Mar 27, 2009

NYIGF Offers New Series of Exhibitor Training Sessions

White Plains, NY — An exclusive new partnership between the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) and Right Angle Strategies will provide exhibitors with strategies to best prepare for the Fair, maximize on-site sales, and follow-up after market. Two exhibitor training webinars will be conducted before the Summer 2009 market, with onsite sessions including free one-to-one business consultations and one educational seminar.

“We want to give NYIGF exhibitors every opportunity for a successful market,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “These sessions will help our customers to maximize their interaction with buyers – before, during and after the show – and to increase the return on their tradeshow investments.”

Operated by gift and home industry veterans, Right Angle Strategies is a young company specializing in business strategy and coaching services. For nearly 30 years, managing partner Stu Teller operated sales agencies for OneCoast and Madco Inc.; and his fellow managing partner Laura Blunt was formerly vice president of sales and marketing of Natural Life, and president of the Gift Sales Managers Association.

The two pre-show webinars will focus on market readiness, pre-show marketing and operations. The first session, titled “Pre-show Marketing to Drive Your Sales,” will include pre-show direct mail and e-mail, advertising and public relations, telemarketing, onsite promotions and in-booth give-aways. The second session, titled “What to Expect and How to Prepare,” will cover pre-show operations and set-up instructions, in-booth etiquette, generating leads, understanding sales agencies, and post-show follow-up.

During the summer 2009 market, an exhibitor seminar, titled “How to Manage Orders and Leads,” will outline successful strategies for lead follow-up, closing sales, order and payment processing and working with sales agencies.

“Preparation is the key to tradeshow success, and pre-show marketing and preparation is essential for driving onsite sales,” said Right Angle Strategies’ Teller. “Increasingly, leads collected at shows are as important, and in some cases more important, than order writing. A sound follow-up strategy can help exhibitors turn leads into sales after the market.”

As an added benefit, Right Angle Strategies will offer free 15-minute consultations, available on a first-come-first-serve appointment basis, to NYIGF exhibitors. These one-on-one sessions, which will be conducted at the Javits Center during the summer 2009 Fair, will be offered on Saturday, August 15, 3:00 – 5:00 pm; Monday, August 17, 8:00 – 10:00 am; and Tuesday, August 18, 8:00 – 10:00 am. On Wednesday, August 19, in-booth consultations will be offered. To register for the consultations, contact Right Angle Strategies at stu@rightanglestrategies.com.

Pre-show webinars will be broadcast online on Thursday, May 21, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm (EST); and Thursday, June 18 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm (EST). The onsite seminar will be held on Wednesday, August 19, from 8:00 – 9:00 am, at the Javits Center. The cost to participate in each webinar is $10 per company; and tickets for the onsite seminar cost $20 advance/$25 onsite. Exhibitors can register online after Friday, April 3.

NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,900 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. Some 30,000 attendees from all 50 states and around the world are expected.

NYIGF runs Saturday, August 15, through Thursday, August 20, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers. For information and registration, visit www.nyigf.com.