Monday, 29 October 2012

Our First Trade Show

Our first Feria/ Trade Show was such a wonderful experience!  I wish we had more photos of the other stands and of my husband and I in action once the crowds arrived… but the great news is that we just got too busy!!!  We have all sorts of ideas to improve for the next trade show but all in all I think we did pretty well!  Some photos to share with you…
pre-fair packaging fest

earling morning car-window shot on the way there 

set up


 


Some of the tools of the trade... I put them on show as it was an Artisan Fair and lots of artisans were actually doing their crafts there, like the glass blower, the ceramists, the basket weaver, the baker.... Lots of people were fascinated with these soap making tools


behind the scenes...
  
the "office"

getting samples ready...
 the quilting stand 
 
ceramics

glass-work
"hotel Volkwagen"

another early morning photo

me at work, when the first customers started arriving... 
 
I love trying new things… so here are some of the firsts that we did this weekend…
First big trade show
 
First time selling in Murcia
 
First time sleeping in a Volkswagen Camper Van (a secret wish of mine for more than 25 years!)
 
First time my husband and I have worked so closely together non-stop for 3 days, and I was surprised how well it went. I really cannot imagine anyone else that I could have enjoyed it so much with. Maybe Dad…
 
First time setting up an Expo / trade fair stand
First time using our new Naturalmente Mediterraneo tall marketing stand
First time selling 10 hours straight in a row without stopping
First time meeting a lot of the other trade fair people we met, from all over Spain
First time gorging on these amazing Murcian meat-pies…
First time we giggled ourselves to sleep two nights in a row…
First time (in a few years) that I didn’t even THINK of accessing internet for 3 days running… pathetic isn’t it?  I realized afterward how dependent we are on it
I am sure there are a whole lot more firsts… but I gotta go get my shop set back up…!!
Big hugs and kisses to you all!! Xo Jen

22 comments:

Donna OShaughnessy said...

JEN!! Your booth was so beautiful, I love the light colors and the banner so well done. Your hubbie was very nice to look at as well :) So glad it went well for you, You've worked so hard.

Amy said...

Congratulations! Your booth and your products looked fantastic!

Cee said...

Congratulations Jen on a successful weekend! I love your set-up; uncluttered and natural looking, very attractive! What a great idea to display your soapmaking tools, thanks for sharing your pictures! :)

Unknown said...

Hi Jen, congratulations for the first trade show! your booth is wonderful and love love your products :)
I really love to read your lovely post like this!!

The Soap Sister said...

Hi Jen, Everything looks great! Very professional, and what a fun time with Hubby! :)

Nitya said...

Congratulations dear Jennifer!! It is so nice to see you do so well and what an inspiration you are for me. Everything is displayed so beautifully and love how organised everything is behind the scene. :)
Much love to you!

Coco said...

Awesome booth display! So glad it was a success. It´s really inspiring to see your business/passion taking off like this. Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen!
The light pastel colors of your stand are beautiful. Wish you a lot of success for the trade shows which are to come!
Maya

Jennifer Young said...

Donna, Thank you!!! So positive as usual. Please that you like the stand! I think hubby's pretty cute too... I can't imagine many people working harder than an organic farmer... so your comment about working hard comes as a real compliment from the hardest of workers. Your soaps look great lately!! xo Jen

Amy, Thank you for your nice comment!! xoxo Jen

Cee Gee, Thanks for your comment. So glad you enjoyed the photos! xo Jen

Jennifer Young said...

Mika, Thank you for your sweet comment. So glad you like the set up and the products. Yours always look so beautiful. xo Jen

Becky, So nice to hear from you!! Hope you are well. Hugs. Hubby and I had a great time. Worked hard and laughed lots. xo Jen

Nitya, Thanks for your beautiful comment. So nice to hear I can be an inspiration to someone. Your experimenting with natural colours are wonderful and I always look foward to your posts about them. xoxoxo Jen

Jennifer Young said...

Coco, Thanks for your lovely comment!! You know? I still have your beautiful soaps to try out and post about... I feel badly that I have set that aside... I love your Vetiver scented one... are you still soaping? xo Jen

Maya,Thank you so much! Glad you like the stands colours. I think we can do better next time, but I was pretty pleased. I am not a perfectionist... and I am easily pleased but my husband, the perfectionist has all sorts of ideas for the next one... hmmm. xoxoxo Jen

I-Create said...

Wow Jen! What a huge effort! Congratulations on a fine display. You must be very pleased with how things are progressing. Your success is well deserved. Looking forward to hearing about your next big adventure! Pauline xx

cokesiete@gmail.com said...

Sabes que me encanta todo tu trabajo, asi que solo decirte: FELICIDADES!
Que bonito todo, que buen gusto tienes, me encantaaaaa!

Jennifer Young said...

Pauline, Thanks for your awesome comment! xoxoxo Jen

Cokesiete, Gracias por tu comentario tan positivo!!! xo Jen

Two Blooms Design Studio said...

Really professional looking and love the signs you had made. We've been so busy we still haven't ordered signs yet but one of these days we will get there. Usually we make our own but then they get tricky to carry.

Your space is nice and roomy looking too. Looks like you did really well.

Michelle

Jennifer Young said...

Hi Michelle! Thanks for your comment. Our tall sign is new and it rolls up and even goes into a little case... Post pix of your market stand!! Xo Jen

madelikeu said...

This is very helpful to see and wonder at the nice soap you have created. Great color choice!

Thank you for sharing,
the Sudsy Soapery
Jonathan & Kaycie
www.sudsysoapery.com

Jennifer Young said...

The Sudsy Soapery, Thank you and happy new year!! xo Jen

Pipestone Soaps said...

I love reading your posts! Such beautiful soaps and loved your trade show set up ~Sacha

Jennifer Young said...

Pipestone Soaps, Thank you!! I drool over some of these perfect tradeshow booths on Pinterest... maybe one day. For the moment I think we did okay! So glad you liked the set up. xo Jen

Unknown said...

Sounds like you've had fun, and everything went well. I hope the succeeding trade shows you've attended also went as well as this one, or even better. You get to accumulate more practical lessons on what to and not to do on every trade show you attend. While you've personally managed your transportation for your booth this time, there will come a chance for a bigger trade show that's farther away than the others you've been to. Take note of your shipping, such as how will you track them with the freight company and drayage costs.

Legacy

Jennifer Young said...

Renea, Thanks for your comment!! xo jen