Melissa Hyatt is an artist and surface pattern designer and a fabulous member and graduate of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. Today we are thrilled to feature Melissa’s very insightful report on Surtex 2016 after attending earlier this year.
To Surtex or not to Surtex?
That is a question I have been asking myself lately.
It sounds like a Shakespeare quote but this phrase has been rattling around in my brain over the last few months. I am an Artist and Surface Pattern Designer and have been trying to figure out whether I should exhibit at Surtex, a major design and Art Licensing show held every May in NYC at the Jacob Javitz Center
I have attended Surtex many times in various capacities during my design career. First as a Stylist,then Design Director for Waverly Fabrics to review and buy designs from Design Studios from all over the world. I went back years later as a freelance designer to meet with prospective clients and walk the show. Now I wanted to go back and find out more about what it would be like to be an exhibitor.
So this past May I cleared by schedule and made plans to attend the show.
I have been taking numerous online design classes over the last year which has lead me to meet artists and agents in this amazing industry. Many of them are so generous about sharing their knowledge, which has been a huge boost to me as a solo designer. It’s really hard to stay motivated and focused when you have your own business and work at home alone. But I feel I have a whole network of coworkers and cheerleaders ready to lend and ear and offer advice when asked. It’s awesome….
I have been taking The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design classes with the Make It In Design team and they had asked if any designers were planning on attending any tradeshows and would we be interested in asking some question to exhibitors and report back our findings to them. I thought oh how cool and what a great way to meet people. So I signed my self up. I was sent a simple questionnaire that I could use at my discretion.
I am a member of a Facebook group called Heart 2 Art and I saw a post this winter from watercolor designer Corinne Haig asking for artists to help her man her booth at Surtex and in return she would give you a pass for the show. (The passes to walk the show over $300.00) so I contacted her and she replied back that she would love to have my help during the show! This was perfect and I knew it would offer me first hand experience to see what it was like to man a booth, set up a booth, meet with clients and help me decide if I should do the show myself. It’s a huge investment and I wanted to see if it is for me or not.
On May 15, 2016 I boarded the Long Island Railroad to Penn station NYC then headed via bus the the Jacob Javitz Center. Got my badge at registration and headed to find Corinne at her booth in the design district. Surtex runs in conjunction with the National Stationary Show and ICCF. So there are tons of people coming and going, it’s all very exciting and overwhelming at the same time.
I found Corinne’s beautiful booth and introduced myself. She gave me a quick orientation and the traffic started flowing. There was a steady stream of Art Directors and Buyers coming to see her look book and inquire about her beautiful designs. We had a handy worksheet to fill out with each prospective client that kept everything really organized.
Corinne Haig’s beautiful Surtex booth
When we had a rare quiet moment I asked Corinne a few questions.
I asked her how she prepared for the show and she told me that she made a huge list of to do’s for the show.
Then broke it into a timeline. Items included order banners and product mock ups, do her look book on blurb.com and create new designs. Corinne said she would start sooner next time to prepare now that she knows what to expect.
She was thrilled with the show and she met lots of new contacts in categories she never imagined such as Fashion and fragrance packaging.
Overall Corinne said “It exceeded my expectations!!! Everyone was so nice it was delightful.”
She loved meeting Artists face to face that she knew from social media.
Her advice if it’s your first time exhibiting is to keep it simple that way there are fewer things to keep track of at the show. She said she would absolutely do the Surtex Show again.
I had a great time working and learning from her. She was so generous with her knowledge and her talent speaks volumes.
Thanks Corinne!
I met a fellow designer Jennifer Speer while taking Rachael Taylor’s Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design classes online. She was also helping out Corinne in her booth. She graciously shared her impressions and photos of Surtex with me. It was her first time to the show.
Jennifer Speer’s thoughts on Surtex –
“Overall, I’m happy about what I’ve learned and who I met for the first time and who I was able to meet that I had only spoke with over social media!
I have a lot to consider and many questions to ask myself. Am I ready to exhibit at Surtex? or do I want to find and Agent to represent my work? Do I have enough designs to show at a trade show? Can I afford the $7-10,000.00 investment of Surtex? Do I consider another smaller trade show like Printsourse or Blueprint?
It’s scary and exciting all at the same time. For now I am going to keep on painting, either way!
Be sure to check out the full blog post from Melissa here.
Melissa’s Top Tips for Trade Shows
- I can’t name just one booth that I loved the most, but I can say some of the practices that I noticed were best… Go big with the artwork. I found the smaller work to be busy and not so eye catching. That might work if you are well established though so that there’s plenty to look at. You just need something that will draw them in to your booth to then browse your portfolio.
- Another best practice that I saw was having a sheet to take notes with the buyers. They may try to run off quickly, but if you engage with them and ask pointed questions about what they are looking for they will appreciate it! Then staple their business card to that page. If they start to run out of business cards, ask to take a picture of it for them.”
My name is Melissa Hyatt and I love to paint. I was inspired early on by my Grandmother’s paintings which influenced my attending Syracuse University as a Surface Pattern Design major. After many years in NYC I left my dream job as a design director at Waverly Fabrics and moved to Eastern Long Island to raise my family. I started freelancing and eventually rediscovered my creative passion, painting.
From my sunny redesigned studio I create my watercolor and oil paintings , Giclee prints, freelance design projects for my textile clients, decorating solutions for my interior clients and I dream up new surface pattern designs.
Color inspires me every day in many ways whether it’s the colors in the sky, my daughter’s eyes, in the stores I shop in or my watercolor palette. With my paintings I strive to capture the light and beauty of the places and things I love. I want to share my art and to make the world a more beautiful place.
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