In our business we attend at least 3 trade shows a year with Naturalist and Naturalist Wall Gardens (formerly with Flowerbox Wall Gardens). This month we took our latest Epoxy Resin Dining Table designs to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Center in NYC.
We spent three days setting up our booth. To be honest Serkan and Jay our warehouse manager did most of the heavy lifting. I came in on the final day to help with the final details. Serkan designed the lay out of our booth to have a free standing wall at one end. This wall after being built needed to be repainted.
Painting in style, of course, is a must. We really try to keep every day exciting, no matter what. Just as with any event, there will be issues and they will be the only ones you didn't plan for. Serkan is our problem solver, no doubt! We are still young in out time together, but I have not seen him stumble yet.
"ICFF 2019 hosts more than 900 exhibitors from more than 60 counties each year at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC."
900 exhibitors from over 60 countries meet at the famous Jacob Javits Center (RIP I.M. Pei) annually to display their products and eye for design in 12 design categories. As cliche as it may sound, we truly do feel honored to have spent 4 days showing our passion for furniture design next to some of the most impressive companies and products you can imagine. We get to meet and hear seminars from interior design industry leaders that really get me going! I will sit in on the seminars while Serkan mans our booth. He is a natural (pun intended) when it comes to interacting with our potential clients. He lives and breaths for this company and that shows. Sharing our works not only with other skilled designers but with the cream of the crop in regards to clientele, it is 4 fulls days of sensory overload!!!
Attending a major trade show is not always glamourous. In fact its far from it. We always feel like we are running around non stop, and giving the same speech over and over for 4 days can certainly drain you. But, just like anything WithMakers it is an adventure that we cherish and make memories together whenever we can. By day four I was doing my make up on the show floor minuets before the doors opened to attendees. Why you may ask, coffee is the answer, having time to stop for coffee means shaving a few minuets off of my personal prep time. Serkan on the other hand is always ready an hour before me (poor guy).
"Trade shows are always an adventure, we take the ferry from our apartment in New Jersey for the convenience and the views. It is also a short walk to the convention center from the Midtown Ferry docks. It rained one day, but as always we had so much fun!"
-Serkan Yapicilar
Rain or shine we have a good time! At the end of the show, on the very last day we paid a visit to the cash bar and had a Bloody Mary (or 4). The feedback we received on our new designs as well as our signature pieces was so so great! We had to celebrate! A positive mental attitude towards all prospective opportunities keeps us going, but only when paired with a good Bloody Mary.