Monday 16 August 2010

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Hello friends. What an exhausting week we had! We finally arrived home last night at 10.00 pm after a delayed flight. Sorry for not updating my blog during my week at Life Instyle but I didn't have internet access. This turned out to be a blessing as I went to bed at a decent hour and slept like a baby each and every night.

Here are some photos of our stand that was located in "The Dungeon" as many of my co-exhibitors appropriately named it. No thrills or plush carpet here. Unfortunately, the exhibition was located on many different levels and difficult to navigate. Many visitors did not find us which was quite disheartening to the 40 new exhibitors in Hall 2, especially since we did not pay any less for the disadvantage.

On a positive note, we did meet some lovely interior decorators and retailers, both new and established that we would not have otherwise met. We will be very busy following up with them and with others who didn't make it to our stand over the next couple of weeks.

We also had some media inquiries so will keep you updated as things happen. Many people liked our framed fabrics and asked if we were selling them. Sorry but no. However, I will be posting a tutorial soon on how you can frame your own!


I was happy with our stand - good. The sign made it in one piece - good. My lovely table did not, a chunk was knocked out from the side of the top - bad. Boo to the freight company that we used. We had many problems with them but that's a story for another day. Names have not been mentioned to protect the guilty.

Thank you to all the lovely bloggers that stopped by to say hello to me - all good. Lara, Tegan and Lou from Ink & Spindle, Nic from Yardage Design, Davia from Davia Designs, Lara and Emma from Harvest Textiles, Karen from Eco Inspired, Kylie from Blue Ginger Designs, Alyssa from Lyssy May and Emma from Up in Annie's Room. I do hope that I haven't forgotten anyone!

I also had fun meeting all of my lovely and talented neighbours - all good. Some I knew and others I didn't but I will introduce you to them later this week.

The ugly was the traffic congestion and the miserable weather - cold, wet and windy! (sorry Melbourne but it sucks). We waited 50 minutes in the cold rain on day 1 (minus umbrella) for our cab. Luckily, one of my neighbours (thanks Danielle) manned our stand until we got there. I took a blow-dryer from the hotel with me to dry myself off.

The good - Melbournians really are the nicest bunch which I greatly admire since the cold would personally make me quite cranky. The best - coming home to Brissie and the lovely warm sunshine! Yes, I am a wuss.

16 comments:

Life in the Country Lane said...

Sounds like you had a successful trade show Thea, despite the hiccups!Your display looked very appealing. I love the framed prints also. Hope you get some time to relax this week.
Rebecca x

brismod said...

You must be completely exhausted! Your stand looked really appealing too - shame it was located in a dungeon! I've no doubt good things will come from your trip. xx

posie blogs Jennie McClelland said...

Oh you sound like you need to defrost, brrrrr. Oh your table, nooooo. Your stall looked awesome & maybe next time you can throw your weight around & get a decent location, i do fear such things when i start something new/ an event i've never been to before etc?? Hugs, love Posie

beachvintage.com said...

Hi Thea, I have to say I was there on Tuesday and I couldnt find you. Where was the dungeon?? I thought i covered every area but must have missed it. Was it down the escalators??? Regardless I hope you had a positive experience. For the most part I figure it will all work out for the best in the future. You are right about the weather though, it was HORRID!

yardage girl said...

Hi Thea - lovely to finally meet you! Yep - the weather last week was particularly yuck, even by Melbourne standards! Your stand looked fantastic and I'm sure you will do well from all of the follow up. Best wishes for some quiet time soon. Nic

Pesky Cat Designs said...

Wow,what a crazy week! But even though there was some ugly in it all your booth looked fantastic and I am sure a lot of good will also come from it in the future. I love the screened prints. They have a modern and vintage feel.

Wishing you a great week ahead.
Elisa

flowerpress said...

Its been so interesting to follow you on your journey to the trade show. A good lesson for us all. I hope lots of good comes from it despite your dungeon siting!
p.s. did you see we were neighbours in Notebook this month :-) There's a pic on my blog if you haven't seen it.

Exquisite Accessories said...

Oh Thea So pleased for you with all the positives :))) & sorry about the Negatives :((( I am sure the positives will rule it must with all the great products you had there I am so very pleased for you & glad you are home safe sound warm & dry!!! :))) I too am a frog Go QLD!! :)))

Lyssy May said...

Glad you made it back in one piece! Your display was amazing and you should be proud of yourself for such an achievement! I thought the shootings on lygon st would have been more disturbing than the weather though! I heard stanthorpe was down to zero last week which are the qld winters I grew up with so melb is a piece of cake. X

Thea said...

Thanks for the encouraging comments. Nobody could find us Simone, that was the problem. The shootings didn't worry me so much as I knew that they weren't "random". Last time we were in Melbourne, there were similar shootings. Is that not normal?

Thea said...

I didn't quite answer your question Simone; "The Dungeon" was indeed down the long, long, cold escalators.

Paper Tree Studio said...

Your stand looked fantastic. Sorry to hear about some of the not-so-pleasant bits of the trip. I'm sure putting up with the weather etc. was worth it as you will receive a lot of business. Good luck with your follow-ups. Michelle

Sandrine said...

What a beautiful display!The frame fabrics are stunning no wonder why you have inquiries!What a bummer about the location, I hope it will still be very rewarding after so much effort on all sides!I hope you can take a breath before deeping into working hard again.
Sandrine x

sophie munns said...

Hi Thea...
Fabulous show you presented i must say.
There's an obligation on behalf of the organisers to do a better job that they did...as you say...you paid the same$$ for the access to the public...
NOT GOOD!
Glad your spirit was positive and the stand looked so wonderful. Sleeping well is a plus...that keeps you going too!
To think I lived 12 years in melbourne... I complain about the cold here now!
see you,
Sophie

Unknown said...

Sounds like a crazy week and bummer about all the things that went pear-shaped but what an achievement nonetheless - well done and very exciting about all the great things that will come from it :)

Amy Prior said...

The effort that goes into these show is enormous I am really bummed to hear this. Your stall looks gorgeous. Im sure you made a great impression on everyone who found you and that good things happen from those connections.

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