Jun 5, 2015

NY NOW’s Artisan Resource stocked with strong seminars

A comprehensive three-day slate of educational seminars will complement exhibit floor offerings at the expanded summer 2015 edition of Artisan Resource, a first-of-its-kind market offering U.S.-based volume importers, direct import retailers, designers and wholesalers the opportunity to meet with international artisanal producers.

Presented as part of the HANDMADE Collection of NY NOW, The Market for Home + Lifestyle, the seventh semi-annual edition of Artisan Resource is set for Sunday through Wednesday, Aug. 16-19, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York.

Tailored to meet the needs of both Artisan Resource and HANDMADE Global Design exhibitors and attendees, the seminars will address topics ranging from sales tools and marketing for handmade products to helping artisans turn design concepts into handmade products. Each of the three days of programming has been designed with a specific focus. Each day will feature two seminars (noon to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.) related to the broad subject matter.

— Sunday, Aug. 16 is “Design Council Day.” Sessions will focus on U.S. market trends and handmade production nuances in the American market. “Design Council Day” will include: “Handmade Futures: 2016 Design and Color Trends in Global Handmade Products,” in which trend forecaster and HAND/EYE magazine founder Keith Recker will lead a 40-minute visual presentation followed by an extensive Q&A session previewing design and color trends and ways to channel them into the handmade sector; and “Concept to Reality: Turning Ideas Into Artisan-Right Products and Processes,” in which product designers and merchants with experience in turning design ideas into successful artisan products will share the creativity, planning and intercultural sensitivity required to successfully execute product development in the global handmade sphere.

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— Monday, Aug. 17 is “Handmade Business Day.” Sessions will explore business practices particularly relevant to global handmade artisans and importers, as well as the growing relevancy of global handcrafts for home and lifestyle buyers and suppliers. “Handmade Sales Tools: Artisan-Oriented Display, Marketing Materials and Talking Points,” with a step-by-step examination of how an artisan-based business grows into a brand that can succeed in a crowded marketplace; and “The Highs and Lows of Artisan Commerce,” in which a panel of a buyers will discuss how to thrive and survive on the road to developing and selling artisan and global handmade products.

— Tuesday, Aug. 18 is “Business Ethics Day.” Sessions will address issues around sourcing, price negotiation and creating positive changes for artisans and the environment. “Business Ethics Day” will present “Fair Trade: A Movement On the Move,” in which representatives from the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair Trade Organization talk about the principles of fair trade in the global market today and where they see the movement headed; and “Artisan Marketing: Case Studies and Best Practices,” spotlighting global handmade and artisan companies whose marketing successfully communicates the nuanced value of artisan products to consumers and the traditions they represent.

In addition to these special themed sessions, “Importing 101: Everything you always wanted to know about importing but were afraid to ask,” will return to the summer 2015 edition, with a presentation by Colvin English, the co-founder of ByHand Consulting, and Phil Hobson, business logistics president for Phoenix International. Together, they will outline the nuts and bolts of direct import practices in a seminar that will be offered from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. both Sunday and Monday.

In addition to educational offerings, Artisan Resource participants can enjoy a number of NY NOW-hosted “Only in New York” special events, offering attendees unparalleled after-hours networking opportunities. The roster includes NY NOW’s perennial favorite “Night on Broadway,” featuring specially priced tickets to the Monday performance of “Hamilton,” as well as free Market Week admission and a shopping discount at MAD (Museum of Arts and Design) from Aug. 14-21. Exhibitions on view at MAD include Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today, an exhibition that considers the important contributions of women to modernism in postwar visual culture; and Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin, which includes more than 30 of his most important mannequins, an Isabel and Ruben Toledo-designed jewelry gallery and an in-gallery recreation of Pucci’s sculpture studio.

Visit www.nynow.com for all the details on NY NOW.