In an era dominated by DTC, what role do trade shows still play in building a fashion brand?
In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, we sit down with Matthew Mathiasen, Show Director of NY Now, to unpack why wholesale isn’t just relevant—it’s essential for emerging accessory brands looking for long-term growth, especially now with The “It Bag x NY NOW” new program.
With over 100 years of history, NY Now has evolved from a traditional gift show to a curated marketplace where boutiques and innovative designers connect. Matthew explains how specialty retailers are becoming brand champions, helping independent designers break into new regions, build community, and create consistent cash flow—with fewer strings than big-box retail.
💼 You’ll learn:
👜 Why boutiques offer better margins, faster payments, and stronger loyalty
🛒 How NY Now’s “The It Bag” section helps handbag designers showcase their hero products
📦 How to prep for a trade show like a pro—from booth setup to buyer pitches
🔁 The hybrid wholesale model: in-person connection + online ordering via Bulletin
📣 Why knowing your brand story and supply chain readiness is key to wholesale success
Whether you're a first-time exhibitor or scaling up your sales channels, this episode offers the clarity and tactical advice you need to navigate today’s wholesale landscape.
🎧 Listen now and discover how to grow your brand through smarter retail relationships, and apply to be part of “The IT Bag x NY NOW.”
Our Guest: Matthew Mathiasson is the Show Director of NY Now, America’s longest-running gift and lifestyle trade show. With decades of experience in the wholesale space, he champions independent designers and works to create meaningful connections between brands and retail buyers both in-person and online.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
They want to make sure at the end of the day that
they are set up for success withyour product.
So the more information youhave, the more demographics that
you know about your buyer, yourcustomer, your, you know, your
girl, as I like to say, who'sbuying your bag, wearing it, you
know, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, why she wearsit, where she wears it.
(00:20):
What other brands do you usuallysit with?
SPEAKER_02 (00:23):
Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, EmilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert, and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week we uncover the storiesbehind the handbags we love,
from the iconic brands and topdesigners, the creativity,
craftsmanship, and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector, or simply passionate
(00:45):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, Matthew Mathiason ofNew York Now, show director to
handbag designer 101 thepodcast.
So excited to have you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
Thank you so much.
I'm happy to be here.
Thanks for inviting me.
SPEAKER_02 (01:06):
Oh my goodness.
So you are part of the newguard, as far as I'm concerned,
of New York Now.
We'll get into your background,but I would love, love, love to
dive into where we are at rightnow with trade shows because
what they were and what they arenow very much reflects where
we're at with retail, becauseretail, especially with tariffs,
(01:29):
is totally different than whatit was.
SPEAKER_00 (01:31):
True.
True.
You know, in many ways, the showis 101 years old.
It is the longest-running giftshow, not only in the country,
let alone New York City, one ofthe greatest cities in the
world.
As you know, as you live there,I'm very jealous.
But with that, it's gone througha lot of changes, you know, and
not just in since COVID, butsince day one in the 1920s.
(01:52):
You know, New York now startedoff as a hotel show with a
couple reps that got togetherand they figured they could do
something stronger together.
I still carry that ethos throughto today's show floor.
It did take a moment where Ileft New York City.
It traveled across the countrythroughout the 30s and 40s and
then came back home.
Since then, it's had about, Ithink, five different names over
the years and decades.
(02:13):
Many people still refer to it asthe International Gift Show
absolutely.
Shelly Shelly, because that'swhat its name was for several
decades.
It has been New York now for alittle over two decades at this
point, almost push threedecades.
But with that, we still carrythat ethos in, which is the, you
know, the rep, the experience,the buyer connection at our show
(02:33):
floor.
Regardless of the size,regardless of the location over
all these years, it's alwayscoming back to the connections
being made in person.
And, you know, as part of thisnew guard, as you say, with uh
New York Now, which is true, wedo have a new team as far as
owning and running this show,but not so new.
They've all veterans in theindustry and we've been on the
show like yourself.
(02:54):
I've been through a few fashionshowrooms in my days.
And so we have a really goodteam on the brand these days,
really focused on driving thebrand awareness, brand values,
connections, making sure that webring the right brands for the
buyers that are still shoppingand working in this industry.
You know, as you know, it's beentough for buyers and retailers
out there, especially the pastfive years.
(03:15):
I think we're now we're goingthrough a whole new renaissance,
if you will.
You know, it's it's tricky outthere.
It's definitely tricky.
But with that, that's wherewe've tried to pivot in York
now.
You know, we're not a 500,000square foot trade show anymore.
We haven't been since 2018.
I don't know any trade showthat's still that size in the
space of consumer goods andwholesale ordering.
(03:35):
I just haven't seen another showof our size and caliber restage
at that size since 2020.
They've all found a new pivot, anew area to flex on.
And that's what we're doing hereat New York now as well.
SPEAKER_02 (03:48):
You know, I dealing having dealt with so many
designers, and I think so manyof them are laser focused on
direct to consumer.
And I think I think that'simportant.
And I think that is your gatewayof having any proper large
retailer to believe that yourbrand is worth actually buying
(04:10):
inventory.
I mean, we know that most sitesnow, like Nordstrom.com,
Walmart.com, anything throughFederated, they will do drop
ship before they actually buyinventory because it's safer for
them.
I have a lot of designers thatactually prefer that, knowing
that they can then control theinventory and it allows them to
(04:32):
go into production with a wholelot less at risk.
However, there is a huge, Ithink, gray area in this new
wave of designers that they tendto not realize the power and the
value of boutiques.
(04:53):
And those are your soldiers whowill get your brand out, who
will speak about who you are,who will brag that you are the
one that they should invest in.
And they want to be the ones whowere responsible theoretically
for discovering you and bringingyou to the forefront.
And I think, you know,considering this was
(05:17):
historically the gift show, andthere are a lot of trade shows
that do exist.
How is New York now trulydifferent from the others,
especially in terms of theseboutiques who are coming that
are trying to find the new andthe innovative?
Because we all know that there'sa deficit of that right now.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
Absolutely.
No, it's a really great point tocall out is the backbone of
America is and always will be,in my opinion, Main Street
America.
That's how we started as acountry.
Everybody wanted the AmericanDream.
That American Dream to meincludes Main Street America
with, you know, person-ownedbusinesses, not as much the
corporate-owned line.
The corporate's great.
Yeah, I'm sure we all shop atall those big names, you know,
(05:59):
to get our paper towels andprobably picked up 17 other
things along the way of gettingthose paper towels, which is
their whole purpose.
That's why that works in theirinstance.
That being said, it's not forevery brand.
And most brands will actuallydiscover they actually are going
to have a longer runningbusiness line with more diverse
options for themselves if theyspread it across independent
(06:19):
routine uh boutiques, retailers,and the specialty stores.
Going all chips in one bag isusually not the best idea.
And it can backfire.
And I've seen it happen a lot oftimes.
Sometimes you hit it rich, andthat is great.
Uh, we can all list a lot ofbrands that we have seen on
those shelves that we also thensee at every single, you know,
(06:40):
store across the country.
They see it on Amazon, they seeit on Walmart, they then see it
at the kiosk at the airport whenthey're traveling.
Yep.
Which is great.
That's awesome for that brand.
I love that.
That being said, you can'tcompete in that marketplace
anymore.
Your product is now gone intothe world, which is great.
You're getting probably gettinga great paycheck, but it's no
(07:00):
longer probably what you startedyour company with and probably
started on.
So, you know, focusing on adiverse opportunity is great for
a show like New York Nowbecause, yes, we are presumably
and always have been the giftshow.
With that, though, our buyerswill say the number one reason
they're coming to shop New YorkNow is for gifts.
(07:20):
You look at the secondary andtertiary levels beyond that,
though, are they see jewelry asa gift.
They see a handbag as a gift.
They like everything is a giftin that instance.
It's not your tried and true,oh, I think gift, and I think of
tissue paper, wrapping paper,ribbons, bows, and stickers,
which is great.
Love that things.
Also, like unicorns.
(07:41):
But gift at New York Now is somuch more.
And that's where you're going tosee that.
Also, what's nice about thebuyer that's coming to New York
now to find these products inall categories from home, gift
and lifestyle, drawer andaccessories, handbags, they are
also the decision makers oftheir business, which is so
huge.
I think our last survey saysover 60% of our attendee base is
(08:03):
the decision maker of hercompany.
She is the owner, she's theoperator, she's the buyer, she
is finance and accounting all inone.
And uh, with that, when you, youknow, get to partake in a show
like that in person, you'remeeting with the same person
that's issuing the payment toyour invoices.
The same one's gonna call youand say, Hey, we sold out of
those red bags.
Can I get some more?
(08:23):
Which you're not gonna get thatlevel from some of the other
larger retailers, which are inthe room too, but that's a
special arrangement that you'regonna get.
And you're now and and manyother trade shows, but that is a
true type that you're gonna seewalking our aisles.
SPEAKER_02 (08:38):
But I love what you just said, and you know, having
started my own personal rootswith trade shows, there's also
this key point of payment.
You get paid up front.
SPEAKER_01 (08:51):
That's true.
SPEAKER_02 (08:52):
As opposed to the net terms.
It's funny, I my business was soboutique focused for so long
that by the time I startedgetting into bigger retailers
and they were saying net terms.
And I said, wait, so you meanyou don't pay me as soon as you
get it?
That's true.
You know, cash in hand is reallywhat's important.
(09:13):
And especially with all of thesetariffs that are happening.
I know it's it's allowed a lotof independent designers to
really shine and have a lot ofgreat opportunities because
they're not making it in China.
They are making it in othercountries, they might be making
them in countries where it'sabout sustainability or giving
(09:34):
back or social responsibility.
Sustainability, as you and Iboth know, is also very, very
tricky because most things arenever truly sustainable.
They have a percentage, and weall try to do our best.
But, you know, to do thesecall-outs and to what makes your
brand special, the specialtystores are the ones who have
(09:54):
those human relationships thatcan talk to the customers.
And I think there's anothermissed opportunity that a lot of
designers don't even think thatyou can go on a boutique tour to
visit your best boutiques, to doin-store events, to have the
boutique owner invite their bestcustomers and then have a wine
(10:15):
cheese grapes shop party.
And then you get your localinfluencers essentially for free
because they're already buyingyour product.
I think there's something to besaid for realizing that it's
such a missed opportunity not togive a trade show and uh another
chance.
But we were saying like that thecost nowadays could be perceived
(10:39):
prohibitive, which is why I wasso excited and I've been wanting
to do this for so long that wecame together to create this
very unique program called theIt Bag, which you know, and and
no disrespect to people who cantake a full booth, but I feel,
(11:01):
in my opinion, that if you'regonna have a full booth, you
need to have enough customersand people looking out for you
to make it worth your while, orelse your success rate is not
gonna be as high because youwon't be a destination.
And putting yourself perhaps inan emerging, emerging section,
again, that works for a lot ofdesigners.
(11:23):
But as far as handbags areconcerned, the buyers only want
to see your best bags.
They don't want to see theproduct that you've created to
fill up the space.
They don't want to feel, theydon't want to see the, oh, let
me make this just in case.
They want to see what are yourhero bags, what colors are they
in, and what's your delivery.
So we came together to createthis very, very special section,
(11:48):
if you will.
And I'm so excited called the ItBag, which essentially we are
taking a very select curatedgroup of designers to have them
show their essentially top fivebags.
And therefore, it gives them anopportunity and almost like a
sax floor retail environmentthat buyers can walk the show.
(12:10):
They have a reason to come stay,they have a reason to interact.
It's not going to be so sparse.
There'll be lots of peoplethere.
You won't be alone, you'll getthat community vibe.
And, you know, we used to foryears have our audience fan
favorite display within avariety of trade shows.
I think the last one was at NewYork now.
(12:32):
And it was wildly successfulbecause all the designers were
there.
We had about 50 bags that wereon display.
And the buyers would say, Oh,can I buy this bag?
Can I buy that bag?
And I'd say, No, they're not forsale.
This is your vote on which oneyou like.
SPEAKER_00 (12:48):
Totally.
SPEAKER_02 (12:50):
And it always like gave me that little like thorn
in my side.
Like, this is I hate missedopportunities.
I hate when, you know, there'sthat gap from designer to sale
to what's gonna happen next.
So I knew that if the bags werepresented in a collective way,
(13:10):
that buyers will come and say,okay, I get it.
I see how these bags should bemerchandised.
I see your top bags.
I want two from you, three fromyou, one from you, boom, I'm on
my way.
SPEAKER_00 (13:22):
Exactly.
Exactly.
We've we've done the edit forthem in many ways.
SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
And what's also nice is where we've placed this uh
launch pad, if you will, isright on the line with our
luxury lifestyle community.
So you're it's you know, there'snot a competition as far as
other bags in that space.
It's predominantly luxurycouture-level jewelry that
you're gonna be.
So nothing better than, youknow, a great handbag is a great
(13:49):
necklace, in my opinion.
So exactly, you know, it's agreat area on the show floor
where it's gonna create thislittle synergy between the two,
a lot of good crossover betweenthe retailers coming through
that area.
And to your point, it really isputting a spotlight on the key
items that the buyer should havein her store.
You know, as we've been chattingabout money and price and values
(14:10):
and times and commitments, youknow, the buyer's time at this
point of life going on, it is solimited.
I'm sure every designer that hastried to reach out to a buyer to
sell her bag or her product hasdiscovered I don't get any
responses.
Well, that's because the buyergets about 500 emails a day from
other brands.
(14:30):
Yeah, they're not reading youremail.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
No, they forgot.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
They're not.
It's probably not if anything,they're like, oh, that's really
cute, that's really nice, asthey're actively going into
another meeting because ithappened to ping on their phone
that at that exact moment thatthey were looking at their
phone.
Otherwise, in person is herundivided attention.
SPEAKER_02 (14:48):
Yep.
unknown (14:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:50):
And that's really where the trade show comes in.
And being able to be part ofthis, this platform and being in
the it bag, it creates this areaalready where the buyer knows
we're advertising it to go andvisit this area to see handbags.
There's no questioning it.
There's no, what am I gonna findhere?
Do I need to uh you know lookunder this stone?
No, it's here's handbags.
They've been curated, they arethe it bags for you to see.
(15:12):
And that's what's so special tome is that it's it's done, it's
ready to go.
SPEAKER_02 (15:17):
Yeah.
No, I really couldn't be moreexcited about this.
This has been something thathas, since the handbag awards,
I've really wanted to do becauseI know that my I know what I'm
best at.
And that's discovering talentand working with designers and
helping them move to the nextlevel, whether they're at
inception or already on theshelf and looking for, okay, how
(15:40):
can I grow and make better whatI've already started?
I just think it's it's just suchan amazing opportunity, not to
make this episode entertainmentor an advertorial, but just
quietly, it's my podcast.
I can do whatever I want.
SPEAKER_01 (15:54):
There you go.
It's your name, it's your nameon the board.
SPEAKER_02 (15:58):
Oh my God.
But let me ask you.
So if someone has never done atrade show before, what should
they bring?
How should they prepare?
What are their key things thatthey could say?
Oh my God, I never even thoughtthat these are the things that I
would need to do, prepare, getready.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Great question.
It can be a long list.
It can be daunting, especiallycoming into a show like New York
Now.
You know, it is a highlypackaged show.
You're playing in the same fieldas legendary brands on the show
floor that have all connectionsin the room.
You are also playing the fieldof emerging designers all in the
same building.
(16:37):
Uh, I always like to say NewYork Now is uh everything from
handmade to high volume inone-stop shop.
It's been quite curated sincethe past.
So it's even easier for thebuyer to do her job.
But with that, it's up to you asthe designer to stand out.
I mean, there's going to beanywhere from 800 to 1,000
brands in that show floor overthree days.
There's also other showshappening in New York City at
(16:58):
the same time.
The buyer has limited time toget around, as we say.
So it's up to you to really beprepared as you come into the
space there.
So initially, you want to knowyour brand.
You want to know yourself, youwant to know your brand and want
to know your products.
You never know where you'regoing to have the moment to
pitch that.
Is it in your booth?
Or are you staying at one of thediscounted hotel partners that
we have where fires are stayingas well?
(17:20):
So, you know, you could be inthe elevator that morning
running to get your coffee andrealize that, oh my goodness,
I'm next to the cutest boutiquein Massachusetts that I've had
on my list forever.
Yeah.
And you just strike up aconversation.
You want to be ready for thattoo.
So it's the same preparationbetween that.
So know your five-minute pitch,know your 30-second pitch, know
what sets your brand apart.
(17:41):
You know, really define whatthat means.
It can be anything to any brand.
There's not a select rule orrule of thumb on this.
I've heard every pitch in theworld, and it's the ones that
are unique, the one that tellsme why I should have your
product without shoving it downmy throat, is what stands out.
So I say that's step one is knowwho you are, define your
identity, define your pitch, anddefine your brand.
(18:03):
Next step there is know youroperating procedures for going
into a trade show.
Because that is a whole notherpart.
I know a lot of time we'redealing with creatives.
Myself, I like to split my brainin half.
I have a creative side and anoperational side.
So it can be a daunting task tolook at move-ins to a trade
show, building out for a tradeshow.
Even just getting to the tradeshow alone with all your
(18:24):
products can be daunting.
So, great thing is that we havewebinars at New York now that
will teach you how to do thingslive.
I'm on those webinars with ouroperations team.
You can ask us questions in themoment.
You can also contact us 24-7.
We have all the ways that youcan reach out to us to get your
questions answered.
But read your exhibitor servicemanuals when you do shows, not
just New York now, but any show.
(18:46):
Read all those tools.
I know they're long.
They're sometimes they're 80pages long at some of these
shows, but it's for your, it'sfor your benefit.
So there's nothing worse thanshowing up to a trade show
realizing you can't do anythingthat you thought you were going
to do, and you now have a veryexpensive move-in procedure.
So that's another step there isyou know, know your brand, but
also know what you need to do toget physically into that show
(19:09):
and set yourself up for success.
Whether that is knowing the daythat you can arrive, what kind
of vehicle you can arrive in,where you park that vehicle,
where you don't park thatvehicle because you might want
to drive it home later, but nothave it towed.
All those types of things aregonna really be helpful.
I would say the third thing ofgetting ready for a trade show,
especially if you're emergingand coming out of the block, is
build your target lists, buildyour outreach lists.
(19:31):
You know, no show is gonna giveyou lists, and if they do,
question what they're doing withyour data.
SPEAKER_02 (19:36):
Oh my God, that would be I would kill for that.
That was one of those things.
Like, oh my God.
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:43):
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SPEAKER_00 (21:16):
So don't be shocked when the larger shows you work
with and the corporate shows,like a New York Now show,
they're not going to give youcontact information of buyers.
That is not why you sign up fora trade show.
You're not buying a list.
I know sometimes it feels thatway, and you're spending a lot
of money, so you think that youshould get this list.
You're not going to get thelist.
You're just not going to.
Same way that we don't sell thedesigners' information out to
(21:37):
other people.
That just doesn't happen.
So what I say is, and it'salways hard, this is the number
one question I get from emergingbrands is well, I don't know the
buyer there.
Or how do I know the buyerthere?
Or how do I know this?
And I go, Google LinkedIn andInstagram.
LinkedIn, Instagram, socialmedia, you know, all those
different outlets and resources,get Excel, start making a
(21:58):
spreadsheet.
You go, and then what's alsogreat with ChatGPT and other AI
programs, it's literally agodsend.
When you type in, you go, whatis Revolves email cadence?
Or what is, you know, and youlook up and it's gonna go, oh,
well, 90% of emails at thiscompany that you just asked
about use a first name.lastnameat company.com.
(22:18):
Or they'll be like, you know,this company is more like first
initial last name.
I know it sounds wild, butliterally take that information,
go to your sell list, pull upLinkedIn of every company that
you want to be at.
Oh, there's the buyer.
Her name is Lauren Emily.
And I know that this company isusually gonna be, you know, of
an email cadence that is firstname, last name, whatever.
(22:40):
Write them all into thatscripture.
Yeah, type them all.
Try multiples, try multiples,then start sending emails.
Reach out on LinkedIn.
If you don't get a responsethere, create a newsletter.
Staying active.
I know we said they don't openemails, but this is at least
gonna tell you is the emailvalid?
Is it gonna bounce back?
It's a lot of trial and error,but building that list over time
(23:02):
is gonna help you.
Also, in New York now, whilewe're not gonna give you contact
information, once you log in,you're all set up with your
account, you have your New YorkNow online page powered by
Bolton.
With this on the back end,exhibitors are able to see the
active list of buyers registeredfor the show.
So it's not gonna have theircontact information, but it's
gonna give you names, names,companies, and their areas of
(23:24):
buying.
So again, this is anotherinsight tool that builds your
personal list.
So use those types of tools togive way to your lists.
And when you're on a show site,again, you're in person, your
smartphone is a mobile app.
It turns into a scanner.
You can scan every single personthat you connect with's badge
that they wear, they have towear a badge, then you can
download that list.
And now you have their contactinformation.
SPEAKER_02 (23:46):
Are the badges colored now?
Because I know they have fromshow to show, because back in
the day, like if someone's badgewas yellow, they were press.
If it was blue, it was a buyer,if it was green, it was an
exhibitor.
And then they have the likerando, you know, black, like
meaning you just showed up and Idon't care about you.
(24:07):
Yeah, you're just you're justwalking.
SPEAKER_00 (24:09):
Yes, yes.
They are still um color-coded.
And that is another thing thatis included in some of that
pre-show material so that youknow when you're in your booth,
if you see a green badge walkinto you, green means what?
Money.
So that's what we say.
We have changed those badgetypes so that if you're a buyer
on the show floor or a personwith purchasing power on the
(24:31):
attendee side, that badge typeis going to be green.
So it's just an easy way to knowas they're walking up the aisle.
Look, by day two of a tradeshow, those of us with the best
eye vision um will still beseeing double.
SPEAKER_01 (24:42):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (24:45):
So this is a way for you to get color coordinated and
be like, ah, okay, I see green.
Let me puff up my chest a littlebit and get ready for this.
I know my five-second pitch.
I know what I'm gonna say here.
Maybe I'm gonna hold my productand play with one of the
features.
Maybe my bag has a strap thatcomes on and off.
I'm gonna be taking it on andoff while standing at the end.
SPEAKER_02 (25:02):
100 and bring extra product.
I mean, within within the it bagsegment, we are, as we said,
only showing the best of thebest.
But make sure you have a bagthat you can wear of your own.
I can I tell you, I've had somany designers, and I've spoken
about this ad nauseum thatthere's so many designers who've
(25:24):
created hidden products, but yetthey still wear their Louie or
their Gucci or whatever.
And I'm like, girl, what's wrongwith you?
Like, no, you're your best.
No, no, no, no, no.
You're that's a marketingwrite-off, too.
Like, no.
It's true.
Yeah.
And also assume for the worst,assume something will happen to
your product, assume sampleswill not show up on time.
(25:46):
Make sure that you have swatchesready, that you have swatches
are your best friend.
Put them in a lovely book andmake sure you know your delivery
dates, make sure you know yourreorder delivery dates.
That's like the grayest area.
Make sure you understand yourpricing.
Wholesale is one thing, but alot of buyers ask, what are you
(26:08):
selling it at retail?
What are other people selling itat retail?
Is your retail consistent fromyour site to somebody else's?
How often do you go on sale?
What are your typical discounts?
Like all of these things arethings you have to know because
someone's gonna throw it at youand you don't want to go um.
This is your brand, this is yourchance, and you want to close
(26:29):
it.
And the great thing, at least,with this section is that we're
allowing you to have the sale solaser focused because here are
my best selling bags.
SPEAKER_01 (26:39):
That's all that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (26:42):
Here are my best selling bags.
It's available in blue, purple,green.
I don't have them here.
Here are the swatches.
Out of those pop colors, thegreen usually gets people
excited.
Do you sell bags that are green?
How does green do in your store?
It doesn't.
Okay, I've got neutrals too.
How do they do in your store?
That's it.
The end.
That's all.
SPEAKER_00 (27:00):
Where do I where do I submit my credit card?
SPEAKER_02 (27:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (27:04):
That was perfect.
That's exactly it.
And really well said.
That's exactly what's going tohappen in these conversations.
They want to make sure at theend of the day that they are set
up for success with yourproduct.
So the more information youhave, the more demographics that
you know about your buyer, yourcustomer, your, you know, your
girl, as I like to say, who'sbuying your bag, wearing it, you
(27:26):
know, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, why she wearsit, where she wears it.
What other brands do you usuallysit with?
You know?
SPEAKER_02 (27:34):
Oh, that first question, I remember when I was
going into Bendels and that wasa question.
What other brands do you hangwith?
And I, you know, respondedcheek-ily like, I hang with all
the brands, like who, you know.
But and and please, please berealistic as to who your actual
competition is.
Your real competition is neverever Louie or Gucci.
(27:55):
It is never, ever, ever that.
Who within that emergingindependent designer space falls
in line with your aesthetic,with your materials, with your
price point, with your press,with your target.
Oh, she typically would buyBrandon Blackwood, but you know,
I know that her box aesthetic,she would find that she would
(28:17):
enjoy my product too.
SPEAKER_00 (28:19):
Totally.
It's so, so good to know thosethings.
You know, uh, we were at a showrecently and I was looking at
this one company's huge piecesof mushroom leather.
And I remember years ago, thiswas just something being spoken
about in a textbook.
And now here I am holding myhands.
And it's yeah, it's it'samazing.
It's such good quality.
Like it's coming out in alldifferent colors, shapes, sizes,
(28:40):
textures.
If you make a bag out of that,for example, that actually puts
you in a playing level ofleather bags.
It puts you at a playing levelof sustainable bags, um, clean
ingredients, reusable, you know,you have many arenas there.
So always look at that for otherbrands that you could sit with
and stores you can sit with.
Because, for example, at NewYork Now, another way that we
(29:00):
encouraged buyers to shop,knowing that one, this is how
the modern consumer is shopping.
This is where that Gen Z GenAlpha is actually spending their
money, is based off brandvalues.
So, yes, it's cute.
Yes, I like it, yes, it fitsright.
However, does it match my valueas a person?
You know, some people only wantto support and wear
(29:22):
female-founded goods, which isamazing.
It's actually the number onebrand value shopped at our show
is female founded.
Um wow.
Yes.
Handmade products make up over athird of the offerings at New
York now across the floor, allsections.
Wow.
Handmade is a huge component ofour show.
No matter how much, you know,you might want to walk our show
(29:44):
and say, oh, well, that's a hugeline.
That's a huge line.
Yes.
But if you go into the actualdata and details, handmade
products is a huge focal pointat New York now.
So if you make a handmade,handmade product, lean into
that.
Check that box on your directorypage.
Because you can put these all asfilters on your pages and it's
female founded, it's blackowned, it's Letin X owned, you
(30:06):
know, it's clean ingredients,it's sustained.
Like there's there's 16 brandvalues that we have identified.
You can choose all 16 if theyidentify with your company.
Please don't go greenwashing theworld there.
Oh god.
SPEAKER_01 (30:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:18):
Yeah.
But uh, but that's another wayto that sets you apart and
allows you to, you know, get infront of that buyer because that
buyer might only be shoppingfor, you know, handmade female
founded goods.
And she's gonna have doublefilters on her page, and she's
that's what she's looking forbecause that's what her consumer
buys.
She might not be looking for anyof that, she might be looking
for the color green, which inthat case, good thing you had
(30:39):
your swatches, as Emily said.
SPEAKER_02 (30:41):
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
No, I think, and also makingsure.
Now I know this sounds crazy.
What kind of paperwork shouldthey bring?
SPEAKER_00 (30:55):
It's not crazy.
It's actually a great, greatquestion.
And very interesting topic aswell, given I think our overall
society's confusion, if youwill, between will we, won't we?
Where are we?
What are we doing?
Am I all plugged in on a phoneand an iPad?
And that's I've gone fulldigital.
(31:15):
Or do I still want to read abook paper to paper, front to
back cover?
I think we are in uh between allgenerations in our current
society, blending between whatwe want as a uh, you know, as a
carbon copy form, as well aswhat I'm willing to save as a
file in my folder on Modestra.
So it's a good question.
(31:36):
I will say both at this currentstage.
So it's always good to have apaper line sheet, a paper, you
know, list of your products withpricing and an image.
It does not have to be fancy.
It you can make this inPowerPoint, if you will, them
out at FedEx Kinkos.
It does not need to be fancy.
It needs to be informative atthe end of the day.
This is not a lookbook.
(31:57):
This is a sheet that haspricing, images, specs, so that
when you have that connection,if she's not ready to buy today,
which don't be shocked if she'snot ready to buy today.
She's got a lot of things tolook at and a lot of books to
run through.
But if you can give hersomething that goes into her
purse, that when she gets backat that hotel later in that
night and she opens that purseand pulls out all these lovely
(32:18):
new things that she found today,you now physically have
something in her hand.
So that is the benefit of paperpaper and paper line sheets and
items like that.
Paper order forms, a little bitdifferent.
I think we are officially, as anoverall community and world,
finally shifting away from theyellow, pink, white carbon copy
(32:40):
or pull the copy, pull the copy.
Pull the copy, pull the copy,pull the copy.
I mean, we have officiallyreally seen the true adoption
going into digital ordering.
Or at least just uh, you know,we'll write it up on my iPad
here.
I'll send you an email of theitems that you put on your
orders today, so you have thatas your copy.
SPEAKER_02 (32:56):
Is there a program that people use for order forms?
SPEAKER_00 (33:00):
Yeah, I've seen everything, honestly.
So, you know, there's the largeonline marketplaces that you can
join.
They do cost money though.
So I don't always advise thisfor an emerging designer.
That would be like your neworders, your jours.
Don't start there as an emergingdesigner.
Right.
You're just paying a lot ofmoney for something that you
don't need.
Now something similar, BrandBoom.
(33:20):
Brand Boom is a much lower costproduct, if not even has free
options if you don't need toomany uh stages of it.
Check out Brand Boom if you wantto go that route of being able
to have something digital tosend out.
That is doors.
You can take it to any show anduse it as, you know, if you show
up at a store yourself and justhave a great connection, you can
set it out that way.
You don't need any perfect step.
Another way, though, is at NewYork Now, with your booth
(33:43):
package, you receive your NewYork Now online page, which is
on Bulletin.
Bulletin is an online wholesalemarketplace.
So it's different from a neworder or a journey in the sense
that it's visual.
You can see it.
The buyer can log in herself,see your page, check herself out
without even speaking to you.
(34:04):
So that's another tool.
When you set up your profilepage, list your products on that
page as well.
So if you're bringing those fiveit bags to the show, put those
five it bags on your profilepage.
Put them in every color too.
So maybe you actually have 15products up there because you
want to show each colorway.
That way, if she's filtering,changing, you can then add uh
product tags to these productsas well.
(34:27):
Additional ways of filtering andsearching on the website.
So if a buyer's on the website,it's three o'clock in the
morning, she can't sleep, shetypes in green bag, and you've
tagged your green bag on yourprofile page as green bag, green
bag.
Think of it as uh, you know,hashtags.
Yes, it works like that.
It works kind of like thatwithin this matrix.
So that's one step tool to usethere within the show, like in
(34:50):
New York now.
That's gonna come as well.
SPEAKER_02 (34:51):
On bulletin, can buyers place orders, or this is
just your profile.
They can place orders.
They can place orders.
Does that go through Brand Boomor they do it just those are
separate entities?
SPEAKER_00 (35:02):
Brand Boom is just another example of a platform
that an emerging brand mightwant to look at to create line
sheets, to have something upthere.
What's nice about your New YorkOnline page is it's also
integrated with Shopify.
So I know earlier with a lot ofbrands that have gone
immediately into direct toconsumer with their products,
which is great because you getimmediate interest.
(35:22):
That margin is super delicious.
You are now front loading yourentire production on your own.
You do not have any other moneycoming in to front load your
production.
And to sell to retail uh indirect to consumer, as we both
know, means the product alreadyexists.
I have to, if you buy it, I nowhave to ship it to you
immediately right now.
SPEAKER_01 (35:39):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (35:40):
If you bankroll it and blend your back end with
wholesale orders and sellingdirect to consumer, you're gonna
get some money to offset yourproduction now that you don't
have to front load becauseyou're getting it up front.
So between those things, youknow, you really can blend it.
But if you have products thatare held domestically in the US
(36:01):
and can ship from US or Canadianwarehouses, and that warehouse
might be your apartment becauselet's face it, that's where most
good products start is yourliving room floor.
You just have uh, you know, yourfamily deals with the amount of
boxes in the other room.
You're like, this is fine.
This is our child's college fundhere.
We're gonna sell these boxesuntil we grow big enough.
Either way, you can thentransact on Bulletin.
(36:21):
So we have a whole one sheet onit.
So happy to walk into that oneby one with brands as well.
SPEAKER_02 (36:26):
Do designers keep their product exclusively on
Bulletin and use that as theirdigital platform for trade
shows?
SPEAKER_00 (36:33):
They can.
Absolutely.
So while we're integrated withthat at New York now, that's
your page.
So you actually tell theBulletin team and tell us that
you want that page removed inthe future.
So what it is because you canhave a bulletin page right now.
You do not need to come throughNew York now.
It is a live marketplace.
Uh, you can sign up for yourpage and it's free.
It's free to post your productson there.
(36:53):
So any brand should just do itfor that purpose alone, is that
it's not going to cost you anymoney to just load your products
up there and they'd be exposedto another database.
Uh, the only time that it'sgonna now going to cost
something, and I use quotationsthere because it still does not
cost me anything.
It comes out of the order, it'sa commission.
So if you are not part of NewYork now, but you have a profile
(37:13):
page up on Bulletin, but youmake an order with a buyer and
you're not signed up for theshow yet, it's gonna take a
certain percentage of commissionout of that order once it ships.
But Bulletin acts as yourbanking system in that instance.
So they invoice, they they dopayment.
All you have to do is pack theorder and ship it out within 14
(37:33):
days of it arriving.
You will then be paid directlyinto your your bank account that
you set up with the profile.
SPEAKER_02 (37:39):
Uh oh my god, amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (37:40):
I know it's amazing.
Now, the benefit of doing NewYork now with the Bulletin is
the second that you sign up forthe show and contract your booth
space, your commission ratesreduce.
So for wow.
Yes.
So for any order that you placerunning up until the show as
well as the time after the showfor one month.
So let's say our show is inAugust, you're right, these
discounted rates would runthrough the end of August for
(38:03):
any orders that you place onthere.
Now, of course, if you alreadyhave a buyer and she's already
your buyer, you just have togive us that list and put it in
there and it's pre-approved withour team.
It's very easy to do.
Any of those orders that you'vebrought in on your own, there's
no commission.
So you just have to let us know.
So they don't take anycommission out of that.
So you can run all your orderson there if you wanted to, and
it can act as your wholesaleback end for you.
(38:26):
You just have to let the teamknow your existing buyers, and
then there's no commission onthose.
Other perk though is on showsite, any orders placed,
regardless if you know them ornot.
This could be a brand new buyer.
You connected with her at the ItBag Launchpad area.
Had great connection.
She's like, I'm writing theseup.
It's happening.
I need to buy these bags.
They're they're too perfect forwhat I'm doing in my store.
(38:46):
It's gonna matter the customer.
They write that order with youlive, zero commission.
So again, during the three showdays, no matter who you wrote
the order to, new or returning,zero commission on those orders.
So it's another good benefitthere for that live in-person.
We do that to design thatin-person connection and what we
refer today.
SPEAKER_02 (39:05):
And meant to have the return on investment for
doing the trade show to beginwith.
SPEAKER_00 (39:08):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (39:09):
Oh my God.
Matthew, we could like go on andon and on.
I so this is like sort of sexyto me.
I so enjoy those.
I love it.
Yeah, I feel like we're gonnaneed to do one more before the
show just to get people jazzedup.
So I'm having you back.
Matthew, how can we find you andlearn more about New York now,
whether it's exhibiting, whetherit's walking the show, or even
(39:32):
wanting or buyers that arelistening?
SPEAKER_00 (39:34):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, I'm very, very easy tofind.
Most of my friends, family, andcolleagues say that you're gonna
hear me before you see me.
Same.
We share that personality.
Absolutely.
So, you know, if you if you uhif you're in LA, I'm based out
in LA.
I get to fly to New York Cityfor the show a couple times a
year.
Um, so I get the benefits ofboth coasts.
(39:55):
But um, you know, I'm always inaround events in LA.
So if you ever see me in person,always say hi, never shy away
from me.
SPEAKER_02 (40:01):
And comma, that's why we have a YouTube channel so
everyone can see Matthew and hisslick new haircut, too.
It's very fabulous.
SPEAKER_00 (40:09):
Yes.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yes, they did me right thistime.
SPEAKER_02 (40:12):
No, looks very smart.
It's very nice.
SPEAKER_00 (40:15):
Outside of seeing me on YouTube podcasts like this
one or in-person events, I'monline.
I am online.
Feel free to always add me onLinkedIn.
My name is pretty unique.
I'm pretty much the only one,maybe less than five Matthew
Matthiasins that currently existin digital uh boy endpoints.
I know there just only recentlybecame a couple years ago
another one on Facebook, which Iknow I'm dating myself with
(40:36):
Facebook.
However, I was shocked.
I was like, oh, there's anotherone.
Okay.
Well, I'm here first.
Um winning.
SPEAKER_02 (40:43):
I so get that.
I so get that.
SPEAKER_00 (40:47):
My email's on our contact us page at nynow.com.
Uh website for the show.
Um it's very easy.
Just, you know, those lovelylittle five letters.com.
And uh that's gonna get youaccess to all different
information portals on thewebsite there.
Additionally, contact us pagethat has my contact information.
It has our entire sales team,operational team, contact
(41:07):
information, and the marketingteam.
So we're all very accessible.
Additionally, though, uh add meon LinkedIn.
SPEAKER_02 (41:13):
I'm I'm always I'm always down to what is the New
York now uh Instagram?
It's at ny underscore now,correct?
SPEAKER_00 (41:20):
Correct, exactly.
So Instagram is at ny underscorenow.
And that's I know.
SPEAKER_02 (41:25):
We uh Matthew, this has been an absolute delight.
I can't wait.
We're definitely gonna have afollow-up to talk more about it
back and getting everybodyexcited.
So once we get everybody onboard, then we want people to
then come and watch and walk theshow and come find our
designers.
So thank you so much for partone, as far as I'm concerned.
SPEAKER_00 (41:44):
Yes, I love it.
Thanks for having me.
It was a great part one.
SPEAKER_02 (41:48):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and reviewand follow us on every single
platform at handbagdesigner.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
They want to make sure at the end of the day that
they are set up for success withyour product.
So the more information youhave, the more demographics that
you know about your buyer, yourcustomer, your, you know, your
girl, as I like to say, who'sbuying your bag, wearing it, you
know, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, why she wearsit, where she wears it.
(00:20):
What other brands do you usuallysit with?
SPEAKER_02 (00:23):
Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, EmilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert, and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week we uncover the storiesbehind the handbags we love,
from the iconic brands and topdesigners, the creativity,
craftsmanship, and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector, or simply passionate
(00:45):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, Matthew Mathiason ofNew York Now, show director to
handbag designer 101 thepodcast.
So excited to have you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
Thank you so much.
I'm happy to be here.
Thanks for inviting me.
SPEAKER_02 (01:06):
Oh my goodness.
So you are part of the newguard, as far as I'm concerned,
of New York Now.
We'll get into your background,but I would love, love, love to
dive into where we are at rightnow with trade shows because
what they were and what they arenow very much reflects where
we're at with retail, becauseretail, especially with tariffs,
(01:29):
is totally different than whatit was.
SPEAKER_00 (01:31):
True.
True.
You know, in many ways, the showis 101 years old.
It is the longest-running giftshow, not only in the country,
let alone New York City, one ofthe greatest cities in the
world.
As you know, as you live there,I'm very jealous.
But with that, it's gone througha lot of changes, you know, and
not just in since COVID, butsince day one in the 1920s.
(01:52):
You know, New York now startedoff as a hotel show with a
couple reps that got togetherand they figured they could do
something stronger together.
I still carry that ethos throughto today's show floor.
It did take a moment where Ileft New York City.
It traveled across the countrythroughout the 30s and 40s and
then came back home.
Since then, it's had about, Ithink, five different names over
the years and decades.
(02:13):
Many people still refer to it asthe International Gift Show
absolutely.
Shelly Shelly, because that'swhat its name was for several
decades.
It has been New York now for alittle over two decades at this
point, almost push threedecades.
But with that, we still carrythat ethos in, which is the, you
know, the rep, the experience,the buyer connection at our show
(02:33):
floor.
Regardless of the size,regardless of the location over
all these years, it's alwayscoming back to the connections
being made in person.
And, you know, as part of thisnew guard, as you say, with uh
New York Now, which is true, wedo have a new team as far as
owning and running this show,but not so new.
They've all veterans in theindustry and we've been on the
show like yourself.
(02:54):
I've been through a few fashionshowrooms in my days.
And so we have a really goodteam on the brand these days,
really focused on driving thebrand awareness, brand values,
connections, making sure that webring the right brands for the
buyers that are still shoppingand working in this industry.
You know, as you know, it's beentough for buyers and retailers
out there, especially the pastfive years.
(03:15):
I think we're now we're goingthrough a whole new renaissance,
if you will.
You know, it's it's tricky outthere.
It's definitely tricky.
But with that, that's wherewe've tried to pivot in York
now.
You know, we're not a 500,000square foot trade show anymore.
We haven't been since 2018.
I don't know any trade showthat's still that size in the
space of consumer goods andwholesale ordering.
(03:35):
I just haven't seen another showof our size and caliber restage
at that size since 2020.
They've all found a new pivot, anew area to flex on.
And that's what we're doing hereat New York now as well.
SPEAKER_02 (03:48):
You know, I dealing having dealt with so many
designers, and I think so manyof them are laser focused on
direct to consumer.
And I think I think that'simportant.
And I think that is your gatewayof having any proper large
retailer to believe that yourbrand is worth actually buying
(04:10):
inventory.
I mean, we know that most sitesnow, like Nordstrom.com,
Walmart.com, anything throughFederated, they will do drop
ship before they actually buyinventory because it's safer for
them.
I have a lot of designers thatactually prefer that, knowing
that they can then control theinventory and it allows them to
(04:32):
go into production with a wholelot less at risk.
However, there is a huge, Ithink, gray area in this new
wave of designers that they tendto not realize the power and the
value of boutiques.
(04:53):
And those are your soldiers whowill get your brand out, who
will speak about who you are,who will brag that you are the
one that they should invest in.
And they want to be the ones whowere responsible theoretically
for discovering you and bringingyou to the forefront.
And I think, you know,considering this was
(05:17):
historically the gift show, andthere are a lot of trade shows
that do exist.
How is New York now trulydifferent from the others,
especially in terms of theseboutiques who are coming that
are trying to find the new andthe innovative?
Because we all know that there'sa deficit of that right now.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
Absolutely.
No, it's a really great point tocall out is the backbone of
America is and always will be,in my opinion, Main Street
America.
That's how we started as acountry.
Everybody wanted the AmericanDream.
That American Dream to meincludes Main Street America
with, you know, person-ownedbusinesses, not as much the
corporate-owned line.
The corporate's great.
Yeah, I'm sure we all shop atall those big names, you know,
(05:59):
to get our paper towels andprobably picked up 17 other
things along the way of gettingthose paper towels, which is
their whole purpose.
That's why that works in theirinstance.
That being said, it's not forevery brand.
And most brands will actuallydiscover they actually are going
to have a longer runningbusiness line with more diverse
options for themselves if theyspread it across independent
(06:19):
routine uh boutiques, retailers,and the specialty stores.
Going all chips in one bag isusually not the best idea.
And it can backfire.
And I've seen it happen a lot oftimes.
Sometimes you hit it rich, andthat is great.
Uh, we can all list a lot ofbrands that we have seen on
those shelves that we also thensee at every single, you know,
(06:40):
store across the country.
They see it on Amazon, they seeit on Walmart, they then see it
at the kiosk at the airport whenthey're traveling.
Yep.
Which is great.
That's awesome for that brand.
I love that.
That being said, you can'tcompete in that marketplace
anymore.
Your product is now gone intothe world, which is great.
You're getting probably gettinga great paycheck, but it's no
(07:00):
longer probably what you startedyour company with and probably
started on.
So, you know, focusing on adiverse opportunity is great for
a show like New York Nowbecause, yes, we are presumably
and always have been the giftshow.
With that, though, our buyerswill say the number one reason
they're coming to shop New YorkNow is for gifts.
(07:20):
You look at the secondary andtertiary levels beyond that,
though, are they see jewelry asa gift.
They see a handbag as a gift.
They like everything is a giftin that instance.
It's not your tried and true,oh, I think gift, and I think of
tissue paper, wrapping paper,ribbons, bows, and stickers,
which is great.
Love that things.
Also, like unicorns.
(07:41):
But gift at New York Now is somuch more.
And that's where you're going tosee that.
Also, what's nice about thebuyer that's coming to New York
now to find these products inall categories from home, gift
and lifestyle, drawer andaccessories, handbags, they are
also the decision makers oftheir business, which is so
huge.
I think our last survey saysover 60% of our attendee base is
(08:03):
the decision maker of hercompany.
She is the owner, she's theoperator, she's the buyer, she
is finance and accounting all inone.
And uh, with that, when you, youknow, get to partake in a show
like that in person, you'remeeting with the same person
that's issuing the payment toyour invoices.
The same one's gonna call youand say, Hey, we sold out of
those red bags.
Can I get some more?
(08:23):
Which you're not gonna get thatlevel from some of the other
larger retailers, which are inthe room too, but that's a
special arrangement that you'regonna get.
And you're now and and manyother trade shows, but that is a
true type that you're gonna seewalking our aisles.
SPEAKER_02 (08:38):
But I love what you just said, and you know, having
started my own personal rootswith trade shows, there's also
this key point of payment.
You get paid up front.
SPEAKER_01 (08:51):
That's true.
SPEAKER_02 (08:52):
As opposed to the net terms.
It's funny, I my business was soboutique focused for so long
that by the time I startedgetting into bigger retailers
and they were saying net terms.
And I said, wait, so you meanyou don't pay me as soon as you
get it?
That's true.
You know, cash in hand is reallywhat's important.
(09:13):
And especially with all of thesetariffs that are happening.
I know it's it's allowed a lotof independent designers to
really shine and have a lot ofgreat opportunities because
they're not making it in China.
They are making it in othercountries, they might be making
them in countries where it'sabout sustainability or giving
(09:34):
back or social responsibility.
Sustainability, as you and Iboth know, is also very, very
tricky because most things arenever truly sustainable.
They have a percentage, and weall try to do our best.
But, you know, to do thesecall-outs and to what makes your
brand special, the specialtystores are the ones who have
(09:54):
those human relationships thatcan talk to the customers.
And I think there's anothermissed opportunity that a lot of
designers don't even think thatyou can go on a boutique tour to
visit your best boutiques, to doin-store events, to have the
boutique owner invite their bestcustomers and then have a wine
(10:15):
cheese grapes shop party.
And then you get your localinfluencers essentially for free
because they're already buyingyour product.
I think there's something to besaid for realizing that it's
such a missed opportunity not togive a trade show and uh another
chance.
But we were saying like that thecost nowadays could be perceived
(10:39):
prohibitive, which is why I wasso excited and I've been wanting
to do this for so long that wecame together to create this
very unique program called theIt Bag, which you know, and and
no disrespect to people who cantake a full booth, but I feel,
(11:01):
in my opinion, that if you'regonna have a full booth, you
need to have enough customersand people looking out for you
to make it worth your while, orelse your success rate is not
gonna be as high because youwon't be a destination.
And putting yourself perhaps inan emerging, emerging section,
again, that works for a lot ofdesigners.
(11:23):
But as far as handbags areconcerned, the buyers only want
to see your best bags.
They don't want to see theproduct that you've created to
fill up the space.
They don't want to feel, theydon't want to see the, oh, let
me make this just in case.
They want to see what are yourhero bags, what colors are they
in, and what's your delivery.
So we came together to createthis very, very special section,
(11:48):
if you will.
And I'm so excited called the ItBag, which essentially we are
taking a very select curatedgroup of designers to have them
show their essentially top fivebags.
And therefore, it gives them anopportunity and almost like a
sax floor retail environmentthat buyers can walk the show.
(12:10):
They have a reason to come stay,they have a reason to interact.
It's not going to be so sparse.
There'll be lots of peoplethere.
You won't be alone, you'll getthat community vibe.
And, you know, we used to foryears have our audience fan
favorite display within avariety of trade shows.
I think the last one was at NewYork now.
(12:32):
And it was wildly successfulbecause all the designers were
there.
We had about 50 bags that wereon display.
And the buyers would say, Oh,can I buy this bag?
Can I buy that bag?
And I'd say, No, they're not forsale.
This is your vote on which oneyou like.
SPEAKER_00 (12:48):
Totally.
SPEAKER_02 (12:50):
And it always like gave me that little like thorn
in my side.
Like, this is I hate missedopportunities.
I hate when, you know, there'sthat gap from designer to sale
to what's gonna happen next.
So I knew that if the bags werepresented in a collective way,
(13:10):
that buyers will come and say,okay, I get it.
I see how these bags should bemerchandised.
I see your top bags.
I want two from you, three fromyou, one from you, boom, I'm on
my way.
SPEAKER_00 (13:22):
Exactly.
Exactly.
We've we've done the edit forthem in many ways.
SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
And what's also nice is where we've placed this uh
launch pad, if you will, isright on the line with our
luxury lifestyle community.
So you're it's you know, there'snot a competition as far as
other bags in that space.
It's predominantly luxurycouture-level jewelry that
you're gonna be.
So nothing better than, youknow, a great handbag is a great
(13:49):
necklace, in my opinion.
So exactly, you know, it's agreat area on the show floor
where it's gonna create thislittle synergy between the two,
a lot of good crossover betweenthe retailers coming through
that area.
And to your point, it really isputting a spotlight on the key
items that the buyer should havein her store.
You know, as we've been chattingabout money and price and values
(14:10):
and times and commitments, youknow, the buyer's time at this
point of life going on, it is solimited.
I'm sure every designer that hastried to reach out to a buyer to
sell her bag or her product hasdiscovered I don't get any
responses.
Well, that's because the buyergets about 500 emails a day from
other brands.
(14:30):
Yeah, they're not reading youremail.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
No, they forgot.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
They're not.
It's probably not if anything,they're like, oh, that's really
cute, that's really nice, asthey're actively going into
another meeting because ithappened to ping on their phone
that at that exact moment thatthey were looking at their
phone.
Otherwise, in person is herundivided attention.
SPEAKER_02 (14:48):
Yep.
unknown (14:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:50):
And that's really where the trade show comes in.
And being able to be part ofthis, this platform and being in
the it bag, it creates this areaalready where the buyer knows
we're advertising it to go andvisit this area to see handbags.
There's no questioning it.
There's no, what am I gonna findhere?
Do I need to uh you know lookunder this stone?
No, it's here's handbags.
They've been curated, they arethe it bags for you to see.
(15:12):
And that's what's so special tome is that it's it's done, it's
ready to go.
SPEAKER_02 (15:17):
Yeah.
No, I really couldn't be moreexcited about this.
This has been something thathas, since the handbag awards,
I've really wanted to do becauseI know that my I know what I'm
best at.
And that's discovering talentand working with designers and
helping them move to the nextlevel, whether they're at
inception or already on theshelf and looking for, okay, how
(15:40):
can I grow and make better whatI've already started?
I just think it's it's just suchan amazing opportunity, not to
make this episode entertainmentor an advertorial, but just
quietly, it's my podcast.
I can do whatever I want.
SPEAKER_01 (15:54):
There you go.
It's your name, it's your nameon the board.
SPEAKER_02 (15:58):
Oh my God.
But let me ask you.
So if someone has never done atrade show before, what should
they bring?
How should they prepare?
What are their key things thatthey could say?
Oh my God, I never even thoughtthat these are the things that I
would need to do, prepare, getready.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Great question.
It can be a long list.
It can be daunting, especiallycoming into a show like New York
Now.
You know, it is a highlypackaged show.
You're playing in the same fieldas legendary brands on the show
floor that have all connectionsin the room.
You are also playing the fieldof emerging designers all in the
same building.
(16:37):
Uh, I always like to say NewYork Now is uh everything from
handmade to high volume inone-stop shop.
It's been quite curated sincethe past.
So it's even easier for thebuyer to do her job.
But with that, it's up to you asthe designer to stand out.
I mean, there's going to beanywhere from 800 to 1,000
brands in that show floor overthree days.
There's also other showshappening in New York City at
(16:58):
the same time.
The buyer has limited time toget around, as we say.
So it's up to you to really beprepared as you come into the
space there.
So initially, you want to knowyour brand.
You want to know yourself, youwant to know your brand and want
to know your products.
You never know where you'regoing to have the moment to
pitch that.
Is it in your booth?
Or are you staying at one of thediscounted hotel partners that
we have where fires are stayingas well?
(17:20):
So, you know, you could be inthe elevator that morning
running to get your coffee andrealize that, oh my goodness,
I'm next to the cutest boutiquein Massachusetts that I've had
on my list forever.
Yeah.
And you just strike up aconversation.
You want to be ready for thattoo.
So it's the same preparationbetween that.
So know your five-minute pitch,know your 30-second pitch, know
what sets your brand apart.
(17:41):
You know, really define whatthat means.
It can be anything to any brand.
There's not a select rule orrule of thumb on this.
I've heard every pitch in theworld, and it's the ones that
are unique, the one that tellsme why I should have your
product without shoving it downmy throat, is what stands out.
So I say that's step one is knowwho you are, define your
identity, define your pitch, anddefine your brand.
(18:03):
Next step there is know youroperating procedures for going
into a trade show.
Because that is a whole notherpart.
I know a lot of time we'redealing with creatives.
Myself, I like to split my brainin half.
I have a creative side and anoperational side.
So it can be a daunting task tolook at move-ins to a trade
show, building out for a tradeshow.
Even just getting to the tradeshow alone with all your
(18:24):
products can be daunting.
So, great thing is that we havewebinars at New York now that
will teach you how to do thingslive.
I'm on those webinars with ouroperations team.
You can ask us questions in themoment.
You can also contact us 24-7.
We have all the ways that youcan reach out to us to get your
questions answered.
But read your exhibitor servicemanuals when you do shows, not
just New York now, but any show.
(18:46):
Read all those tools.
I know they're long.
They're sometimes they're 80pages long at some of these
shows, but it's for your, it'sfor your benefit.
So there's nothing worse thanshowing up to a trade show
realizing you can't do anythingthat you thought you were going
to do, and you now have a veryexpensive move-in procedure.
So that's another step there isyou know, know your brand, but
also know what you need to do toget physically into that show
(19:09):
and set yourself up for success.
Whether that is knowing the daythat you can arrive, what kind
of vehicle you can arrive in,where you park that vehicle,
where you don't park thatvehicle because you might want
to drive it home later, but nothave it towed.
All those types of things aregonna really be helpful.
I would say the third thing ofgetting ready for a trade show,
especially if you're emergingand coming out of the block, is
build your target lists, buildyour outreach lists.
(19:31):
You know, no show is gonna giveyou lists, and if they do,
question what they're doing withyour data.
SPEAKER_02 (19:36):
Oh my God, that would be I would kill for that.
That was one of those things.
Like, oh my God.
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:43):
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SPEAKER_00 (21:16):
So don't be shocked when the larger shows you work
with and the corporate shows,like a New York Now show,
they're not going to give youcontact information of buyers.
That is not why you sign up fora trade show.
You're not buying a list.
I know sometimes it feels thatway, and you're spending a lot
of money, so you think that youshould get this list.
You're not going to get thelist.
You're just not going to.
Same way that we don't sell thedesigners' information out to
(21:37):
other people.
That just doesn't happen.
So what I say is, and it'salways hard, this is the number
one question I get from emergingbrands is well, I don't know the
buyer there.
Or how do I know the buyerthere?
Or how do I know this?
And I go, Google LinkedIn andInstagram.
LinkedIn, Instagram, socialmedia, you know, all those
different outlets and resources,get Excel, start making a
(21:58):
spreadsheet.
You go, and then what's alsogreat with ChatGPT and other AI
programs, it's literally agodsend.
When you type in, you go, whatis Revolves email cadence?
Or what is, you know, and youlook up and it's gonna go, oh,
well, 90% of emails at thiscompany that you just asked
about use a first name.lastnameat company.com.
(22:18):
Or they'll be like, you know,this company is more like first
initial last name.
I know it sounds wild, butliterally take that information,
go to your sell list, pull upLinkedIn of every company that
you want to be at.
Oh, there's the buyer.
Her name is Lauren Emily.
And I know that this company isusually gonna be, you know, of
an email cadence that is firstname, last name, whatever.
(22:40):
Write them all into thatscripture.
Yeah, type them all.
Try multiples, try multiples,then start sending emails.
Reach out on LinkedIn.
If you don't get a responsethere, create a newsletter.
Staying active.
I know we said they don't openemails, but this is at least
gonna tell you is the emailvalid?
Is it gonna bounce back?
It's a lot of trial and error,but building that list over time
(23:02):
is gonna help you.
Also, in New York now, whilewe're not gonna give you contact
information, once you log in,you're all set up with your
account, you have your New YorkNow online page powered by
Bolton.
With this on the back end,exhibitors are able to see the
active list of buyers registeredfor the show.
So it's not gonna have theircontact information, but it's
gonna give you names, names,companies, and their areas of
(23:24):
buying.
So again, this is anotherinsight tool that builds your
personal list.
So use those types of tools togive way to your lists.
And when you're on a show site,again, you're in person, your
smartphone is a mobile app.
It turns into a scanner.
You can scan every single personthat you connect with's badge
that they wear, they have towear a badge, then you can
download that list.
And now you have their contactinformation.
SPEAKER_02 (23:46):
Are the badges colored now?
Because I know they have fromshow to show, because back in
the day, like if someone's badgewas yellow, they were press.
If it was blue, it was a buyer,if it was green, it was an
exhibitor.
And then they have the likerando, you know, black, like
meaning you just showed up and Idon't care about you.
(24:07):
Yeah, you're just you're justwalking.
SPEAKER_00 (24:09):
Yes, yes.
They are still um color-coded.
And that is another thing thatis included in some of that
pre-show material so that youknow when you're in your booth,
if you see a green badge walkinto you, green means what?
Money.
So that's what we say.
We have changed those badgetypes so that if you're a buyer
on the show floor or a personwith purchasing power on the
(24:31):
attendee side, that badge typeis going to be green.
So it's just an easy way to knowas they're walking up the aisle.
Look, by day two of a tradeshow, those of us with the best
eye vision um will still beseeing double.
SPEAKER_01 (24:42):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (24:45):
So this is a way for you to get color coordinated and
be like, ah, okay, I see green.
Let me puff up my chest a littlebit and get ready for this.
I know my five-second pitch.
I know what I'm gonna say here.
Maybe I'm gonna hold my productand play with one of the
features.
Maybe my bag has a strap thatcomes on and off.
I'm gonna be taking it on andoff while standing at the end.
SPEAKER_02 (25:02):
100 and bring extra product.
I mean, within within the it bagsegment, we are, as we said,
only showing the best of thebest.
But make sure you have a bagthat you can wear of your own.
I can I tell you, I've had somany designers, and I've spoken
about this ad nauseum thatthere's so many designers who've
(25:24):
created hidden products, but yetthey still wear their Louie or
their Gucci or whatever.
And I'm like, girl, what's wrongwith you?
Like, no, you're your best.
No, no, no, no, no.
You're that's a marketingwrite-off, too.
Like, no.
It's true.
Yeah.
And also assume for the worst,assume something will happen to
your product, assume sampleswill not show up on time.
(25:46):
Make sure that you have swatchesready, that you have swatches
are your best friend.
Put them in a lovely book andmake sure you know your delivery
dates, make sure you know yourreorder delivery dates.
That's like the grayest area.
Make sure you understand yourpricing.
Wholesale is one thing, but alot of buyers ask, what are you
(26:08):
selling it at retail?
What are other people selling itat retail?
Is your retail consistent fromyour site to somebody else's?
How often do you go on sale?
What are your typical discounts?
Like all of these things arethings you have to know because
someone's gonna throw it at youand you don't want to go um.
This is your brand, this is yourchance, and you want to close
(26:29):
it.
And the great thing, at least,with this section is that we're
allowing you to have the sale solaser focused because here are
my best selling bags.
SPEAKER_01 (26:39):
That's all that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (26:42):
Here are my best selling bags.
It's available in blue, purple,green.
I don't have them here.
Here are the swatches.
Out of those pop colors, thegreen usually gets people
excited.
Do you sell bags that are green?
How does green do in your store?
It doesn't.
Okay, I've got neutrals too.
How do they do in your store?
That's it.
The end.
That's all.
SPEAKER_00 (27:00):
Where do I where do I submit my credit card?
SPEAKER_02 (27:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (27:04):
That was perfect.
That's exactly it.
And really well said.
That's exactly what's going tohappen in these conversations.
They want to make sure at theend of the day that they are set
up for success with yourproduct.
So the more information youhave, the more demographics that
you know about your buyer, yourcustomer, your, you know, your
girl, as I like to say, who'sbuying your bag, wearing it, you
(27:26):
know, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, why she wearsit, where she wears it.
What other brands do you usuallysit with?
You know?
SPEAKER_02 (27:34):
Oh, that first question, I remember when I was
going into Bendels and that wasa question.
What other brands do you hangwith?
And I, you know, respondedcheek-ily like, I hang with all
the brands, like who, you know.
But and and please, please berealistic as to who your actual
competition is.
Your real competition is neverever Louie or Gucci.
(27:55):
It is never, ever, ever that.
Who within that emergingindependent designer space falls
in line with your aesthetic,with your materials, with your
price point, with your press,with your target.
Oh, she typically would buyBrandon Blackwood, but you know,
I know that her box aesthetic,she would find that she would
(28:17):
enjoy my product too.
SPEAKER_00 (28:19):
Totally.
It's so, so good to know thosethings.
You know, uh, we were at a showrecently and I was looking at
this one company's huge piecesof mushroom leather.
And I remember years ago, thiswas just something being spoken
about in a textbook.
And now here I am holding myhands.
And it's yeah, it's it'samazing.
It's such good quality.
Like it's coming out in alldifferent colors, shapes, sizes,
(28:40):
textures.
If you make a bag out of that,for example, that actually puts
you in a playing level ofleather bags.
It puts you at a playing levelof sustainable bags, um, clean
ingredients, reusable, you know,you have many arenas there.
So always look at that for otherbrands that you could sit with
and stores you can sit with.
Because, for example, at NewYork Now, another way that we
(29:00):
encouraged buyers to shop,knowing that one, this is how
the modern consumer is shopping.
This is where that Gen Z GenAlpha is actually spending their
money, is based off brandvalues.
So, yes, it's cute.
Yes, I like it, yes, it fitsright.
However, does it match my valueas a person?
You know, some people only wantto support and wear
(29:22):
female-founded goods, which isamazing.
It's actually the number onebrand value shopped at our show
is female founded.
Um wow.
Yes.
Handmade products make up over athird of the offerings at New
York now across the floor, allsections.
Wow.
Handmade is a huge component ofour show.
No matter how much, you know,you might want to walk our show
(29:44):
and say, oh, well, that's a hugeline.
That's a huge line.
Yes.
But if you go into the actualdata and details, handmade
products is a huge focal pointat New York now.
So if you make a handmade,handmade product, lean into
that.
Check that box on your directorypage.
Because you can put these all asfilters on your pages and it's
female founded, it's blackowned, it's Letin X owned, you
(30:06):
know, it's clean ingredients,it's sustained.
Like there's there's 16 brandvalues that we have identified.
You can choose all 16 if theyidentify with your company.
Please don't go greenwashing theworld there.
Oh god.
SPEAKER_01 (30:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:18):
Yeah.
But uh, but that's another wayto that sets you apart and
allows you to, you know, get infront of that buyer because that
buyer might only be shoppingfor, you know, handmade female
founded goods.
And she's gonna have doublefilters on her page, and she's
that's what she's looking forbecause that's what her consumer
buys.
She might not be looking for anyof that, she might be looking
for the color green, which inthat case, good thing you had
(30:39):
your swatches, as Emily said.
SPEAKER_02 (30:41):
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
No, I think, and also makingsure.
Now I know this sounds crazy.
What kind of paperwork shouldthey bring?
SPEAKER_00 (30:55):
It's not crazy.
It's actually a great, greatquestion.
And very interesting topic aswell, given I think our overall
society's confusion, if youwill, between will we, won't we?
Where are we?
What are we doing?
Am I all plugged in on a phoneand an iPad?
And that's I've gone fulldigital.
(31:15):
Or do I still want to read abook paper to paper, front to
back cover?
I think we are in uh between allgenerations in our current
society, blending between whatwe want as a uh, you know, as a
carbon copy form, as well aswhat I'm willing to save as a
file in my folder on Modestra.
So it's a good question.
(31:36):
I will say both at this currentstage.
So it's always good to have apaper line sheet, a paper, you
know, list of your products withpricing and an image.
It does not have to be fancy.
It you can make this inPowerPoint, if you will, them
out at FedEx Kinkos.
It does not need to be fancy.
It needs to be informative atthe end of the day.
This is not a lookbook.
(31:57):
This is a sheet that haspricing, images, specs, so that
when you have that connection,if she's not ready to buy today,
which don't be shocked if she'snot ready to buy today.
She's got a lot of things tolook at and a lot of books to
run through.
But if you can give hersomething that goes into her
purse, that when she gets backat that hotel later in that
night and she opens that purseand pulls out all these lovely
(32:18):
new things that she found today,you now physically have
something in her hand.
So that is the benefit of paperpaper and paper line sheets and
items like that.
Paper order forms, a little bitdifferent.
I think we are officially, as anoverall community and world,
finally shifting away from theyellow, pink, white carbon copy
(32:40):
or pull the copy, pull the copy.
Pull the copy, pull the copy,pull the copy.
I mean, we have officiallyreally seen the true adoption
going into digital ordering.
Or at least just uh, you know,we'll write it up on my iPad
here.
I'll send you an email of theitems that you put on your
orders today, so you have thatas your copy.
SPEAKER_02 (32:56):
Is there a program that people use for order forms?
SPEAKER_00 (33:00):
Yeah, I've seen everything, honestly.
So, you know, there's the largeonline marketplaces that you can
join.
They do cost money though.
So I don't always advise thisfor an emerging designer.
That would be like your neworders, your jours.
Don't start there as an emergingdesigner.
Right.
You're just paying a lot ofmoney for something that you
don't need.
Now something similar, BrandBoom.
(33:20):
Brand Boom is a much lower costproduct, if not even has free
options if you don't need toomany uh stages of it.
Check out Brand Boom if you wantto go that route of being able
to have something digital tosend out.
That is doors.
You can take it to any show anduse it as, you know, if you show
up at a store yourself and justhave a great connection, you can
set it out that way.
You don't need any perfect step.
Another way, though, is at NewYork Now, with your booth
(33:43):
package, you receive your NewYork Now online page, which is
on Bulletin.
Bulletin is an online wholesalemarketplace.
So it's different from a neworder or a journey in the sense
that it's visual.
You can see it.
The buyer can log in herself,see your page, check herself out
without even speaking to you.
(34:04):
So that's another tool.
When you set up your profilepage, list your products on that
page as well.
So if you're bringing those fiveit bags to the show, put those
five it bags on your profilepage.
Put them in every color too.
So maybe you actually have 15products up there because you
want to show each colorway.
That way, if she's filtering,changing, you can then add uh
product tags to these productsas well.
(34:27):
Additional ways of filtering andsearching on the website.
So if a buyer's on the website,it's three o'clock in the
morning, she can't sleep, shetypes in green bag, and you've
tagged your green bag on yourprofile page as green bag, green
bag.
Think of it as uh, you know,hashtags.
Yes, it works like that.
It works kind of like thatwithin this matrix.
So that's one step tool to usethere within the show, like in
(34:50):
New York now.
That's gonna come as well.
SPEAKER_02 (34:51):
On bulletin, can buyers place orders, or this is
just your profile.
They can place orders.
They can place orders.
Does that go through Brand Boomor they do it just those are
separate entities?
SPEAKER_00 (35:02):
Brand Boom is just another example of a platform
that an emerging brand mightwant to look at to create line
sheets, to have something upthere.
What's nice about your New YorkOnline page is it's also
integrated with Shopify.
So I know earlier with a lot ofbrands that have gone
immediately into direct toconsumer with their products,
which is great because you getimmediate interest.
(35:22):
That margin is super delicious.
You are now front loading yourentire production on your own.
You do not have any other moneycoming in to front load your
production.
And to sell to retail uh indirect to consumer, as we both
know, means the product alreadyexists.
I have to, if you buy it, I nowhave to ship it to you
immediately right now.
SPEAKER_01 (35:39):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (35:40):
If you bankroll it and blend your back end with
wholesale orders and sellingdirect to consumer, you're gonna
get some money to offset yourproduction now that you don't
have to front load becauseyou're getting it up front.
So between those things, youknow, you really can blend it.
But if you have products thatare held domestically in the US
(36:01):
and can ship from US or Canadianwarehouses, and that warehouse
might be your apartment becauselet's face it, that's where most
good products start is yourliving room floor.
You just have uh, you know, yourfamily deals with the amount of
boxes in the other room.
You're like, this is fine.
This is our child's college fundhere.
We're gonna sell these boxesuntil we grow big enough.
Either way, you can thentransact on Bulletin.
(36:21):
So we have a whole one sheet onit.
So happy to walk into that oneby one with brands as well.
SPEAKER_02 (36:26):
Do designers keep their product exclusively on
Bulletin and use that as theirdigital platform for trade
shows?
SPEAKER_00 (36:33):
They can.
Absolutely.
So while we're integrated withthat at New York now, that's
your page.
So you actually tell theBulletin team and tell us that
you want that page removed inthe future.
So what it is because you canhave a bulletin page right now.
You do not need to come throughNew York now.
It is a live marketplace.
Uh, you can sign up for yourpage and it's free.
It's free to post your productson there.
(36:53):
So any brand should just do itfor that purpose alone, is that
it's not going to cost you anymoney to just load your products
up there and they'd be exposedto another database.
Uh, the only time that it'sgonna now going to cost
something, and I use quotationsthere because it still does not
cost me anything.
It comes out of the order, it'sa commission.
So if you are not part of NewYork now, but you have a profile
(37:13):
page up on Bulletin, but youmake an order with a buyer and
you're not signed up for theshow yet, it's gonna take a
certain percentage of commissionout of that order once it ships.
But Bulletin acts as yourbanking system in that instance.
So they invoice, they they dopayment.
All you have to do is pack theorder and ship it out within 14
(37:33):
days of it arriving.
You will then be paid directlyinto your your bank account that
you set up with the profile.
SPEAKER_02 (37:39):
Uh oh my god, amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (37:40):
I know it's amazing.
Now, the benefit of doing NewYork now with the Bulletin is
the second that you sign up forthe show and contract your booth
space, your commission ratesreduce.
So for wow.
Yes.
So for any order that you placerunning up until the show as
well as the time after the showfor one month.
So let's say our show is inAugust, you're right, these
discounted rates would runthrough the end of August for
(38:03):
any orders that you place onthere.
Now, of course, if you alreadyhave a buyer and she's already
your buyer, you just have togive us that list and put it in
there and it's pre-approved withour team.
It's very easy to do.
Any of those orders that you'vebrought in on your own, there's
no commission.
So you just have to let us know.
So they don't take anycommission out of that.
So you can run all your orderson there if you wanted to, and
it can act as your wholesaleback end for you.
(38:26):
You just have to let the teamknow your existing buyers, and
then there's no commission onthose.
Other perk though is on showsite, any orders placed,
regardless if you know them ornot.
This could be a brand new buyer.
You connected with her at the ItBag Launchpad area.
Had great connection.
She's like, I'm writing theseup.
It's happening.
I need to buy these bags.
They're they're too perfect forwhat I'm doing in my store.
(38:46):
It's gonna matter the customer.
They write that order with youlive, zero commission.
So again, during the three showdays, no matter who you wrote
the order to, new or returning,zero commission on those orders.
So it's another good benefitthere for that live in-person.
We do that to design thatin-person connection and what we
refer today.
SPEAKER_02 (39:05):
And meant to have the return on investment for
doing the trade show to beginwith.
SPEAKER_00 (39:08):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (39:09):
Oh my God.
Matthew, we could like go on andon and on.
I so this is like sort of sexyto me.
I so enjoy those.
I love it.
Yeah, I feel like we're gonnaneed to do one more before the
show just to get people jazzedup.
So I'm having you back.
Matthew, how can we find you andlearn more about New York now,
whether it's exhibiting, whetherit's walking the show, or even
(39:32):
wanting or buyers that arelistening?
SPEAKER_00 (39:34):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, I'm very, very easy tofind.
Most of my friends, family, andcolleagues say that you're gonna
hear me before you see me.
Same.
We share that personality.
Absolutely.
So, you know, if you if you uhif you're in LA, I'm based out
in LA.
I get to fly to New York Cityfor the show a couple times a
year.
Um, so I get the benefits ofboth coasts.
(39:55):
But um, you know, I'm always inaround events in LA.
So if you ever see me in person,always say hi, never shy away
from me.
SPEAKER_02 (40:01):
And comma, that's why we have a YouTube channel so
everyone can see Matthew and hisslick new haircut, too.
It's very fabulous.
SPEAKER_00 (40:09):
Yes.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yes, they did me right thistime.
SPEAKER_02 (40:12):
No, looks very smart.
It's very nice.
SPEAKER_00 (40:15):
Outside of seeing me on YouTube podcasts like this
one or in-person events, I'monline.
I am online.
Feel free to always add me onLinkedIn.
My name is pretty unique.
I'm pretty much the only one,maybe less than five Matthew
Matthiasins that currently existin digital uh boy endpoints.
I know there just only recentlybecame a couple years ago
another one on Facebook, which Iknow I'm dating myself with
(40:36):
Facebook.
However, I was shocked.
I was like, oh, there's anotherone.
Okay.
Well, I'm here first.
Um winning.
SPEAKER_02 (40:43):
I so get that.
I so get that.
SPEAKER_00 (40:47):
My email's on our contact us page at nynow.com.
Uh website for the show.
Um it's very easy.
Just, you know, those lovelylittle five letters.com.
And uh that's gonna get youaccess to all different
information portals on thewebsite there.
Additionally, contact us pagethat has my contact information.
It has our entire sales team,operational team, contact
(41:07):
information, and the marketingteam.
So we're all very accessible.
Additionally, though, uh add meon LinkedIn.
SPEAKER_02 (41:13):
I'm I'm always I'm always down to what is the New
York now uh Instagram?
It's at ny underscore now,correct?
SPEAKER_00 (41:20):
Correct, exactly.
So Instagram is at ny underscorenow.
And that's I know.
SPEAKER_02 (41:25):
We uh Matthew, this has been an absolute delight.
I can't wait.
We're definitely gonna have afollow-up to talk more about it
back and getting everybodyexcited.
So once we get everybody onboard, then we want people to
then come and watch and walk theshow and come find our
designers.
So thank you so much for partone, as far as I'm concerned.
SPEAKER_00 (41:44):
Yes, I love it.
Thanks for having me.
It was a great part one.
SPEAKER_02 (41:48):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and reviewand follow us on every single
platform at handbagdesigner.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
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