Design Trade Shows – Which Ones Are Worth It?
By Linda Merrill
Interior designers are busy people. Whether we work for a large firm or run our own small businesses, our time is spent satisfying our current clients while searching for future clients. While working in our businesses, we need to work on our businesses. And this includes learning what great new products and technologies are out there and increasing our knowledge base by taking continuing education courses. Added to that is the explosion of social media opportunities that keep many of us hooked to Facebook, Twitter and our own blogs. And oh yeah, we need to focus on our personal lives too.
With all of these pulls on our time, attending all the available trade shows can be hard to pull off. If you’re a one person shop as I am, the time spent attending in-town seminars and out of town trade shows has to be carefully managed because when I’m traveling, sitting in a lecture or walking a show floor, there is no billable work getting done. Client projects sit untended, new clients aren’t being lined up, and bills aren’t getting paid.
So, how do you decide which shows to attend and which to skip?
I think the number one thing to keep in mind is that every moment and every dollar you spend attending a show needs to serve your business goals. If you’re a kitchen designer, or an interior designer who works on a lot of kitchen projects, then attendance at kitchen shows such as KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) is very important and worth the investment of time and money. However, if you’re a decorator who rarely if ever does full scale kitchen and bath projects, it's probably not be the best use of time or resources. This is not to say that you shouldn’t attend a show that is outside your area of expertise, just that it’s something to think about.
When I started my own business I was new to the industry and very unschooled about which trade shows to attend. I was regularly asked if I’d been to Market in High Point, or Las Vegas but I never really knew if I should go because I don’t stock merchandise. Three years ago, I won a trip to Maison et Objet in Paris and it was an amazing experience to see stand after stand of new products, trends and styles. I finally attended the High Point Market and had the same feeling. Attending a show that is all about your area of interest and focus is invigorating and inspiring. You learn so much about individual product lines and manufacturers that certainly will broaden your knowledge base when it comes to specifying products for your clients.
Last week in Boston, I chose not to attend the Residential Design & Construction show, which I presented at last year. I was on the fence, but the time it would take, plus the cost of gas, parking and the entrance fee ended up being more than I was willing to spend for a show that is mostly geared to builders and architects. While I certainly would have seen some interesting new products and met great people, I determined that what was sitting on my desk would need to take precedence.
In mid-May, I attended an event in New York for design and lifestyle bloggers. Over three days, we were be hosted by all the major shelter magazines in meet-and-greets with their editorial staffs. There were also opportunities to attend the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) and the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. On top of that, I got to meet and network with nearly one hundred fellow design bloggers whose work I admire. But, the cost of three days out of the office and the cost of travel and a three-night stay in a New York City hotel are not to be taken lightly either. The opportunity to get an insider’s view of the magazine publishing world was the reason I felt the trip was worth it. However, I’ve opted to not spend time visiting the ICFF show or wandering around the showrooms of the D&D building in favor of having some remote “office” time with my computer back at the hotel. But, I felt that a trip to the Kips Bay Showhouse would be inspirational for my own design work.
In the end, deciding which shows to attend and which to skip is all about your own bottom-line:
• Does the tradeshow directly serve your business needs for continuing education and networking or do you aspire to work in the field that is the focus of the show?
• Will there be opportunities to meet the influencers of your profession whether they be designers, manufacturers or the media?
• Do you need to “rev your engines” and find new inspiration?
• Can you pick and choose what to attend once you’re at a show and can you work remotely to keep the home fires burning?
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Linda Merrill is a residential interior decorator based in Massachusetts. Linda's design style can be described as "comfortable luxury" and she believes in working closely with clients throughout the entire design process. Her clients are mainly located between metro-Boston and Cape Cod and the Islands. Linda writes a nationally regarded design blog called ::Surroundings:: and is the host of the design podcast series The Skirted Roundtable.
