Mel at ELDS
One of our super talented design school graduates Mel Smith took part in a number of fairs in the run up to Christmas and kindly shared her experiences in preparing for and taking part in the shows.
MADE IN CLERKENWELL – Spread across 3 Victorian buildings in the heart of creative Clerkenwell, MiC is for ready-to-wear fashion, jewellery, accessories, ceramics, printmaking, illustration and interior products by over 100 selected UK designer-makers
EAST LONDON DESIGN SHOW -The East London Design Show (or ELDS) is an annual event that brings together the best of the UK’s independent product, interior and jewellery designers, all under one roof, just before Christmas.
THE StockMKT (Spitalfields) – In the historic market spot of Spitalfields, The StockMKT offers a magical mix of London’s best street food, art and crafts, artists, live bands and DJs.
ELDS Stand
3 very different markets across 3 weekends!
– MiC was a great set of 11 designers in the basement area of Craft Central. ACross 4 days the last day (Sunday) was by far the busiest and most bustling with a great atmosphere. I had a wonderful neighbour to giggle with the whole weekend as well, which made it all the more fun.
– ELDS was unfortunately less busy. I’m not sure why but a few comments were that it was difficult to find so we got out there and touted! The last day again was the busiest with a flurry of visitors in the morning. And I had a great time with Blooming Briony in the ‘enchanted forest’ (as we named!)
– The StockMKT was by far my favourite – it was only one day (which by that point I was grateful for as I was very tired from a 4 day and 5 day show!) and the DJs and live band were beyond excellent – I was dancing on my stand for near on 5 hours! Such a great atmosphere…can’t wait for the next one!
Tableware collection
– Did you make contact with any potential clients before the show?
For MiC and ELDS we were provided with a lot of flyers to dish out which I handed to friends and family mainly being that these were retail shows. I did contact a few shops who I had already been in discussion with about my new ranges as this would be the first opportunity to see them before the main launch at Spring Fair in February.
StockMKT stand
– How long in advance did you begin to plan for the show(s)?
Only about 2 weeks to 1 month. Some I was only confirmed for this amount in advance. It was fairly easy for me this year as I was launching new products so knew what I wanted to take, but as soon as a I book them I generally start thinking about what I want to do – just from sheer excitement! It’s always good to be prepared and have a couple of ideas just in case you get to set up and something is different from what you expect.
For MiC I was invited to see my space so I could plan around it – I found this really helpful for this show especially, mainly because it was a bit more of a ‘fiddly’ space and I had a couple of limitations.
For ELDS I was sharing with Blooming Briony so we had to plan via email a lot of the time with Photoshop mock ups! Although we did manage a meet up to discuss it but as always we went off topic!
– Do you find it difficult approaching people at the shows, or do people usually initiate conversation with you?
This is always a tricky one! Some people readily engage with you and want to know about you and your work and the story behind it. Other people are happy just browsing. I try to get a feel for how they are by giving a quick tit-bit of info or offering a business card and see how they react and take it from there.
MiC Stand
– Did you find it difficult choosing which pieces to show?
I had it all planned out for MiC – by then there was an error during manufacturing which meant my products weren’t completed in time so I had to rework the stand design the night before! A little stressful to say the least but it all came to gather and it actually meant I had more variety between shows and got to give something different at each one which is nice for the visitors.
– Any tips for having a successful day on the day itself?
Definitely bring a lunch! The food can work out really expensive, not so bad on a one day event or if you’re outside and need something warm, but on a 4 day event like miC and ELDS it all adds up very quickly and ultimately just eats (ha, no pun intended!) into your profit.
A friend does help to keep you going, allows for quick breaks away. I was lucky enough to be next to some lovely designers at MiC, I shared a stand with Blooming Briony (a reunited old school friend) at ELDS, and the always brilliant Liz of Elle Jane Designs (also an alumni of ABSPD) helped me at StockMKT.
I always take a book for peoples business cards so I can make extra notes as well. And this time I had a secret hiding space for my bag so it didn’t look messy – a definite improvements from my past stands!
ELDS (skiing!)
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I am stupidly passionate about pattern and colour . And when the two combine, well, I just love it! I like to see patterns and I like to create patterns . My own designs have a modern retro/vintage vibe, and with their playful twist they are there to brighten up a room and put a smile on your face . It’s as simple as that
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(If you enjoyed this post, check out Mel’s Top Drawer Trade Show review HERE)
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