The CHA Summer 2012 show is just around the corner and I imagine some of you are attending for the first time! Or perhaps you’ve been before but you’d like to get more from the experience this time. When you ask for advice on the messageboards, the advice you most often receive is: “Wear comfortable shoes.” While yes, that is good advice, there is much more to a great CHA experience than just comfortable shoes!
Luckily, we have 3 fabulous industry “insiders” sharing with us on the topic of CHA. Today, we are hearing from two professional paper crafts designers, Shemaine Smith & Jennifer Priest, who are joining me with some advice & tips. Later in the week, we have a manufacturer’s perspective as Beth Kingston(Xyron) drops by to share some invaluable (and funny!) CHA Do’s and Don’ts for Designers.
Shemaine is the Social Media Director and Design Team Coordinator for My Little Shoebox. She’s also on the design teams for Unity Stamp Co., Anna Griffin, We R Memory Keepers and Paper Posies.
Jennifer is a “jill-of-all-trades” when it comes to paper crafting: She’s an instructor for Great American Scrapbook Conventions, she owns/ runs a successful Etsy shop, she provides social media & marketing consulting “behind the scenes” for a variety of paper crafting companies, and she’s the Design Team Coordinator for Zutter. (Plus other stuff that I’m vaguely aware of, but that she modestly doesn’t publicize!)
Tips for Designers Attending CHA
Read our member-article HERE to learn tips including:
- Why you should sign up as a CHA designer
- How to dress for the show
- Why you should order business cards and what to put on them!
- How to plan ahead & why
- What to do/ say to at the manufacturer’s booth when you finally get there
- Why you should attend all of the events you can
- Coaching on why/how to be FEARLESS!
If you aren’t a member yet, I hope you’ll join us! Click here to learn more about becoming a DesignTeamCalls.com member.
Thanks so much for all the wonderful info…great reminders of things I want to have ready
So glad you found this helpful, Dawn!!
Thanks for the wonderful advice. I hope to be able to attend CHA one day…but I thought it was only open to vendors, store owners etc?
Hi Ann Marie -
Come check out this thread on the messageboard for an answer about who attends / how designers attend … http://designteamcalls.com/messageboards/topic/lets-talk-cha-summer-2012/
great article~now just to get to the show!
I hope I can use it next year:)
I hope so too!! Come join us over on the messageboard and let’s brainstorm your goals versus what you need to do to make them happen!