Mama Mia!

Well, I'm back from a whirlwind experience at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas. What a week! I'm going to try to fill you in on all the highlights, but it will need to be broken down into a few different posts. Yes...it was that kind of week!

We arrived safely in Vegas on Saturday morning and immediately went to the Convention Center to begin set up. It took us 11 hours to assemble our booth walls and hang all of the wall art, clocks, bedding and rugs that we brought with us. In the event that you've never participated in this show, you need to know that the powers-that-be do not turn on the air conditioning in the Convention Center during set up hours. They save that for the actual show hours. Therefore we were doing some hard labor in 103 degree heat...and did I mention it took 11 hours?!!! Fortunately, we were sharing a large "peninsula" booth with some other great ladies who kept us laughing and happy through the process.

Meet the ladies of Mama Mia Showroom!

And what a fantastic, dynamic group of ladies they are! Last year a few of these great women decided to open a new showroom in Atlanta. In those few short months they've created a great stop for buyers and have created quite a buzz with the great products they offer as well as the infamous "Mamatinis" they provide during the shows! I joined this showroom in January right around the time we all decided that we should consider exhibiting at the ABC Kids Expo as a group. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about sharing a space with 6 other strong-minded women for 5 long days. I had only corresponded by phone or email and was hoping that everyone would get along well throughout the show. Well my worries were soon put to rest. These women are smart, supportive, kind, funny and just all around wonderful. I'm honored to know such a great group of women entrepreneurs. When we weren't fighting off the buyers (ha! ha!) we were sharing ideas and experiences, brainstorming the next great product ideas for each other, and helping each other to grow in any way we could. By the time the show ended, I was happy to be heading home to see my children, but at the same time a bit sad that I'd be leaving my new friends. While I'd love to fill you in on all of the wonderful qualities of each of these individual women, I don't have all day! So I'm going to list them here and hope that you'll visit their individual sites to learn a bit about them yourself.

Suzanne Longacre: Suzibella

Casey Baca: Four Peas

Diane Sam: Moboleez

Heather Nolte: Glamajama

Isabelle McPartlin: Iszi Studios

Shelly Meintzer: Lil Ladybugs

Wendy Armbruster Bell: Pump Ease (Diane's friend and honorary "Mama" for the week!)

Pat Martinek: Martinek Bebe (Pat is part of Mama Mia and exhibited behind us. Great lady and breathtaking products!)

So thank you, ladies (and all of your supportive husbands and boyfriends) for a wonderful week in Vegas. It was so much better for me this year because of the great support system you all provided. Looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta soon!

ABC Kids Expo...Vegas, Here We Come!

The countdown has begun. Only 8 days left before we're headed to Las Vegas for the largest tradeshow for anyone involved in the children's industry, the ABC Kids Expo. It's a great way for children's vendors and manufacturers to meet with the independent retailers, mass merchants, online retailers and interior designers as well.

I attended this show last year as a "new exhibitor" and it was quite an eye-opening experience! I have been in business for quite a while, but had never wanted to tackle the task of preparing for such an event, not to mention the huge budget that has to be set aside for 8 days in Vegas. I learned so much through that first time experience that I'm taking with me this year. My booth will be bigger and better and I now know what to bring and what not to bring. I'm excited about the opportunities that could come about. Even being a first timer last year, I was still able too catch the eye of the Sears buyer...so who knows which buyers I might meet this year!

I have to admit, though...I'm really concerned about the effect our current economy will have on the tradeshow. While the list of registered buyers is up from last year by over 400 attendees, I'm not sure they're all in the position to make a lot of purchases. Several of my current retailers have told me they won't be attending. But I'm trying to think positively and hope that those who have spent the money to attend, will be ready and willing to spend money on new merchandise for their stores.

I'm also looking forward to seeing some of my friends in the industry. There are so many great people I met last year that I'll enjoy catching up with this year. Another highlight is meeting retailers who, up until now, have only been a voice on the other end of the phone line or an email correspondence here and there. It's great to finally have a face to go along with the name and voice!

Once the show is over, or one day thereafter, I plan on telling you about all of the crazy, behind the scenes planning that goes on for such an event. There are so many rules and regulations that have to be paid close attention to (fire codes dealing with all of your display items, for example, has been quite an issue!). Preparation for a trade show can be a huge headache, to say the least and has sent me into a tail spin on numerous occassions. Let's hope all of the planning pays off! I'll keep you posted and in the meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed that my booth walls pass the inspection by the fire marshall...we jumped through quite a few hoops to find that flame resistent paint! (Not as easy as you'd think!)