It’s t-minus 7 days before ICFF – the International Contemporary Furniture Fair – and our phone is ringing off the hook. The country’s biggest trade show for modern design is one of DRS and Associates favorite events: a chance for us to explore the freshest and coolest creations in home artistry, and mix and mingle with friends old and new. But until the morning we don our badges (and let’s face it – even long after), the phone will still be going crazy. That’s because we prepare for trade shows months in advance (when we are lucky) almost up until the opening day of the shows themselves. From writing press releases to scheduling media and client meetings to planning itineraries (make that bi-coastal itineraries) to Twittering up a storm, our trade show prep begins long before Day 1, and doesn’t stop until that last booth is torn down. Blackberries and iPhones, on!
The days leading up to the show put the “biz” in busy: our in-house teams craft releases, set up meetings for our account execs, and finalize everyone’s show schedules…all from the comfort of our desktops.
Do pre-show early morning calls with DRS East bother our Bostonian or our New Yorker? Fuggedaboutit! (After all, they have the three-hour time difference in their favor!) So just ask Jennifer Cash, one of our PR/Marketing coordinators who is on the ball anytime.
We can’t hit a show without press kits! Luckily, our staff has perfected the art of press kit assembly – lightning speed!
The secret to a successful show is communication, communication, and more communication. The morning of a show, our west coast team starts early – and we mean early – emailing with our east coast execs to confirm the plans of the day. Alex Sheehan, another DRS PR/Marketing coordinator maintains calmness and steadiness to execute the tasks at hand.
Even our graphics teams get into the action, sending out reminders to our media contacts to visit the shows. Jenjen at her Mac.
Nat prepares last minute graphics and oversees that all creative meets clients’ branding guidelines.
“Wait, let me just write one more email!” It’s all in those final touches! David gives everything a once-over from the office before heading out to the show.
Executive Assistant and David’s right-arm, Sandra Archer is busy tracking the Fedex packages to make sure they arrive on time
It’s finally here! After days of prep, DRS and Associates, East Coast Senior Account Manager Carol VanderKloot with Naomi Neilson Howard of Native Trails is ready to get the show on…the show!
The shows are about to begin, and our DRS Senior Account Managers, Eric Billingsley and Carol VanderKloot are already on the move. Badge? Check. Itinerary? Check. Blackberry-that-never-leaves-our-side? Check.
Time to get down to business: DRS heads to meetings and takes booth tours to see what’s new and brilliant in the world of contemporary design.
Now, the fun part begins – checking out booths and talking to designers!
We never stop checking in to make sure everything’s running smoothly. Our west coast office stays in touch with our show-bound east coasters throughout the day.
What’s trending on the show floor? Thanks to our social media team headed by Senior Online/Social Media Marketing Manager, Jon Sklaroff, who manages the response from our online outreach at the show, we know!
Our clients do the coolest work, and it’s our job to make sure the world sees it…in any way possible! Twitter promotion is in full swing from the show floor. #technologyisawesome
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a Tweet can only be 140 characters. So let’s just say we’re really grateful for camera phones and how they help tell our clients’ story in instantaneous (and Tweet-able!) beautiful HD!
The classic stop-and-chat: East Coast Senior Account Manager Jocelyn Hutt shares a moment with designer Davide Opizzi and blogger tastemaker.
All our preparations paid off! Thumbs up, everything is going great!
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