International Quilt Market - Spring 2013, Portland, Oregon, USA
Well, I have made it through Market! We had such a good time, a bit hectic but so good to see what's happening and meet so many people. It was great to have my husband there, it was the first time he has been able to come with me. Quilt Market is a trade show, so not open to the public but is there so that shop keepers, tutors etc can have a good look at what's available in the marketplace to make their business the best it can be! Just before Market, the organizers offer a bus tour for attendees/exhibitors, to have a look at the local area and visit some tasty quilt shops in the region. I love this outing, it gives me a day of relaxation and enjoyment after the travelling and before the set-up day, and as always, the shops were a delight, more about them at another time.
On set-up day for the booth, there is also "SchoolHouse" which is an opportunity for companies to demostrate their new products/designs. This may be pattern designers, fabric companies or any kind of product related to the quilting industry. The day consists of a large program of concurrently running 30 minute sessions, so the attendees have to plan the day at the beginning with the help of a comprehensive guide. I took the opportunity to present some of my patterns, as GourmetQuilter, where we had a delicious picnic whilst looking at some quilt samples!
This session was in the middle of the day, whilst set-up is continuing on, so not a straightforward day as I have to stop setting up to do the presentation, but worth doing I feel, the feed-back was good.
Then in the evening of the same day is "Sample Spree" which has to be seen to be believed! The idea is that various designers and suppliers can offer for sale, samples accompanied by patterns so the shops can offer the patterns immediately with a sample to help sales or fabric lines ahead of the main delivery so that shops can have samples ready when the fabric shipment arrives. So as an exhibitor you can hire a table to display your wares and the eager attendees come and devour all this new and exciting product! This is a well attended 2 hours!
Then Quilt Market officially opens the next morning, with all the booths looking absolutely amazing, this is a real opportunity for designers and suppliers to exhibit their wares and each booth is an exhibition in itself. Here are some pics of my booth, I will post some others at another time. I managed to get a couple of new patterns ready just in time, these will be available some time in the near future!
As you can see, we had a delicious picnic theme throughout Market which was enjoyed by many passers by. I had my GourmetQuilter kitchen set up with all the picnic goodies on hand! and yes, this all fitted in our suitcases, not so many clothes for us this time!
We are moving forward with our travels, heading to the UK next, having spent a delightful time in and around Portland, OR, and a quick trip up to Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, in Canada, now heading back to Portland and then fly to the UK.
This session was in the middle of the day, whilst set-up is continuing on, so not a straightforward day as I have to stop setting up to do the presentation, but worth doing I feel, the feed-back was good.
Then in the evening of the same day is "Sample Spree" which has to be seen to be believed! The idea is that various designers and suppliers can offer for sale, samples accompanied by patterns so the shops can offer the patterns immediately with a sample to help sales or fabric lines ahead of the main delivery so that shops can have samples ready when the fabric shipment arrives. So as an exhibitor you can hire a table to display your wares and the eager attendees come and devour all this new and exciting product! This is a well attended 2 hours!
Then Quilt Market officially opens the next morning, with all the booths looking absolutely amazing, this is a real opportunity for designers and suppliers to exhibit their wares and each booth is an exhibition in itself. Here are some pics of my booth, I will post some others at another time. I managed to get a couple of new patterns ready just in time, these will be available some time in the near future!
As you can see, we had a delicious picnic theme throughout Market which was enjoyed by many passers by. I had my GourmetQuilter kitchen set up with all the picnic goodies on hand! and yes, this all fitted in our suitcases, not so many clothes for us this time!
We are moving forward with our travels, heading to the UK next, having spent a delightful time in and around Portland, OR, and a quick trip up to Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, in Canada, now heading back to Portland and then fly to the UK.