Thursday, March 18, 2010

A REPRIEVE FROM LIST MAKING

Well the trade show is over, the shop is in order and all is well with
OMNIA & Lynne Curan Design right now.

Today is the first day in many a week where I can relax my mind and the need for any list making radically reduced. New designs are being made up now, some orders have been placed for new purchases for the shop but mostly won't arrive for a couple of weeks.
I just finished going through a huge pile of paperwork that has mounted up over the last few weeks (months) and was able to eliminate a few brochures then conquer & divide others into possible orders or orders awaiting confirmation and delivery.

Well
after all that I really do need to make a new list. Only to get all the things arriving, ordered, to be paid etc into some sort of order other than in my head taking up space that would be happy being empty and all the new tasks awaiting my attention that I am subconsciously ignoring .



Tuesday, March 2, 2010

AND THE LISTS GO ON!



Well what a week.
With my endless list making I was able to function and create an inviting and beautiful stand to exhibit my designs at the recent Sydney trade show.
It was a very exhausting process. With the list making and crossing off and the adding ons & more ticks and crossing offs. After 2 days building and setting up I ended up with a stand I felt proud of.
So for a few days there has been no list making but lots of order taking. Taking orders though leads to more list taking.
So I head off in the train today down to Sydney to another trade exhibition to have a look and maybe do a bit of buying for my shop OMNIA www.lynnecurandesign.com.au Along the way I start my lists.
What a mistake!!! Last day at a gift & homewares trade show is one big greed fest. There are women scurrying around with huge suitcases or giant striped plastic carry-alls, demanding goods they've decided would look good in their holiday house or lounge room, things to adorne their coffee tables. Their time is limited and they are trying to buy as much as possible before doors close.
There are women in teams carrying out huge urns, cupboards, vases you'd only find in a morsaleums. Exhibitors stands are being violated & trashed and good luck trying to place a legitimate order or show genuine interest in there product line. It's all about the cash sale. It's quite fascinating watching this frenzy. You wouldn't believe some of the things these people are buying. Grand ornate elephants & giraffes, enough jewelery to decorate an entire village of women and it just revs right up until the last call.
You can't begrudge the exhibitors, it is a way for them to recoup some cash after the outrageous prices they've paid for the floor space, lights and all the other bibs and bobs needed to make an inviting stand.
In America and in Bangkok they have one day when the public can come in and buy direct. Maybe this would be a better option than the shit fight that these so called respected trade exhibitions turn into at the end of the supposedly wholesale trade days.
Despite the anxiety, fretting, tiredness and overall exhaustion these events cause mostly they are enjoyable and you constantly meet really great people each year. You get to watch small businesses grow and evolve in all kinds of ways as do the very hard working exhibitors themselves.
As far as the list making goes; I made a 4 page list of stock to collect for orders on the train this morning. Then that will lead to another list of stock to be ordered and sent with stock already being produced because as usual I haven't ordered enough. Then I need to make a list of all the orders I made to keep track of stuff on it's way.
AND SO THE LISTS GO ON!!!