Trade shows: Experience our new products
Trade Shows are an integral part of our sales efforts since most new customers are exposed to our products for the first time at these events and existing customers are coming to see what’s new and trendy. This year’s traffic has improved in Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas compared with the same shows last year, which was at the height of concern in the industry. Attitudes among retailers are improving, as well. Generally speaking, most attendees have had a good fourth quarter and many businesses are starting to re-stock the shelves and are preparing their orders for Christmas 2010.
To better plan the shows and make our retailers’ visit worthwhile, we always ensure we provide new, proper samples and just the right amount. One of the characteristics of this industry is that it’s very tactile and customers like to see, hold and feel the products in person. Since trends are always changing, we completely revamp each of our show rooms twice a year. We work with so many different vendors at such a fast pace that it’s often a challenge to ship samples in time for proper preparation before show time. Our team works quickly and puts in a great deal of overtime ensuring that we can make the show absolutely a great experience for our retailers to attend.
Our second largest initiative is to schedule individual presentations to further interact with our retailers in person and share with them the excitement over our new products. At these meetings, they can pre-book immediately or work with their TMs back in their regional stores. We also do some preliminary outreach by using our B2B platform with show event info listed on the website to ensure our customers know where and when to attend. Our TMs do most of the marketing for the shows when they visit retailers and book appointments. Customers who book show appointments months or weeks in advance of attending the show come prepared to pre-order and have a firm grasp on merchandising for their upcoming seasons. We strongly encourage our customers to spend the time before the show, doing light planning and projecting to be able to get the most benefit.
Some of our retailer favorites this year, specifically at the Atlantic show are really part of our exciting new extended line in Cypress Home Fall and Christmas. Customers loved the line and were impressed with the pricing. Particularly strong categories were the fused glass pieces and the holiday ornaments.
Evergreen Flag and Mailbox Covers are consistently popular at the shows, as well. Customers can clearly see the difference in the quality, design, and detail of our product compared with others in the industry. The Guaranteed Exchange Program we offer is just sweet icing on the cake for retailers who want quality programs, at great prices, guaranteed for success.
Monogram products are still a very strong category. Last January, we saw a number of retailers adding the category for the first time. This led to exceptionally big numbers. First time orders for this product type tend to be the largest. Plus, last year, the majority of the first-time dealer orders were for Flags, the category with the largest buy-in. This year, we had a combination of reorders and the addition of new piece types to our customers' Monogram mix. Monogram product continues to retail strong for our customers.
Again a reminder, Evergreen has three permanent show rooms in Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas. The show room in Atlanta is open all year round for contract. But the show season is about a eight days in January, 8 days in July, 4 days in March or June. Dallas is similar, open for 25 days a year. Las Vegas is open for a week in February and again a week in August. For more information, please contact your TM or check out our website:
John Toler
VP of Sales, Independent Accounts
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