National Stationery Show – how to stand out in a crowded field

If you design and make any kind of paper goods, the National Stationery Show is certainly the place to be.  Every May, buyers from around the world (I saw a good assortment of locations represented at the show yesterday) head to New York and the Javits Center to make their paper purchases for the year.

Yesterday was the first day of the show, and business seemed good.  Vendors I talked to seemed to be having a better show then in 2009.

If you’re planning to exhibit at the National Stationery Show in the future, the biggest challenge is how to stand out in a crowded field.  Even after walking only a handful of rows, my eyes started to glaze over from seeing booth after booth of cards hung on the wall.

If you can’t make your product stand out, you’ll have a hard time grabbing a buyers attention as they walk by. If you’re one more in a sea of card only booths, your product drops to commodidty status and you’re forced to compete on price.

So how do you stand out at a show like NSS?

I don’t think design alone will do it. (From the aisle, walls of cards mostly just look like little rectangles with slightly different designs.) I did see one
or two card only booths that really blew me away with their booth design, but I don’t think that can be the only solution.

My recommendation? Expand your product offering.

While this goes against many of the ideas I’ve been reading in The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, I think it’s the key to success in a crowded marketplace like the Stationery Show.

I spent part of the day helping Tara from Ink + Wit, and this is a strategy she employed with great success.  In addition to her note cards, Tara rolled out a number of new products that helped draw attention to her booth.

Why does having a broader range of products work for a show like NSS?  A few reasons:

• Changes in scale create a greater visual impact.  Booth with lots of cards, booth with lots of cards, booth with one large poster, a few smaller objects, and some cards.  Which is most likely to get noticed?  Changes in scale give the eye a focal point and a resting place.
• It gives people something to talk about.  Buyers like to share their finds with their friends who are also buyers.  (The ones who operate in other cities, of course.)  When a buyer says, “did you see the booth with the great cards down the way?” they could be talking about anyone.  But when they can say, “did you see the great new (insert product here) down the aisle?” others will immediately know how to locate you.
• Varying price points give buyers more options. While stationery minimum orders are often lower than in other fields, (usually in the $100-$200 range versus $300 or up in other fields) $150 is a lot of cards at $3 a pop.  By adding in products in the $10, $20, $30 or above range, it gives buyers a chance to test out your line without feeling stuck with a stack of cards.
• Retailers can present your products as a collection. If you only make cards, you’re going on the card rack with everything else.  But if you have other products, retailers can present you as a grouping or collection which will get you noticed by more customers.
• Buyers can see your range. In addition to traditional retail buyers, you’ll see companies looking to license designs walking NSS.  (Which probably has to do with it’s proximity to Surtex, the art and design licensing show.)  If you’re interested in having companies license your designs (while also selling your own products) having other types of objects in your booth will help demonstrate the potential applications of your designs.

I don’t recommend this product diversification strategy in every field, but combined with a clear visual identity, it seems to pay off at the Stationery Show.

Oh, and even if you don’t make cards at all, you might still find a market at NSS.  Journals, planners, calenders, posters, craft kits and supplies, and inexpensive gift items all have their place at the National Stationery Show.

Image of the Ink + Wit booth at NSS. All designs and products © Tara Hogan, Ink + Wit 2010.

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Want learn more strategies for standing out at a trade show? Check out my best selling class on Creative Live, Sell Your Products to Retailers.