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My first exhibit - should I even be here?

10/20/2013

11 Comments

 
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It's been a full week since the first fair/exhibition of my jewellery.  A week to think back, absorb, learn, and decide what I'd do the same/do differently next time.  

I'm not ashamed to admit it -- I freaked.  Totally and completely freaked out.  

Let me provide a bit of context relative to the statement above.  

The fair was due to open at 12 noon, with exhibitors welcome to set up from 9am onwards.  Having never done this before (and not knowing for certain what size table I had been allocated), Julia and I arrived at 10am to find that we were only the second to arrive.  The woman who was already there was exhibiting jewellery (what else ) and was fully set up.  It was both lovely and professional, with her display items looking as if they'd just come out of a high-end jewellery store.  

We were free to take any remaining table and I chose to position us as far from Pro Jewellery Lady as possible.  We started unpacking and just a few minutes into it, I felt an overwhelming sense of panic, of being completely and totally out of my league.  My display items were a potpourri of home-made/2nd hand items:
  • My risers were strong cardboard boxes with quilting squares thrown over;
  • Fuzzy paint rollers showed off the bracelets;
  • Picture frames were used for earring displays, as I'd removed the glass and replaced it with a kind of plastic netting purchased from the Pound Store; 
  • Necklaces and bracelets hung from upside down lamp shades, toilet paper holders, or miscellaneous items picked up in 2nd hand stores or T.K. Maxx.  
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As I took everything out and struggled how to best assemble the display pieces on the table, other exhibitors arrived, many with their large plastic box organisers and were set up in no time.  At this point, I was still struggling to properly hang the sign from the front of my table, which was becoming increasingly difficult as my hands began to shake.  
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What was I doing there anyway? 
After all, I worked in HR!  Give me a difficult employee relations issue or a complex cross-border management issue, no problem.  Ask me to do a presentation or lead a panel at a professional conference, sure, sign me up!  But to suddenly label myself as an artisan or a jewellery designer, this was completely out of my comfort zone.  
It was at this point that my 9-year-old daughter stepped in to take charge.  "Mummy," she instructed, "rather than putting the jewellery on the table before we have the displays set up, let's put the displays where we want them first."  Strange to admit that this small person was now acting more logical than her mother, but that's what it was.  She had seen my shaking hands, how I knocked over the first earring display I'd managed to set up (scattering them everywhere), and she decided there was a better way.  Over the course of the next hour, we worked together to best position the display items, then adding the jewellery.  We were set up and ready before the first person walked in to browse our wares.  

In terms of "how we did," it was a wash.  Despite there being hundreds of people at the fair itself, the position relegated to us and the other exhibitors did us no favours.  The church - and thus the food, the entertainment, the raffles -- were all across the street.  Yes, there were a few signs to tell visitors that there was an arts & crafts exhibit in the church hall, but we were away from the main event.  I did get some great compliments from people and we sold enough to pay our expenses for the day plus materials.  And the experience by our fellow exhibitors was the same; no one had a great take.  
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As the day went on, I got more comfortable talking to people as they came into the hall.  My "hello" or "good afternoon" expanded a bit more into what kind of work I specialised in, and I took to quizzing people on how many jump rings they thought went into the chain maille pendant I was wearing.  

And my Juju, aside from helping me hold it together, she took enterprising to a different level.  Unimpressed by the small number of visitors we were getting in the exhibit hall, she grabbed her display of bracelets, a handful of my business cards and ventured into the food/raffle area in the church.  Aside from trying to herd people over to the exhibit area, she also managed to sell some of her bracelets and pass out all the business cards she'd taken.

Lessons learned - arrange display items before taking out the jewellery.  Have pride in the creativity and originality of my display rather than worrying about how it looks compared to everyone else's.  Take the best available table for "traffic" - even if it's situated by someone who has an amazing looking display.  

By the end of this fair, I felt a bit more comfortable in this new skin, with this new persona.  After 20+ years working in the "corporate world," it will undoubtedly take time to feel as "at home" as when I'm wearing my HR hat.  But I'll get there . . . . stay tuned.

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11 Comments
Maria
10/20/2013 10:54:13 am

Holly, good for you! I wish you all the best in this "new skin". Your pieces are beautiful and the display looked very professional to me! All those fears were only in your head, I am sure they are on their way out!

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Holly (Alis)
10/21/2013 01:17:42 pm

Maria, thanks so much! Really appreciate your kind words of encouragement

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Becky Guse
10/20/2013 10:55:57 am

Love your designs. The first event is the hardest. I think you will do well.

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Holly (Alis)
10/21/2013 01:18:43 pm

Thanks, Becky. I agree, the first one is probably the hardest. Hoping that what I have coming up before the end of the year is well attended!

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Carolynne link
10/20/2013 01:04:32 pm

Wow! You did it! I'm still huddled in fear facing the corner... I wish I had a daughter like yours!

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Holly (Alis)
10/21/2013 01:20:19 pm

Carolynne, if I can do it, so can you! :) And it was great having my litttle helper along. She has told me, however, that the 8 hour show coming up in December is going to be a bit too long for her .....

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Trish
10/20/2013 01:41:42 pm

Your work speaks for itself. As for opening night jitters, we all get them! Having a successful venture isn't about the best table (although a pretty presentation may help catch eyes), but about having quality, beautiful merchandise- which you do! And I'm not at all surprised that Juju is so enterprising- she has a wonderful example in you. I am in awe of your courage and enthusiasm. Your only competition is yourself. Keep at it, luv. This is your passion. And it won't steer you wrong! :)

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Dave More
10/20/2013 01:50:42 pm

i got here from Bob DeLong's post on FB. i can't comment there but wanted to suggest a couple of things. 1) you learned a lot of important stuff today as you pointed out. from today take the location, location, location message to heart. and part of that is know where you will be (across from the main event) and the type of visitors. it sounds like the arts and crafts were secondary. which for today was fine but if you are going somewhere with room and board plus booth fees, well you see where i'm going. 2) the earrings in the lower right would show off much better against a solid background. and i'd bet most of your stuff would. in real life the earrings on the chicken wire (sorry but that's what it looks like) may work ok but from the picture you can't tell anything about the design.

on a semi related note i wanted to look at your pieces as they are displayed on the website so i could comment on them as well. however using right click to open a new tab or window doesn't work. is it disabled to keep folks from copying your images or is it a mistake? it looks like you have different types of items and if so being able to skip around between tabs would IMHO help.

last but by no means least i consider Bob a friend and hope that whatever i say hasn't offended you. you ask for comments, i offered some based on what you have and the mistakes i made years ago trying to sell my photos. good luck.

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Dave More
10/20/2013 01:58:00 pm

me again. went and did some browsing through your work. very pretty -- and all shown on solid backgrounds. :)

no i have no suggestions on how best to do that with your displays but it's obvious you know how to show your art to it's best advantage for photos. perhaps a much tighter screen that would still allow for the pieces to be hung. perhaps something like burlap or other coarse material. in any case again, good luck.

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Pelin
10/21/2013 06:37:50 am

Love your blog. You did amazingly well. Your display doesnt look like a first timer. It is impressive. Congratulations to you. I am looking forward to the next one.x

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Nancy
10/21/2013 08:20:08 am

Holly, you can do whatever you put your mind to! (I remember the 15 year old girl who convinced the editors of the Sting Newsletter that she could write a feature column for every issue)! You should consider your first venture a big success--you broke even and covered your costs. It was indeed a learning experience and now you have more new and creative ideas of how to display your FABULOUS jewelry creations! I know you and Julia will do well at your next venture!

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