Passport to Discovery Promises Adventure, Fun and Prizes At NSS

Passport to Discovery, a fabulous promotion launched in partnership with Gifts & Decorative Accessories at the 2008 National Stationery Show, is back – and it’s bigger and better in 2009!

Celebrating the NSS’ long-standing reputation as the major discovery zone for new and innovative stationery and lifestyle products, Passport to Discovery will take buyers on a whirlwind tour of NSS in a fun and engaging way. Just pick up your passport in lobby bins where you get your badge holder, have it stamped at the six participating exhibitors’ booths, and drop off the completed book at Gifts & Dec’s booth #2500. 

Hint:  One of the stops is at the Get Married booth, where you’ll also pick up a free bag filled with product goodies from NSS exhibitors! 

Buyers completing the Passport to Discovery circuit will be eligible to win one of 15 designer fabric tote bags bursting with the best products the stationery industry has to offer, valued at more than $300!  In addition, one lucky Grand Prize Winner will receive two complimentary room nights at an upscale New York hotel for the 2010 National Stationery Show.

Plan to participate…what will you discover at the NSS?

Exhibitor Buzz

SIGNIFICANT PRICE REDUCTIONS ON FOAMBOARD AND ELECTRICAL!
Key vendor partners extend additional savings to NSS exhibitors

Custom-color or White Foamboard prices are at their lowest levels in years - Manny Stone Decorators is ready to serve you with substantial price reductions - but you must order by April 13th to gain the "Early Bird" discount rates. Click here to get started.

Electric - The Javits Center provides electrical power and installation within the building.  All exhibitors will receive a 10% cost reduction credit on all orders for electrical outlets and Javits Center lighting fixtures. The cost reduction credit for these services should appear on your Javits Center invoice.  This discount applies on early and on-site orders, but order by May 2nd  for the most savings. Click here to get started.

Review your Set Up Manual to get going on your plans. 

Be the First to Discover These Brand New Companies  at the National Stationery Show!

A Pen for All Reasons
Why selling writing instruments makes sense

Nancy Olson
Associate publisher of Fine Life Media and
Editor of IW Ladies magazine and Stylus

Nancy Olson has been in the writing instrument industry for the past twenty years and has worked firsthand with virtually all the major pen manufacturers and pen specialist retailers. She is currently associate publisher of Fine Life Media and editor of IW Ladies magazine and Stylus—an internationally acclaimed quarterly publication devoted to pens, accessories and the art of writing. She has written for a variety of trade and consumer magazines, and is a frequent lecturer at trade shows.

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Married!

The National Stationery Show has partnered with Get Married, a Lifetime Television program and leading online resource for wedding products and services, to produce a series of bridal-themed table vignettes emphasizing the breadth of wedding products debuting at the Show.

These eye-catching table displays will highlight clever and innovative ways for retailers to create visual excitement and boost bridal sales in their stores. Bursting with easy, yet imaginative merchandising ideas, the table settings will showcase designer paper tableware, invitations, ribbons and packaging, party favors and other exhibitors products for which the Show is a major resource. Table themes will include Elegance on a Budget, Eco-Chic Wedding, Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party.

The bridal showcase also will offer display tips and tricks from celebrated visual merchandising expert Linda Cahan – and to help boost sagging mid-afternoon blood sugar levels – Get Married and NSS invite attendees and exhibitors to take a Sweet Treat Break at the chocolate fountains.

Get Married will cover the latest trends showcased at the National Stationery Show on their popular television show (airing weekdays on Lifetime Television at 7:30 a.m. ET/PT) as well as on its dynamic website for all things wedding, www.GetMarried.com.

Here to stay...or M.I.A.?

Cinda Baxter
Always Upward and RetailSpeaks

Occasionally, people connected to the gift industry ask me what all the fuss is about regarding the National Stationery Show. They can’t fathom why there’s such a sense of immediacy attached to it, compared to the winter and summer show circuits.  I tell them that’s exactly the point. With gifts, there are multiple shows to choose from, two cycles a year to work from, and a zillion companies to select from, most of which have some kind of rep system in place.

With paper, it’s quite different.

There’s exactly one show each year, and it’s in New York. No Plan B alternatives or Market Tuesdays to fall back on. If you sell paper, print paper, produce paper, or need paper, this is your annual trek to Mecca…the paper industry’s national show, and it represents the mother load. Nowhere else will you find a crowd as niche-specific, committed, or focused. This is why success-driven retailers and vendors wouldn’t dream of cutting it out.

True, this is a tricky year. Finances are tight, and a lot more thought goes into every expenditure. The payoff for attending, however, will be a room filled with determined people, there on a mission, hell bent on being among those standing proud and profitable one year from now.

Skipping NSS, on the other hand, could be the equivalent of delivering your business to the competition on a silver platter. Never before have fresh product, nurtured relationships, strategic planning, or the burst of creative energy that comes from being on the show floor, been more critical to your survival.

If this winter’s gift show circuit taught me anything, it’s that attitude is key to our industry’s success no matter on what side of the industry you sit.

Buyers can’t bet on reps, catalogs, or phone calls alone; you risk becoming stagnant...or worse, forgotten.  So, visit the Show with an open mind and a smile, remembering that exhibitors pay thousands of dollars to be there for you. If your plan is to take notes then order from home, tell them up front, and thank them for their patience. Be sure to make eye contact, smile and say hello to those working the booths. You’d be amazed at how far that goes.

Vendors, remember that while it costs less for buyers to attend then it does for you to exhibit, many finance the trip out of their own pocket. Their stores don’t sell as much product when they’re gone and many are operating on skeleton crews as it is. Be patient, and be kind. Encourage note taking!  Surely, don’t view this as lost sales. Odds are, they’ll be faxing the order later, after confirming they can cover the invoice.

Companies that embrace buyers regardless of their ordering status will be the partners stores promote long term.

This is your shot, folks.  This is the NSS.  Take the field and make it count!  Or, step aside and get rolled over.

Cinda Baxter is a retail coach/consultant (Always Upward), founder of RetailSpeaks.com, and contributing editor for “Gifts and Decorative Accessories” magazine. Check out her blog at alwaysupward.com/blog or contact her at get_info@alwaysupward.com.