Friday, May 24, 2013

My Surtex Experience

I think everyone's experience at the Surtex show is individual. Having read and talked to so many others that have already exhibited was a big help as far as expectations go. I have always been there through an agent in the past so this was the first time I exhibited on my own. I had so much fun and was really happy with how everything went. I ended up doing paper banners and was really pleased with them.They were easy to hang and the printer did a fabulous job. I was nervous about having them shipped directly to the hotel and didn't see them until setup. It all worked out. Phew!  I'd made a little dummy of the booth before hand to determine where all the panels were going to go and the design. I used both notebooks and an i-pad for my portfolio.  That worked well for me. I think some clients liked the notebooks better, so it was good having both.Casey Spencer a talented designer helped me in my booth. She was such a great help in many ways including set up and pull down. We also had a lot of fun!
The show had some quiet moments, but the booth in general was pretty busy.
 I did a lot of prep work before the show reaching out to companies that I'd worked with in the past or that were familiar with me to make appointments. I loved connecting directly with the people at companies. It's so nice to put faces with people I've known on the phone or internet for years. I had been told that Tuesday is usually really dead, but I found it as busy for me as the previous days.
Another great thing was getting to meet so many other artists. I had the nicest neighbors to my booth and several artists stopped by to say hello. Great to meet so many of you! I also got to meet several at a get together one of the companies I work with did at an Irish pub Monday evening. I'll be doing interviews with several of them here in the near future.
The most exciting part was the positive reception of the Two Can Art collection that I do with my son, Noah. For those that don't know, Noah is autistic and paints beautiful textures that I then use to create images. This collection is really special to me.
Overall, I had a really exciting and fun time at the show. I am now doing follow up. There are some promising leads that look really good.


8 comments:

  1. What an amazing show indeed! Patti, Your booth looked magnificent and I was so impressed by your organization and preparedness. You are so good at what you do. Thanks for the recap!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Patti,

    It was great to meet you! I stopped by early Sunday, so by now it is probably a blur. ; ) Your booth looked great and I am was glad to be able to say hello.

    Best,
    Cathy
    www.cathyhuntstudio.net

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did an outstanding job on your booth display Patti, and it was such a pleasure to meet you! Very glad to hear that Two Can Art was well received. I have already found a use for the cute little bag you made for the chocolates. :)

    Sarah Hudock
    http://sarahhudock.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well done, Patti! I bet you were a hit at the show. Love the addition of the 3 dimensional products on display. I wish you and your son much success!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cathy and Sarah, One of the most fun part of the show was getting to meet so many artists. I really had the best time. I am really busy now with all of the follow up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have worked with Patti, she is so supportive and very professional, yet her personal touches show not tell how friendly she is. And she is an excellent ARTIST who has a whole bunch of styles she does and is capable of! So happy that all looked terrific, and that the follow up is paying off.
    I can so believe that she had lines waiting, to see her and her booth~!--Lori Eslick

    ReplyDelete
  7. REALLY LOVED your booth on Sunday when I saw it! Thanks so much for posting your experiences.

    ~ Annie
    http://www.anniesdoodlebugz.com
    http://anniesdoodlebugz.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks Steve and Annie. Lori you are one of my best cheerleaders!

    ReplyDelete