To exhibit in The Supply Side click here .

Meet the NSS Team

All year round the NSS team works diligently to organize the very best possible business event for our valued exhibitors, buyers, the media and other industry professionals. 

Some of us may be familiar faces, and others from the team might be flying under the radar.   And so, to help introduce you to our entire dedicated team, here are the first in a series of NSS staff profiles which will run in issues of PaperClips throughout the next few months.

Ø       Tell us a little about your background and how many years you’ve been with GLM:

I have loved greeting cards and invitations since I was a child.  I also love writing - long letters was my most favorite method until I learned how to type, which was a must as a journalism major in college.  Call me old fashioned, but I still treasure the art of writing, and I especially believe in ink on paper.  So, after a 5-year stint in advertising and the hotel business, I was fortunate to match passion with profession and went to work for the Greeting Card Association as Director of Communications.  Spearheading the creation of the greeting card industry's Louie Awards was one of the "hallmarks" of  my career there.

The transition to run the National Stationery Show happened three years into my job with the GCA, when marriage brought me to New York.  Could serendipity have worked more in my favor?  During the 20 years I've run the Show, I also became a mom, and I took a 5 -year break when the girls were little.  Those years were delicious and too fleeting, but the return to a job serving an industry filled friends and colleagues I thoroughly enjoy, was my great fortune. 

Ø        What are some of your responsibilities for the National Stationery Show?

 

As Show Manager, I am responsible from top to bottom for all aspects of strategy, marketing, budgeting, sales and customer care, buyer services and operations.  Naturally I have the support of a fantastic team and outstanding vendors who make the job both challenging and fun.  My business approach is entrepreneurial, my style collaborative and my mindset each day is "lead, be authentic and fair, maintain top standards and serve the customer."

 

Ø        What are some of your favorite stationery products and why do you love stationery? 

 

To put it simply:  Stationery products are, thoughtful, expressive, celebratory, supportive, can be funny, often beautiful, an extension of my personal style and value system, a gift in and of themselves, have a tactile quality, and most importantly, personal in the way they touch another human being. 

 

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Ø        Tell us a little about your background and how many years you’ve been with GLM:

I’ve been with GLM for 10 years! Patti and I like to say I was hired over oatmeal at the Grand Hyatt in NYC.  That's not quite true, but that's where she interviewed me, initially, for the job I now have.  That was back in 1999.  I've worked on the National Stationery Show all my years here.  Before GLM, I was at amfAR (the American Foundation for AIDS Research) working in fundraising through special events.  I used to run events such as our World AIDS Day Celebration at the United Nations each year, and the Broadway event "A Tribute to Angela Lansbury" that I ran in 1996 was the first event that raised over one million dollars for amfAR at that time. When I was at amfAR, I managed the volunteer group Gift for Life –the gift/stationery/home industries leading charity.  I came to know this industry through Gift For Life.

  Ø        What are some of your responsibilities for the National Stationery Show? 

On the surface you might say that I sell booth space.  But I don't see it that way at all.  I see it that it is my responsibility to find the best resources in the social stationery industry and bring them to the National Stationery Show.  It is important that the exhibitors in the Show are talented, prolific, and come prepared to begin productive working relationships.  If the NSS didn't have great exhibitors, buyers would have no reason to attend the Show.  Happily the NSS is filled with amazing products and services from hundreds of exhibitors.  

Also, I see myself as somewhat of a consultant to the exhibitors in the NSS and I also realize that I can be a bit of a consultant to buyers, too!  When I stop in on retailers, I am often asked about companies, new products, if I know someone or something - and usually, I can answer these kinds of questions.   

Ø        What are some of your favorite stationery products and why do you love stationery? 

This is a tough question, because I have so many favorite products.  And these are also products made by people I admire and am so very honored to know.   I do love any pretty spiral bound notebook (I use them for work) and it has to be that "hand" size-- so the spiral medium-sized notebooks Lifeguard Press’ Lilly Pulitzer line or from the Vera Bradley collection really fit the bill as beautiful yet functional products.  Right now, I am loving J & M Martinez cards - so different from others on the market!  I've sent several glitzy birthday cards from this line this year.   I also send lots of cards by Design Design, and my holiday cards this year were from MOMA, Papyrus and Caspari.  I love embellishment, special treatments, foils, embossing, flocking - I guess my time working as the show manager for The Supply Side has given me a certain appreciation for papers and finishes I don't just love stationery - I love the amazing people in this industry.  It is truly filled with kind, generous, inspiring people.  I couldn't ask to work in a better industry or on a better Show!
 

As partners in your success, we offer numerous marketing services to enhance your exposure to retailers, distributors, other vendors and press globally, as well as manufacturer’s reps across the U.S.   Click here to check out these excellent strategies to build your visibility.  Also, be sure to watch for periodic email notifications that present spontaneous promotional opportunities

Pre-Show webinars discussing Marketing Communications, Visual Merchandising and Sales, and Operations (covering the how-to’s of move-in and move-out as well as key information about exhibiting in the Javits Center) take place in February and March. These programs will help you hit the ground running as you prepare for the Show.   For complete information click here.

It’s often helpful to talk to a seasoned exhibitor peer to discuss your questions about the Show.  And many of the exhibitors in NSS are happy to share their ideas with you.   The Mentor program is in place specifically to match new exhibitors with experienced exhibitors.  Complete and submit the form, and we’ll do the rest!

*Be sure to check the website frequently to stay current on all things stationery! And remember to book your housing now to capture the best deals.  Travel Planners is your best resource for full service care, and you don’t have to pay a thing until you arrive in New York.  Click here to get started.

To exhibit in the show click here.

Retailers Write Now!

Bet you’re already thinking May in New York, and we’re eager to welcome you.  To help you get started on your plans, here are a few reminders:

1.   Book your housing now to capture the best deals.  Travel Planners is your best resource for full service care, and you don’t have to pay a thing until you arrive in New York.  Click here to get started.

2.   Take a look at the superb educational offerings taking place during the show

and register early, as these sell out quickly. From trends to merchandising seminars, to hands-on demonstrations and roundtable discussions, the

information gleaned can make a big difference in your business year surely and enrich your show experience.  Click here to learn more.
 

3.   Buyer registration is open for business!  Please make any changes and/or edits

to your record to insure that the badge you receive in the mail is correct.  If you haven’t yet registered or if you haven’t been to the Show in the last year or two, please take a moment to register today, so we can keep in contact with you, as well as mail your badge in advance. Click here.
 

4.   Stay tuned for email alerts about the Show.  Except for your paper badge, which will mail in April, all show information will be presented digitally. 

5.   Be sure to check the website frequently to stay current on all things stationery!

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, veteran retailer and award-winning author of A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques

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The new year is upon us and all around us are the sounds of millions of tweets filling the air. And, every day, more and more retailers are turning to Twitter to promote their businesses…

Trouble is when the big "T" word comes up we hear things like "I don't get it" or, worse, "It isn't working for me." When Time magazine interviewed the CEO of Twitter, he said even he didn't "get it" when he first started the site.

To complicate matters, Twitter is so popular that new applications are being fielded all the time and just when you think you are "getting it," there will be something new to get. Twitter seems easy and fast at first glance. But the more you know about it, the more effective it can be. Here are some helps to start you tweeting--or tweeting more effectively.

It will take you only a minute to set up your account. As you do it, stay targeted. Give details in your biography. What do your carry? Use your Web site address. For your avatar or icon, use a picture of your store or your logo.

Beyond that, here are some basics but even if you've been tweeting for a while, you may find some tips here that will help you stay on target.

§        "Following" is the word tweeters use for getting connected on Twitter. Forget following old high school pals or people in your neighborhood. That is, unless they would also be possible customers. If you want to socialize, use another Twitter account, MySpace, or Facebook.

§          Build your list of followers slowly and methodically. You follow someone. They follow you. You don't want the stats on your page to show that you are following too many more people than are following you. So, if they don't, you get to unfollow them. And in fact you should. Give them about a week to make up their minds.

§          Try to connect with those who follow you. Use http://www.tweetlater.com to automatically follow those who follow you and let it automatically post a message to them, too. Maybe about a Twitter special--some store benefit that only followers get.

§          Follow everyone who follows you. Twitter is about inclusion, not exclusion. If someone is using twitter to flirt, you can unfollow him or her later.

§          With that same concept in mind, tweet about others. If you see something great on the Web and it's related to your store, give your followers the URL.

§          If a follower says something that would be useful to your other followers (say about the brand stationery you carry), "retweet" their message. ("Retweeting" as pretty much the same as "repeating" but you begin the tweet with  "RT" so everyone knows it comes from someone else). Messages that praise or mention you are like mini endorsements. We all know how endorsements sell. So, how do you know when someone on Twitter mentions Gibson or Hallmark? Let http://www.tweetbeep.com alert you when keywords that apply to your product mix are used anywhere in the Twitter world. And, of course, those same folks would be prime prospects for you to follow. Two Twitter Birds with one stone.

§          Use Twitter to glean information. Your customers will feel involved if you ask them to weigh in on your new product line.

§          Once you have a large group of followers, do a tweet chat at http://tweetchat.com You set a time, invite your followers and ask them to invite theirs. Choose a focused topic, say, the etiquette of wedding invitations. Entice them to show up with by asking questions that people may not know the answer to. Don't be discouraged if you only get a few to your chat. This is about exposure and about making your expertise evident.

§          Network: After my first week on Twitter I had two interviews on Internet  radio, was asked to guest blog, and even scored a regular old-fashioned radio appearance. You can even mention that you are available for these things. It works!

§          Add widgets (little icons that take people directly to a page). Your widgets will invite people to join you on Twitter. Put them on your Web site, blog, and e-mail signature. Put your Twitter address everywhere else, too. On your business cards, stationery and checks. Stuff your bags with invitations to join you on Twitter. It will look like something like this: www.twitter.com/FrugalRetailing. But you can also shorten it to @FrugalRetailing.  Anyone who used Twitter will understand how to use it.

§          Use a related site called http://www.TwitWall.com to let your followers see longer pieces, like media releases or articles or great description of products from the National Stationery Show Web site (www.nationalstationeryshow.com).

§          And about that now-famous question on Twitter that asks "What are you doing now?" Sure you can let your followers know. Just don't tell them you're going to be eating dinner or going to bed. Do let them know when you've posted to your blog, updated your Web site, instituted a new service, produced a free white paper, found a new product, put a new product on the floor, attended a trade show.

In a shoutout, Time magazine notes, "It's entirely possible that three of four years from now, we'll have moved on [to something new on the Web]. But the key elements of the Twitter platform will persevere. Every major channel of information will be Twitterfied."

If Time is right, you might as well get with it now! Especially since of all the social networking I do, Twitter is the one thing for which I see immediate, measurable results.

And, of course! You can follow me to network and to get promotion ideas, industry news updates and more. Go to http://www.twitter.com/frugalretailing. Click on the follow bar under the picture of the cover of my Frugal Retailing book and voilá! I'll follow back. Now we're on a new year’s roll!