yourself and your work

Trade fairs

- part of the marketing and trading strategy within the textile industry calendar
- large events held in exhibition halls
- international events
- link product areas together

What is one?

- international platform to exhibit and sell
- collection of companies/designers and organisations from related trading areas
- an opportunity to get various companies/designers and organisations together
- social events
- launch pad for launching collection

- 2 main seasons for fashion and interiors
- designs can he produced on fabric and paper
- designs are produced in garment shapes and or rectangular samples and product shapes
- designer makers would sell and take orders for finished products
- various market levels
- various trends and applications
- various styles for various tastes
- designs and products are often presented to buyers in collections which will have a colour and image story

- textiles can be surface designs actual cloth or related products
- this will determine the trade fair some shows will only sell designs other will sell products
- some sell both 100% design have companies and designers combined working together

Design

- indigo and premier vision
Surtex
- heimex
- decorex
- print source
- direction

Designer maker

- origins
- great northern contemp craft fair
- British craft trade
- knitting  and stitching
- fashion embroidery
- country living

Deigner and maker

- collect
- top drawer
- spring autumn fair
-100 percent design


Design shows

- buyers are usually employees from companies who will buy design ideas and out them into commercial production
- work presented in collections
- colour aesthetic qualities of the link design in collection
- samples
-garment shapes
- repeat
- placement designs
- customised vintage garments
- designs presented on headers white paper or card
- work labelled
- can include coordinates

Designer maker shoes

- space is used to present finished products for sale
- buyers may be from the public or shop or gallery
- specifically for the public some of them
- some are for trade only
- work is sold per unit to public or selling to the gallery or shop designer maker may have a minimum order
- larger pieces may be re produced to order/by commission
- work is presented with a price list wholesale and retail prices if selling to a gallery or shop
- packaging and branding are important

Professional presentation and selling techniques

- display- the work and stand and yourself
- branding - make sure this flows across all your literature
- packaging
- organisation and reliability
- verbal communication skills
- realistic timescales
- retail and wholesale prices
-marketing and promotion
- customer awareness and empathy, different cultures and different types of people

Paperwork

- selling designs at a trade show
- business cards
- invoices
- terms of sale
- order forms
- price list including discount for multiple purchase keep out of customer sight
- receipts
- digital catalogue referenced
- calculator small stabler pen
- carbon paper for reciept book
- pens
- brochures and products
- press release


Selling maker products at a trade show

- same as above
- price labels on display on finished products

After the show
- invoices
- delivery notes
- sales conditions and terms of sale
- receipts
-

Contents of your paperwork

- invoice what to include?
- terms of sale, what are they agreeing to
- delivery notes
- order forms and commission information l- receipts


Funding for trade shows

- regional funding options - north East finance, north east access to finance, Northumberland business's services, ukti help fund abroad
- google searches: northeast business funding

National funding opportunity
-www.ncee.org.uk
- princes trust
- arts council
- an artists

Task

- research your chosen trade show find out the dates of next show etc
- can you print out the application to do the show apply for a small stand work out total costs
- travel&  accommodation
- find examples sales paper work, people's business cards and branding
- look at some finding opportunities