First Time Exhibiting at Surtex with Jacquelyn Carter
I think a lot of us newbie designers dream about showing our work at Surtex. We think "wow, when I show at Surtex I will have arrived!" Am I right? That is why I was so excited to talk to Jacquelyn Carter of Jacquelyn Carter designs, and pick her brain about what it was like for her to show at Surtex last week FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!
I think you will enjoy hearing what Jacquelyn has to say...
Hi Jacquelyn! So, when did you know you wanted to show at Surtex and how did you know you were ready?
I knew I wanted to show at Surtex as soon as I heard that it was the largest international trade show for surface pattern designers. And I definitely wasn't "ready" when I decided to participate!
I had just finished Jessica Swift's Pattern Camp a few months before and women in the Facebook group for the class were talking about forming collectives to go to Surtex. When I heard this I thought, "this will push me to create a good portfolio and will give me something big to work towards." It was kind of a "Go Big or Go Home" approach. And it worked! You invest so much money into participating at Surtex that you better do the work and make it worthwhile.
How did you prepare for the show?
I decided to participate with three other women and we formed a group called Camp Collective. We set up a private Facebook group, started doing research and did our best to schedule weekly Google Hangouts to chat about our progress for that week.
It was nice to have a group, since we were all pretty new to pattern design and we were all simultaneously working our regular jobs, building our portfolios and doing our best to get everything done for the show. It was like having three full time jobs!
The group aspect was also good because we could divide up the work. One of the women built our website and formatted our advertising, another was our liaison for all things Surtex and made sure our forms got filled out on time. I took advantage of my background in construction and interior design and worked on our booth design and layout. The fourth member lives in New Jersey, so we shipped our packages to her home and she took care of getting the shelving together for the booth. It really does take a village.
What was your experience like at the show?
Our experience overall was positive. We made a lot of contacts that we couldn't have made otherwise and I think we got a pretty good idea of what kind of products our designs would work well on. We got a lot of gift and greeting card interest but that could be in part because the National Stationary Show was downstairs.
Surtex seems to be more about following up on leads right after the show versus actually sealing the deal at the show. We got a lot of positive feedback from people passing by and from those who stopped to look at our work.
What advice would you give folks who dream of showing at Surtex?
I have three pieces of advice:
Take your time to build a portfolio that you are really proud of and think about the type of products you want your work to be featured on. The more you narrow it down, the less buyers have to try to determine it for themselves. Find your niche.
Figure out how much you expect to spend on the show, and double it. Surtex is a HUGE investment, even when you go as part of a collective. There are a lot of costs that are not included in the original booth fee and I didn't realize that in the beginning.
Most importantly, realize that exhibiting at Surtex is not the only way to break into the world of pattern design. In fact, a lot of artists feel that the licensing deals they get out of the show don't justify the costs it took to get them there. If you are willing to work hard you can build a career for yourself without attending Surtex. Don't wait for someone to tell you that your work is good enough! Just make work that you love and put it out into the world and build your own following. There is room for everyone if you use your own artistic voice.