NYIGF vs. BMAC: Comparing the Shows

Feltware Cups.  Photo copyright Blackbird Photography

Last year, I tried the New York International Gift Fair in January and again in August. This year, I decided to try the Buyer's Market of American Craft. My reasons were twofold: most of my buyers from the NYIGF also went to the BMAC, and the BMAC is significantly cheaper. So how do the shows compare? Here's my thoughts:

- BMAC is less expensive. Significantly. my booth in NY was $4000. in Philly, $2250. But I did notice that the costs for everything else was comparable. Electrical fees in Philly were higher, and I got slammed with a "material handling fee" of  $350 for choosing someone other than the official show carrier to deliver my crate to the show. That sucked. I also had to have floor covering in my booth which was unnecessary in NY. This wasn't something that I had in my crate, which had been stored in New Jersey since the August NYIGF, and I didn't feel like dragging a carpet across the border with me so I had to rent one for the show. It was way overpriced and they didn't even install it properly so buyers were tripping in my booth.

- BMAC is ONLY handmade. Which is awesome. This means the buyers that show up know all about handmade, know that it's pricier, know that we can't crank out 10000 widgets in 4 days. I didn't have to deal with complaints about pricing which is a huge bonus. It gets tiresome defending my right to make a living wage.

- NYIGF is MUCH larger, because there's so much more at the show. There's suppliers and products and designers from all over the world. The show is MASSIVE. which means there's more buyers there. But that's not to say they are all there for the handmade. The handmade section is actually much smaller than what's available at the BMAC.

- I didn't see as many of the big buyers at the BMAC. If you're goal is to get picked up by Anthropologie or somewhere like that, your chances would probably be better at NYIGF. And I didn't see as much of the media in Philly that I saw in NY. There was no House and Home, no Martha Stewart Living, no Country Living. So if you're looking to hook up with media, NY would be a better option. And none if this is to say that these people weren't at BMAC, but I didn't see them, so maybe they just didn't stop by my booth (which is entirely possible).

- Both shows are very well organized and staff communicate regularly and easily with vendors. I had no problems with set up or tear down, or getting questions answered before, during or after either show. Now I have my entire booth packed into a 3x3x5' crate which gets delivered right to my booth, becomes part of my display and gets picked up there after the show, so I don't have to deal with move-in, move-out or waiting for my crate to be delivered to me at the end of the show.

So down to the nitty gritty, how did the shows compare?

- I picked up as many buyers in Philadelphia as I did at BOTH NY shows, as well as re-orders from buyers I met in NY. BUT, the orders were smaller.

- I had a lot more follow up to deal with after NY, buyers who left their cards but weren't interested in placing orders at the show. This tripled my sales from what I wrote on the show floor and I got orders as a direct result of the NY show right into January of this year.

So what are my plans moving forward?

- I haven't decided if I will do NYIGF in August again or not. I guess I need to get on that and make a decision.

- originally I was hoping to do both the BMAC AND the NYIGF next winter but I heard some nasty rumors about the superbowl being in NY the same weekend as the gift fair. This does not bode well for hotel rooms and I have a hard time believing buyers will come to the show when hotel room prices are hugely inflated. I'll look into this further so see what's going on, but if it is the case, count me out.

- I'll definitely be back to BMAC. It was a great show: more affordable, fun to do, wonderful buyers, amazing vendors. BUT, due to the auto show booking the convention center the same weekend that the buyer's market is usually there, they had to move the show dates for next year. Waaaaaaaay up - to mid January, which is early for buyers. It means weather is more unpredictable, it's the same weekend as another wholesale show (Orlando) and the week before NY. We'll see how this plays out. It's entirely possible that it will have a negative effect on the BMAC next year but only time will tell.

So if you've been thinking about either show, there's my 2 cents. I had two bodies of work with me at the show, my Classic Collection, and my Feltware line. So have a peek and see how it may compare to what you'd like to take to the show. If you were at either show, feel free to share your thoughts!

The Corporate Whores Strike Again

Every January for the past 5 years, I pack up samples of my work and head to Toronto to display at a wholesale show for artists and craftspeople, where retailers can come and place orders for goods for their stores. It helped me get my business off the ground and put me in touch with all kinds of amazing shop owners all across Canada.

I loved this show. It sent orders and money my way. It put buyers in touch with makers and created a space where those interested in selling handmade out of their stores could find everything they were looking for and then some.

I usually get info on the next upcoming show by about August. This year August came and went and I heard nothing. And then September came and went. After sending an inquiring email to the organizers of the show at the beginning of October, I finally got word on what was going on. Or rather, what WASN'T going on.

I was told that there would be no Toronto show for January 2011.
My jaw hit the floor, and panic set in. How was I going to connect with my wholesale clients? Where was I going to replace this income from?
This part I can deal with. I'll need to send out lots of mailings, print up some snazzy catalogs and make lots of phone calls. But it's the why that has really gotten to me.

This particular show always runs at the same time as other wholesale shows, so that buyers can see everything in one trip into the city. One of those shows decided that we (artists and craftspeople) were too much competition for them (mass-produced crap out of China). They book blocks of rooms at ALL the hotels in the area of Toronto where these shows are held. They also book space at all the major conference centers in the area to host this event. This year, they placed a clause in their contract at ALL these locations, saying that they had veto power over anyone who decided to use any other space in these buildings, and VETO they did. Our show was unable to find a venue for the 2011.

YUP. Those assholes blocked our little show from happening. They were too intimidated by the hand made work of Canadian artists that they decided to block our access to buyers.
How's that for nice?

If I REALLY wanted to, I could sign up to have a booth at this "other" show, and at some point in the near future, I will have to (hence, I'm withholding their name thanks to Google notifications). But signing up for this show requires a $500 'initiation' fee, plus a $325 annual fee. That only gets me a 'silver' membership. From there, I'm reviewed by a board of directors who will decide whether or not my business is worthy of a 'gold' membership. Once I am offered a gold membership, I have the privilege of being placed on a wait list (of one to 4 years) before I can show at their wholesale show. Lucky me.

Now this wouldn't be so bad, except that this particular show is frequented by idea poachers. Industry reps who scour these shows looking for ideas that they can steal and brand as their own.

I shudder to think of what this selfish act will do to the artisans who rely on that show for income. I shudder to think of what this selfish act will do to the retailers who seek out one of a kind, hand made goods to carry in their stores. There was no need for this company to do this. In other cities across Canada, these shows co-exist and have for a very long time. They even share the space to show in. Retailers shop around at ALL the wholesale shows looking for products to carry in their shops. To claim that our little show was too much competition is ludicrous. It all boils down to corporate greed. It always does.