HOW WAS STITCHES FOR YOU?
Listed under: News
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The cheer which followed the announcement that this year's Craft, Hobby + Stitch International was over spoke volumes of the relief of exhibitors who had experienced the marathon of shows leading up to this event.
A busy Sunday was followed by peaks and troughs of activity on the second day. Despite some exhibitors commenting that the event was lower in attendance than usual, others maintained that their journey wasn't wasted. “The show has been very good for us,” says Geoff Ellis, owner of Beads Unlimited. “On Monday we had a lot of regulars come to visit and it was good to be last to leave at the end of the day. We couldn't move for customers and were still taking orders at 6.20pm!” And following a quiet start on the final morning, things soon picked up. “We've seen some bigger orders,” Geoff confirms. “Both the big and small companies are here without doubt.”
Continued success means that Beads Unlimited are set to return for another year. “It's a nice environment and we have been coming since 1997,” says Geoff. “The show isn't too long – three days is about right to get the business done, without spending too long away from the desk. It is very well focused. We also went to Spring Fair, which is very diverse. At a gift fair, people think that we are very new, whereas here people already know and admire our products.”
Look out for the March issue of Craft Business for a full review of Craft, Hobby + Stitch International. In the meantime, why not let us know how your show went?
A busy Sunday was followed by peaks and troughs of activity on the second day. Despite some exhibitors commenting that the event was lower in attendance than usual, others maintained that their journey wasn't wasted. “The show has been very good for us,” says Geoff Ellis, owner of Beads Unlimited. “On Monday we had a lot of regulars come to visit and it was good to be last to leave at the end of the day. We couldn't move for customers and were still taking orders at 6.20pm!” And following a quiet start on the final morning, things soon picked up. “We've seen some bigger orders,” Geoff confirms. “Both the big and small companies are here without doubt.”
Continued success means that Beads Unlimited are set to return for another year. “It's a nice environment and we have been coming since 1997,” says Geoff. “The show isn't too long – three days is about right to get the business done, without spending too long away from the desk. It is very well focused. We also went to Spring Fair, which is very diverse. At a gift fair, people think that we are very new, whereas here people already know and admire our products.”
Look out for the March issue of Craft Business for a full review of Craft, Hobby + Stitch International. In the meantime, why not let us know how your show went?
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We all enjoy Craft, Hobby + Stitch. It is one of the main annual trade shows for us, attracting many international retailers, suppliers, designers and manufacturers and offering a wonderful opportunity to catch up with our existing customers, who visit us from all over the world. We make new contacts, network and build up lasting relationships, spot hot trends before they hit our markets and we are able to see all the exciting new products that are on show.
Each year has proved successful for us and this year was no exception. We opened many new accounts and, as a direct result of the show, have taken on a new exclusive distribution arrangement in Malta. Orders were as good as those taken last year and existing customers, who are now familiar with our extra 5% discount show offer, arrived armed with pre-prepared orders, eager to see and include all our new titles.
The show was not without its dramas. Normally our hotel offers a relaxing haven after the rigours of the day, but not this time. On the second night, one of our rooms was burgled setting off a chain of events that drove us to drink more than usual in the hotel bar, where some of the networking normally carries on into the early hours. However, despite the chaos, the police, the sleepless nights due to the crime, a flat tyre on the second morning, with urgent appointments waiting…and the blood-curdling and entertaining taxi rides to and from the show, we all managed to enjoy the three days at the NEC. Above all, we enjoyed winning the Award for the Best Craft Book of 2007.
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