Get Thee to a Show It’s the best business decision you’ll

Get Thee to a Show

It’s the best business decision you’ll ever make

by Beth Hodges, CWP, CWTC, WFCP

Way back, around 1990, I attended my first industry show. It was a Window Fashions magazine regional show in Atlanta, and it was, at the time, the most intimidating and the most exciting thing I’d ever done for my business.

I had been running a very small, one-person workroom for several years, and instinctively I understood that there was much out there to be learned. I could sew well, but the people in my area wanted more than I felt comfortable offering. So, I took a deep breath, left my five children with my husband, and drove to Atlanta.

I cannot express to you how afraid I was. I ate all my meals alone in my room, and left it only to attend the events that were offered. It was a big step for me—I had only traveled with my husband and/ or my family prior to this. But attending this show expanded my idea of what this business could be beyond my wildest dreams. Going to that first show was the best thing I ever did.

A Business Awakening

The vendors were a big benefit, but the classes opened my mind to what could happen to my little business if I just learned how to do it, and what it was was up to me.

To figure it out, I decided that I should attend at least one show a year. I don’t remember where my second show was, but I do remember the next, a Nashville, TN, event geared for workrooms. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Several of us were asked to leave the bar of the hotel one night because we were so excited asking questions of each other about pricing, construction, and everything that we were holding up the closing time!

Life-Changing Experiences

The show that truly changed my life was the now-defunct Boston Drapery and Curtain Show. I passed my WCAA Certification at that show, and on the way home I was placed in the airplane next to Cheryl Strickland. She had started a newsletter and asked me to submit something, and I did. Later, she asked me to present at the conference she was putting together. And I did.

There were only a few attendees back then, but I learned that I could do it. Teach…that is. And I did and I have and I continue to do so until this day. I have friends and clients from many places and I met them at shows, too.

Please Join Us

Have I convinced you to come to the show? If so, now’s the time to plan. First, consider your classes. Don’t just pick the subjects that you like, although that is fun! Instead, really think about what may grow your production and income. Because it might not be the “how to” classes, but the business classes that you really need. Consider switching it up and take some of everything that is offered. You’ll probably meet a different group of attendees and open yourself up to new conversations and insights.

Walk the show floor and take your business cards with you. A show is the perfect time to open new accounts, as many vendors will be offering specials and incentives. There will also be vendors with products and services you perhaps never previously considered.

At IWCE you’ll see shade, hardware, fabric, and trim companies as well as vendors offering credit card abilities and advertising possibilities. Allow yourself a lot of time to thoroughly cover the exhibition area, with enough time to take another walk through, because you never see everything the first time!

Before you go, sit down and consider what products you would like to add to your business. If you drive to the show, you may be able to purchase items directly from the show floor and take them with you, saving you time and money. This is how I got my inspection machine and DöFix system—purchased directly off the show floor.

Speaking of spending money, plan on it. We in the workroom are renowned for being…dare I say…frugal. This is not the time for that. The money that you spend at the show is an investment in your career. Attending an event in your industry is vital to the life and growth of your business.

I hope you will make your plans to addend IWCE in Tampa this March. And I hope I will see you there. z

Beth Hodges is the owner of Soft Furnishings, a retail/wholesale workroom located in Elberton, GA. Now in business for more than thirty years, Soft Furnishings provides wholesale workroom services to higher end designers both locally and around the country. Hodges joined the Board of Directors of the WCAA in 1994 and has since held the positions of the treasurer, vice-president, and two terms as president. Hodges became the Director of Education for Döfix USA in 2013 offering seminars and private training across the country.

BethHodges.com Facebook: beth.b.hodges

See Beth @ IWCE!

Two great seminars:

Designer’s Guide to High-End Window Fashions and From Picture to Perfection

www.BlindsBook.com +1 (888) 208 5230