surtex/national stationery show -- afternoon

NSS IN THE AFTERNOON

Refreshed from lunch, I began walking through NSS. Surtex and NSS were adjacent to each other on the same floor. There was a different energy at this show, and I felt like I had walked into a parallel universe! NSS was more than 3 times larger than Surtex. Some of the booths were quite large, like mini-stores. The more years you exhibit, the better the booth location. The big companies were positioned at the front of the show floor.

The name is misleading, for it is much more than stationery products. It is anything that you might find in stationery stores and gift shops: paper, invitations, envelopes, greeting cards, address books, calendars, candles, craft and hobby supplies, decorations, eyewear, frames, games, gift accessories, jewelry, magnets, novelties/souvenirs, party supplies, ribbons/bows, rubber stamps, scrapbooking materials, stickers, wax, and writing instruments. I could see why retailers would come to fill their yearly orders, for there was much to choose from.

I meandered down the aisles, gravitating toward those with themes or art of interest to me. Most exhibitors were very business-oriented and focused on interacting with buyers to make sales. NSS exhibitors, generally, were not as open to conversation with me, showing little interest in me as an artist.

I was very encouraged to see a sizable representation of environmentally friendly products: Banyan Paper, ClearBags, Green Field Paper Company, Mountain Valley Paper Company, Sustainable Threads, MichaelRogerPress (recycled record products), Sustain & Heal, Mr. Ellie Pooh's elephant dung paper, and Paperroot, to name just a few.

There were individual artists with small booths tucked away in the back area of the show. These artists had their own artwork reproduced on products, and were looking to sell their products to retailers. Their exhibits intrigued me. The displays were really well done: attractive, inviting, professional. It took a lot of effort and courage for them to set up booths and compete with the larger, well-known companies. Compared to the traffic in the front of the show, though, these booths were very quiet.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

When I finished with NSS, there was about an hour to go before I had to meet my MassArt group and head back home. I could have rushed through the Furniture show, but my energy was too low. Check out Jeanne's blog, since she did go to the Furniture show and has another perspective:

http://jeannewilliamson.blogspot.com/2009/05/surtex-field-trip-part-one.html

I chose instead to rest a bit and revisit Surtex. I checked back with some artists that I really enjoyed talking with in the morning. Cathy Locke, Viv Eisner, and threesistersink were among my favorites. There was also a group of first-time exhibitors who had just graduated from art school, and I really enjoyed visiting with them.

Prior to attending the NSS, I was considering renting a booth and selling my own products, which have my art printed on them (notecards, postcards, and giclees). Now, I am leaning more toward participating in Surtex and going the licensing route instead. There are 2 basic reasons for this: (1) why compete with the largest names in the industry who already have a proven track record and developed solid relationships with retailers? (2) Licensing offers more diverse channels for selling art. I'm not sure if I'm ready to do Surtex yet. An artist needs a lot of strong "inventory" for licensees to select from. The budget is substantial (approx. $5000 to cover all expenses, including the booth, prep. materials, transportation, housing, PR).

One final factor is the downsizing of the shows during the past couple of years. No one knows, of course, if this trend will continue, but it is something to watch. The Licensing Show, which used to be held in NYC, is moving to Las Vegas this year. It will be interesting to see how things go at that show, and what attendance figures they report.

We had a lot to digest during our one day visit. Going to Surtex/NSS was a valuable experience and I highly recommend it to any artist and designer no matter what your intentions are for your artwork. Even if you don't think your art and/or designs have licensing potential, definitely check it out. There's a lot to learn and be inspired by.