Canadian Apparel Magazine
Whoever said "size matters" was absolutely right...when it comes to booths at Magic. But it's not just the size of your booth, it's what you do in your space to capture and convey the DNA of your brand. Walking into Magic, the largest show of its kind in North America, can be intimidating. Over 5,000 brands competing for attention, in more than 1million square feet of space can make your head spin. Some appointments are arranged for weeks in advance. Certainly smart marketers don't rely on walk by traffic for their business. They know they will write orders from buyers they only see twice a year at the show. Their booth tells their story. Impressions are made about the brand, the company behind it, and the desirability of the product while sitting or standing at the booth. However, some sales or the beginning of a new relationship happens because the buyer the booth has stopping power. The booth speaks volumes about what the buyer will find inside. This year I walked the show trying to put myself in the shoes of the buyer (instead of my new Louis Vuitton boots). I tried to look at the booths in terms of how they reflected the personality of the brand, the boldness of the vision, the buyer friendly atmosphere. And let's not forget that some booths purposely set up a wall of intimidation so only the privileged through get to see inside. I thought the Parasuco booth did that. Exclusive rather than inclusive. Maybe that is what Sal Parasuco was trying to say. However, I couldn't help but notice one of Sal's sales people loved the jeanswear brand enough to have the corporate symbol proudly tattooed on her arm. Two booths new booths were standouts for me. The first is Ben Sherman. The 3,300 sq ft. booth feels more like London's Carnaby Street than a trade show booth. Designed by Mark Maidment, Ben Sherman Creative Director, the theme is Mods in the Mansion. Set up with a front living room including a bar and seating area, featuring its own design of Union Jack upholstered furniture, strategically placed along the open 100 ft corridor; the booth was fresh, exciting and inviting. The corridor with black and white mod check tiles beaded panels in the hallway takes buyers to 9 separate themed rooms each housing Ben Sherman collections. For example, the Smoking Room, with crown molding and fireplace, Axminster carpeting, cigars and decanter, housed tailored clothing while the Library wallpapered to look like shelved books, had eyewear and footwear. Men's sportswear was shown in the Shirt Room, papered from top to bottom with Ben Sherman's red, white, and blue house check. Former Torontonian, Dana Dynamite, Ben Sherman's long time Entertainment Marketing Manager was happy to play tour guide. "We are opening three new stand alone stores that will have same feel," Ms. Dynamite said. The first one, all 5,300 square feet, opened March 30th in NYC at Spring and Mercer. Ben Sherman LA opens in May and Las Vegas in August. "The booth really reflects our brand and successfully shows the Ben Sherman lifestyle in the way our designers intended," she said. "The English streetwear brand originated in the 60's, as a favorite of Mods. Since that time Ben Sherman has transformed into a life style brand with men's and women's denim, weekend wear, footwear, accessories, neckwear, and Canadian made men's tailored clothing," she said. "Arnold Brandt of Montreal is doing our tailored clothing and buyers are delighted with the results," Ms. Dynamite said. She also indicated that they we very pleased in having signed a new Canadian distributor. " We now have Eric Grundy's Jaytex company behind the brand in Canada so we are expecting a much greater presence in the market," she said. Contacted after the show, Ms. Dynamite said the traffic increases were amazing. " We had such positive feedback from both current and new customers. We opened Kitson's in LA which is a marquee store for us," she said. Ms. Dynamite added that editors Jim Moore of GQ and Stan Williams from Maxim both raved about the booth. The other booth that stopped me in my tracks was Canada's own Silver Jeans. Their booth clearly said that they had grown up and wanted to show that they were a contender in the global "jeaner" environment, targeting both men and women. Silver Jean's newly constructed 30ft x 40ft booth was located in the premium contemporary section of the show floor. "We were excited to be located in an area that better suits our philosophy and product offerings for both men and women," said Michael Silver, President of Silver Jeans. Visitors entered the booth through two curved walls, which make up the imposing front brand identification wall. Lounge areas are positioned on either side of the entrance allowing guests to congregate both inside and outside the booth. The two main selling areas, allow the sales execs to show case the product while seating several accounts at any given time. "The best part is that we created a very favourable environment to show product and write orders. We created excitement with many buyers seeing their colleagues from other specialty and chain stores ordering serious volume. I think the buzz we created helped the buyers "feel" the energy of our brand", Mr. Silver said. "By creating this inviting booth, we achieved exactly what we wanted… higher profile and greater sales results. This was, by far, our best Magic show ever," he said. The roof of the booth is reminiscent of the Opera House in Sydney or Denver Airport's flowing tent-like roof. "It is always great when your vision comes to reality even better than planned. That is what happened to us and I think our enthusiasm was contagious," he said. One thing the modest Mr. Silver didn't mention was the effect he has on customers. Not all presidents take such an active role at the shows. Mr. Silver can be found at the booth all day long, meeting and greeting and happy to show the line. Both he and long time designer Allan Kemp have become the face of the Silver Jeans brand and their premium line 1921. "Our business is on a tear and we are doing the right things to keep the customers happy… great product, great prices, and on time deliveries," Mr. Silver said. Look for the Silver Jeans booth at the next show. Mr. Silver is looking to get four seasons out of the booth before going back to the drawing board. Continuing on my walk, I couldn't help but notice all the new brands making noise. So many brands vying for attention it is hard for a name to stand out. But you can pay attention when you see the sign for a well-known brand that you never imagined would show at Magic. One of those brands was Badgley Mischka. It wasn't about the booth. It was about the women's couture clothing. Mitchell Hops, President, CEO Couture and Modern Apparel for the high-end designer, said taking a booth at Magic was a bit of an experiment. While not a large space, Badgley Mischka was able to show case the wonderful design that has put them on the Red Carpet at every major Hollywood event. "We wanted to show that Badgley Mischka, while couture, is still affordable luxury. We were successful at doing that," he said. And what if you really don't have the brand name awareness or the money to build the statement-making booth? A small simple space, essentially a table and a rolling rack, didn't stop young San Francisco design partners Priya Saraswati and Yugala Priti from stopping traffic. The two young women, with winning smiles and a sincere greeting, managed to pull people into their Saffron Rare Threads booth. Luxurious fabrics and vivid hues with unexpected details appealed to many first time buyers. "We wrote some orders," said Managing partner Ms. Saraswati. "This was our first time here so we were pretty happy with the results," she said. Creative partner Ms. Priti added that the show gave them a chance to see what the competition was up to, see new merchandising ideas and make a ton of new contacts." Being at Magic was a great experience and a kind of milestone for us. We'll be back," she said. I asked long time retailer Michael Waitzer, President of Athletes World, about the show and why he continues to attend. "It is important o see what is out there in total terms. I get new ideas ever time I come here. Sometimes it's about the product or it could be how one of the booths is merchandising the goods. I always come back with new ideas that will help our bottom," Mr. Waitzer said. As always the management and staff of Magic are happy to accommodate your brand. The show continues to grow and your time in Vegas can be well spent. Take in the Project show and Pool show and you will come back with enough new ideas to fill a booth! Ron Telpner is chairman and CEO of The BrainStorm Group, a Toronto-based integrated advertising and marketing agency with clients on both sides of the border. Contact him at rtelpner@brainstormgroup.com or (416) 506-9930. -30- |
Go Big or Go Home. Standing out at Magic.