Summer 2006

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman By Marcia Layton Turner

The 2006 National Stationery Show

Don’t miss this year’s National Stationery Show, May 21-24, 2006, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. More than 1,400 exhibitors will display their wares and negotiate buys with an estimated 14,000 retailers, distributors, importers and exporters from around the globe.

The show’s five distinct sections include: Celebrate, showcasing party and special-occasion items; Home Work, featuring desktop and personal office items; Indulgences, with luxury items for the desk; Presents, featuring gift, novelty, and craft products; and Take Note (the largest section), showing all things stationery-related. In addition, this year the The Pen Pavilion debuts, featuring fine writing instruments.

Retailers in search of new suppliers with fresh offerings will find them at this show, which brings in new exhibitors each year. In 2002, Our Name Is Mud in New York City, debuted their line of ceramic giftware at the National Stationery Show before the start of the big buying season, and found “it was a great market for us,” says Kip Veasey, COO and co-founder. “It was a nice way to get out there and create a lot of buzz,” pointing out that many key retail accounts and catalog buyers were there. At the start of the show, the company had no sales representatives but was hoping to connect with some at the show. By the end, Our Name Is Mud was represented by eight groups employing 100 reps.

Witty gift and stationery line Knock Knock in Venice, CA, debuted at the 2003 show, which “really put us on the map,” says Jen Bilik, Head Honcho at Knock Knock. “We went from a few hundred orders in the previous six months to 700 orders as a direct result of the Stationery Show. It was spectacularly successful for us.” This year, the company is expanding from two booths to three. Bilik also finds the show “a great place to experiment,” and is introducing two new products this year—office products and T-shirts. “The National Stationery Show is small enough to allow you to walk the show to find new and different manufacturers,” says Bilik. “It’s small in a good way—there’s less work for more payoff.”

Another reason to attend is the educational opportunities. Attendees at this year’s show will have the opportunity to hear industry icon Mary Engelbreit, participate in a roundtable discussion with fellow retailers, get tips from the pros on how to shop the show efficiently and effectively, hear about gift and stationery trends from the experts, learn about POS systems, and get valuable suggestions to increase sales. Each seminar costs from $20 to $40 in advance, although attendees can sign up on-site for a few dollars more.

For additional information go to nationalstationeryshow.com or call 800.272.SHOW.

Marcia Layton Turner

Turner writes frequently for business publications. Her work has appeared in Business Week, Business 2.0, MyBusiness and numerous trade magazines. She is also the author of Emeril! (John Wiley & Sons, 2004).MarciaLaytonTurner.com