Archive for the ‘Needlearts Show information’ Category

It seems as if the summer just began, and yet here we are . . . a day away from the first of September, and two major events for TNNA.

When Maker Faire Detroit took place at the very beginning of August, we looked at the World Maker Faire in NYC as a spot in the distance.  Now it’s almost here.

If you happen to be anywhere near Flushing NY (and the Hall of Science), on September 25 and 26, you really should stop by to see what all the excitement is about.  In fact, if you’re able, you might consider signing up to help teach any one of the needlearts, knitting, crochet, needlepoint or cross-stitch at The National NeedleArts Association’s Needlearts Stitch Zone.  It’s easy to volunteer, just go to the Jooners site (http://www.jooners.com/guest?t=help&p=none&l=-3ff95ae9:12a75146ff3:-4c17) and fill in your name and cell phone number in the appropriate time slot.  I guarantee, you’ll have a great time.

TNNA’s generous donors supply all the materials, you supply the knowledge and the passion!

There’s also the Fall Needlecraft Market, of course, in St. Louis on the 25th and 26th at the Embassy Suites.  You can download the Buyer Registration at http://www.tnna.org/TradeShows/FallShow/tabid/159/Default.aspx.  A cash and carry show, this is a great way to pick up those extra items you really need for the coming season.  In a relaxed atmosphere, you can take classes, visit with friends, and recharge your spirits.

Both events offer you the chance to spend a few days surrounded by what you love the most (besides family, of course) . . . fiber, fun and friends.  I can’t think of a better way to welcome the fall.

I know it’s summer and there’s so much going on, but on those hot humid days, doing a little indoor surfing can be relaxing and informative.  If you haven’t stopped by TNNA’s Web site, TNNA.org in the past month, it’s time.

Did you know you can already register online for the Fall Needlecraft Market, September 25 – 26, 2010 in St. Charles/St. Louis MO.  Fall, you say?  Certainly far, far away.  But it will be here before you know it, and now’s the time to make your plans, and let your customers know you’ll be bringing home some treasures for their holiday purchases.

You can also find information about PiPN 2010 — TNNA’s Pathways into Professional Neeldlearts internship/apprenticeship program.  This summer’s students have been in the field since the middle of June, and are finding their experiences to be beyond their expectations.

I recently heard from one of the interns working with Handwork Studios.  Trekina Miller of Mississippi State University commented “I love it and everyone that I am working with. I look forward to going to work everyday. I am also working with the Fashion Bootcamp program in Rosemont, PA for the Handwork Studio. I can not thank you enough for this great opportunity!!”

To streamline the entire process we’ve created an online Host Application Form.  You can now go online and request an intern for the upcoming fall, winter or next year.  Students will also be able to register online within the coming months.  If you’ve been a host in the past, please let us know and we can make sure you’re information is entered correctly.

You’ll also see that TNNA is heading off to Maker Faire in Dearborn MI this week. We’ve had an enormous response from volunteers who have offered to come out to our Needlearts Stitch Zone

to help teach knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery, needlepoint and crochet.  In fact, we’ve pretty much filled all our time slots!  If you’re in the area, you should stop by the Henry Ford Museum.

If this is even half as much fun as the San Mateo Maker Faire, it’s bound to be a real kick.

Stitch N’ Pitch has been in full swing this season.  Check out what’s been going on by visiting StitchNPitch.com.

The National NeedleArts Association’s June NeedleArts Market had it ALL.  From beginning to end, it was filled with . . . well, it’s difficult to grasp it all.  I guess you really had to be there.

For those of you in the professional needlearts community who made it to Columbus OH, you enjoyed a long weekend filled with education, education and more education.  The TIPs program, a first time event for TNNA, was a huge success.  Wholesalers were able to present, demonstrate and offer marketing tips for their new products and techniques.  Classrooms were filled and responses were totally positive.

The Mini Sessions in the Member Lounge also drew huge crowds.  Attendees took a brief respite while they learned about everything from social marketing to inventory management, trends and more.  This was a chance for everyone to ask questions and get answers in a small, more informal setting.  You just couldn’t help but soak up some knowledge just by being there.

Oh, and then there were all the new products (33 new exhibitors, in fact) and new events.  The Needlepoint Group hosted a Networking evening highlighting finished products (check out WorldofNeedlepoint.com to see a bit of what you missed), and TNNA members sponsored a Happy Hour on Saturday in celebration of TNNA’s 35th anniversary . . . complete with a pianist (Joe Dunlap from Columbus OH).

Thanks to modern technology, Ravelry was able to send out some “in the moment” postings about the Yarn Group’s Fashion Show on Friday evening.  And, although you’ll be able to see the entire Fashion Show on YarnGroup.org in just a few days, it’s simply no substitute for being there, in person.

If you were there, you would have been energized by the keynote speaker Ann Lofgren from Zingermans.   You would have heard Marilyn Murphy accept the TEN Award, and met the newest PiPN interns.

If you had attended the Member Meeting on Monday morning, you would understand what Maker Faire is . . . and why TNNA’s Needlearts Stitch Zone won two awards in the Bay Area.  If you’re from the Detroit area, you could already be planning on how you can participate in the Detroit Maker Faire coming up July 31st and August 1st. If you want to be involved, please email us at TNNAmaker@gmail.com.

At the meeting, you would have been one of the first to hear the latest statistics pertaining to our industry in the latest survey: The State of Specialty NeedleArts 2010 developed by India Wood of Hart Business Research.  The summary is available online to members. The entire survey will be available in the fall (again free for members but available for a fee for non-members).

Besides the excitement, the shopping, the sharing, and the learning, there was a lot of business going on.  Wholesalers, when not busy with customers in their booths, spent time talking about new ideas, new partnerships, and new ways to attract new customers.  Retailers, when not in classes or on the show floor, shared stories of challenges, failures and successes.

If you had been there, you would have felt the energy and the inspiration.  You would have laughed and hugged old friends and new.  You simply can’t get that anywhere else.

Our trade show committee is consistently trying to come up with more ways to provide information and knowledge to our show attendees.  Not just more “stuff,” but more real education, more practical ideas they can quickly implement in their own shops.  The extensive formal curriculum offers information on myriad needlearts techniques, marketing tactics and technical questions, but there’s always been a cry for more.  A hunger to learn . . .

TIPs is part of TNNA’s answer.  If you haven’t already signed up for this new program, you need to.  Your ticket gives you the chance to go to 6 half-hour sessions on Friday morning.  You get to pick and choose on the spot.  The sessions are being held by exhibitors, each of whom is presenting ideas and information retailers can use to help sell product, grow their businesses, increase their profits, right now . . .

The education is continuing on the show floor with several Mini Sessions.  This was a new program TNNA initiated in January to enthusiastic crowds.  After reviewing last year’s experience, this year, the program is going to be even better.  The “classroom” is going to be moved to the Member Lounge.

Topics range from social media, to creating exciting events.  Here’s the whole schedule as it stands.
Saturday, June 12
11 am SOCIAL MEDIA 101: Figuring out Facebook
Presented by: Jaime Guthals, Public Relations Director, Interweave Press

12 pm FASHION AND COLOR TRENDS FOR FALL/ WINTER 2010/2011
Presented by: Trisha Mal colm, Editor in Chief, Vogue Knitting Magazine

1 pm YOUR SALES REP CONNECTION: How to get the most from this valuable relati onship
Presented by: Bonnie Lively, Thirty years of needlearts industry experience as sales representative, shop owner, instructor, and designer

2 pm EASY AND EFFECTIVE E-NEWSLETTERS
Presented by: Annie Bakken, Marketing Manager, Interweave Press

3 pm BASICS OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Presented by: Steve Elkins, Owner, Webs – America’s Yarn Store

Sunday, June 13
11 am BASICS OF INENTORY MANAGEMENT
Presented by: Steve Elkins, Owner, Webs – America’s Yarn Store

12 pm SOCIAL MEDIA 201: Tapping into Twitter
Presented by: Jaime Guthals, Public Relations Director, Interweave Press

1 pm TRICKS OF THE TRADE: Create a Compelling Ad for Your Retail Shop
Presented by: Jessica Cepek, Marketing Manager, Yarn Market News

2 pm DISPLAYS THAT WOW: Create a Visually Striking Display on a Tight Budget
Presented by: Karin Strom, Editor in Chief, Yarn Market News
3 pm CREATIVE EVENT PLANNING: Tips for your Yarn Shop
Presented by: Gabrielle Stein, Events Manager, Yarn Market News

These Mini Sessions are free! They offer a time to “take a load off” and learn something.  And with all the booths and all the new products to see, you’re going to need to take a rest now and then.

When you’ve soaked up enough knowledge, found enough treasures and spent enough money . . . and just want to “set a spell,” you can stop by one of the rest areas located throughout the show floor.  This year, each of our Special Interest Groups (The Yarn Group, Needlepoint Group, and Counted Thread & Embroidery Groups) are going to be doing something “special” in one of the comfort zones.  Just another chance to see something you might not have seen yet, and to learn something new.

TIPs stands for “Trends, Ideas and Products,” the new educational program being offered on Friday morning, June 11th at TNNA’s NeedleArts Market.  The name, borrowed from the quilting industry, doesn’t really explain what this program is all about, or how invaluable this information can be to a retail shop owner.

You really need to read the entire list — over 35 as of today (May 17th), and it appears more are being added as we get even closer to market.  The great thing is, you don’t need to decide which sessions you want to attend now.  You can wait until that day.  And if you go to one session and it’s not what you anticipated, you can move on to another.

The presenters aren’t just doing ads for their products, they’re providing information that’s both practical and powerful — real tactics that can be implemented in a real retail shop . . .  ways to engage and excite customers  with new products and techniques, events and more.

There are presenters focusing on yarn, and there are some focusing on products for the stitching side of our industry.  There are some that apply to any retail shop.

Another bonus . . . If you sign up for the TIPs program and for the Retailers Luncheon, you can save yourself $10 . . . That’s $10 that you can use for the Saturday afternoon Happy Hour, another new program this year.

It all sounds like a productive and fun time . . . and an opportunity not to be missed.

TNNA’s Registration area has always run smoothly.  Regardless, isn’t it nice to be able to walk right past the line and move on to the show floor?

You can receive your badges and tickets in the mail if you register before May 6th. . . which is, as just a reminder . . . only a bit more than a week away.  My how time goes by.

And speaking of tickets, they’re going fast.  The traditional classes and the TIPs program are filling up fast, and the keynote (and luncheon) speaker is drawing a crowd, as well.

There are other events not requiring a ticket, though.  The new Happy Hour on Saturday after the show, the new Needlepoint Showcase, Sample-It (which is always new), and the new stats about our industry to be unveiled at the special Member Meeting on Monday.  There’s a lot to do, and not a lot of time, so now is the time to plan your show experience so you don’t miss out on anything.

So, take this as just a reminder.  Register now online at https://www.e-offinger.net/tnnadata/ScriptContent/IndexRegOH.cfm

I know you’ve heard that before . . . “new” or “improved” or another of those bizarre advertising buzz words.

But the truth is, TNNA’s NeedleArts Market in Columbus OH, June 12 – 14,  is full of NEW.

It’s the same trade show TNNA members have come to count on, of course.  NEW products, NEW techniques, NEW fashions and designs.  Easy move-in, easy to understand instructions, easy registration and clear show information.  But there’s a lot this time that’s totally NEW.

To begin with is the TIPs program I talked about in the previous blog.  That’s NEW.  What I didn’t mention before, though, are the other activities.

There’s a new event (didn’t think TNNA could squeeze another in, did you?).  It’s HAPPY HOUR!  At the close of the show on Saturday (6PM), you’re invited to join your friends for a little music, a little nosh, a little relaxation . . . along with a cash bar.  Before you head out for the evening, you can spend a little time catching up on the day while it’s still fresh on your mind.

Tne Needlepoint Group is also going NEW.  At this show, they’re planning a “Needlepoint Showcase” highlighting the NEWEST artists and designs.  The Yarn Group has been brainstorming ways to make the Fashion Show NEW again as well . . . so there may be some surprises in store.

In addition, TNNA is hosting a Keynote Speaker who will also address the Retailers Luncheon.  Again, a NEW activity intended to give every attendee a little more . . . a little NEW experience.

If you haven’t already, I’d suggest you register NOW.  You can take care of it all online.

That’s not necessarily NEW, but it sure beats filling out forms and snail-mailing them in.

Online registration for The National NeedleArts Association’s June 2010 Market in Columbus OH is now available for all retail members.  Just click here . . . and “presto” you’re there.

The show takes place from June 12-14 at the Great Columbus Convention Center.  Education begins on the Thursday prior.

Isn’t technology grand?  There was a time you had to call or fax . . . or yes, even mail in your registrations.  The funny thing is, that really wasn’t very long ago.  In fact, TNNA still mails out postcards and various other correspondence to make sure everyone sees everything. The Attendee Registration Brochures are being mailed out as we speak.  You all received an email notice . . . Did you notice?

We know how busy all our TNNA members are, so please excuse us if we seem to inundate you with materials.  But the old marketing adage of “6 hits to make an impression on any viewer” is still true today.  Perhaps “truer” .  . . if that’s even a word.  It seems, because so many of those “hits” get lost somewhere or just aren’t seen at all because of the masses of communication we filter through each hour, today we need to add even more hits to that formula.

So, knowingly being redundant, we urge our Retail Members to go now to register. You don’t have to wait for the brochure.  All the information is available for viewing or download at TNNA.org.

And, if you’re not a retail member, you can register online beginning April 6th. . . which I’m sure we’ll remind you about again . . .