Posts filed under 'Gourmet Gift Foods'
You may attend a certain number of industry trade shows to find new products for your gift basket designs. I recently posted a blog about one of the biggest trade shows for gift basket businesses: The NASFT Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. But there are also many trade show opportunities where you can display and sell your gift baskets.
Go to SmartTradeShows.com to learn how to find a trade show that’s right for you. The first step is to write some goals: what do you want to accomplish by being a vendor at a trade show? For example, do you want to “engage current customers, initiate new contacts, or reach future key decision makers?”
Next, you can easily find information about trade shows all over the country. “Public libraries and the internet both provide directories and descriptions of upcoming trade shows. Another good idea is to check for regional and national conventions, since many associations hold trade shows simultaneously with conventions.”
Once you identify the trade show opportunities where you might set up a display, contact the show organizers to collect some more information. Find out how many people attended prior shows and collect demographics to determine if attendees might be potential buyers of the products you sell. You can also get a list of other vendors who displayed at the show in the past and call them directly to find out about their experience.
Read the full article for more trade show tips. Also, check out Amazing Mail, one of many companies that can help you promote your business at a trade show.
January 19th, 2011
Register now for the 36th Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, January 16 – 18, 2011. This annual show, sponsored by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), is the largest specialty food event in the U.S. Over “17,000+ Winter Fancy Food Show attendees will see more than 80,000 products featuring the world’s finest foods and beverages from more than 1,300 exhibitors representing 35+ countries.”
This year, over 120 exhibitors will be featuring natural and organic products. Hundreds of the hottest products, emphasizing the newest trends in the food industry will be presented in the “What’s New, What’s Hot Showcase”. An educational program will include information from experts including several sessions on topics related to e-commerce and social media marketing.
For gift basket business owners and designers, this is an experience that you don’t want to miss! I have attended this show for many years. Not only did I see new products, find new suppliers, and gather a lot of new resources, I always came away from the show with renewed energy and fresh ideas for my business.
Go to the NASFT web site for registration information and more details about the biggest gourmet food show in the country.
Bonus! If you’re an NASFT member, you can join a webinar on December 8th at 2pm EST and learn how to “work the show”. Make the most of your Fancy Food Show experience this Winter and be sure to take advantage of the services and discounts available to you as well as the mountain of quick tips”.
December 12th, 2010
Mark your calendars: August 4 – 6, 2011. The National Gift Basket Professional Convention will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Convention hosts Pam & Tom Newell have put together 3 days of education, networking, seminars, workshops, discussion groups and a trade show including a splendid collection of gourmet and gift vendors who will display the newest products and trends.
For more information about this “must – do” convention for gift basket professionals, go to the 2011 National Gift Basket Professional Convention web site. Read testimonials from attendees from prior years. Also, be sure to get out details about early bird registration: just $99 if you register before Dec. 31st.
October 31st, 2010
Read in Gourmet Retailer online magazine: a summary of NASFT’s annual report on consumer purchasing habits and trends in the specialty foods category. Most of the products that we include in our gift baskets fall under the category of “specialty foods”. Not only will you learn about WHO is buying specialty foods these days, but also a lot of valuable information about their buying habits. This can give you great information about what products to include in your gourmet baskets, and also, who your target markets might be.
Some things you’ll learn:
- Those in the 25-34 year age bracket are big consumers of specialty foods. With this in mind, you may choose to market your gift baskets in particular print publications and online venues that appeal to consumers in that age group.
- The specialty food consumer is concerned about sustainability of the foods he/she purchases. This might prompt you to include products in your baskets that have been produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way.
Read the full summary, and look for the full report in the October issue of the NASFT’s Specialty Food Magazine.
You can learn more about sustainable food products at these web sites:
October 24th, 2010
In the September issue of Target Marketing, I learned a lot of new marketing techniques in an article titled “Positive Anticipation”. Author Pat Friesen shares 13 tips on how to include the emotion of anticipation in your marketing messages. Why is it important to build anticipation into your marketing messages: “Anticipation leads to customer engagement and engagement leads to responses…clicks, calls and visits.”
Whether you communicate by email or snail mail, Friesen’s suggestions are easily applied. For example, her first tip, “create that special feeling” explains how words can make a difference. Words like ‘exclusive’ or ‘by invitation only’ can make your customers feel special…and that can lead to loyalty. Keep a thesaurus handy to come up with creative words to describe your products and services. In another tip, the author explains that pre-announcements, such as a Save the Date card, can increase customer responses by 30% – 40%. This leaves your customers watching and waiting for notice of your promotions.
Read the full article to learn more effective marketing tips for both your email and US mail promotions.
September 19th, 2010
There’s a new industry trade magazine that includes monthly calendars that list a multitude of ideas for your gift basket business. Each issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor Plus magazine has an “Idea Calendar” with suggestions about seasonal promotions as well as notes about national and legal holidays. In the August issue, flip to page 6 in the online magazine and you’ll see ideas for promotional activities that you might try in September and October.
For example, September 8th is International Literary Day. How about a gift basket design that includes a best selling novel. You might even work with a local book store in your neighborhood for this promotion.
The calendar also notes two Jewish holidays in September: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and National Grandparents Day is celebrated on September 12th. Bosses Day and Sweetest Day will both be observed on October 16th. With this calendar, you can plan ahead and create new baskets designs for some unique holiday promotions.
Get your complimentary subscription of Gift, Gourmet & Decor Plus and stay ahead one step ahead of your competitors.
September 6th, 2010
There’s a new trade industry magazine for gift basket business buyers who want to expand their product line. Gift, Gourmet, & Decor Plus is for the buyer who wants to stay ahead in the competitive marketplace. Presented by Giftware News, a long time resource for gift basket businesses, Gift, Gourmet, & Decor Plus will allow buyers to view products in a variety of market segments, identify trends, find out about industry trade shows, and discover new opportunities for cross merchandising.
Check out the August issue of this new online magazine and find the perfect products for your gourmet and gift sales. Go to the Gift, Gourmet & Decor Plus website, and sign up for your complimentary, online subscription.
September 1st, 2010
Now is the right time to prepare for the holidays. Yes, it’s not even Labor Day, but the holidays will be here before you know it. And by preparing now, you can be ready for any surprises that may come up during the hectic days in November and December.
I just read a good article that offers six suggestions for holiday prep work that you can do right now. Read the full article for all the suggestions….and consider some of these:
- Think about the customers who you want to attract. Who bought your gift baskets last holiday season? Were most of your holiday sales made to women? to men? what age group? Use this information to design advertising materials and promotions that will appeal to those customers.
- Start looking through industry magazines and web sites to get an idea of the gourmet products that are “hot” this year. Specialty Food News is a great resource to learn about trends in our industry.
- Browse the internet and look at holiday products that are being shown by large retailers. Are you seeing certain design styles or colors?
- Confirm with your vendors that you’ll be able the items that you want to use in gift baskets will be available.
- Check with your usual shipping company to find out if rates will be increasing. Take the time to check other shippers to find out about their current rates.
August 27th, 2010
Mark your calendars and make your travel plans: The Ultimate Gift Show National Gift Basket Professional Convention will be held in Canton, Ohio, July 23 – 25. Don’t miss this opportunity for 13 hours of seminars, 10 hours of trade show, unlimited networking and hands-on workshops.
Check out the fantastic selection of educational seminars and workshops. Top leaders in the gift basket industry will be sharing their best ideas! You’ll learn how to organize your design room for maximum efficiency and your displays for maximum impact. Debbie Quintana, from the Gift Basket Association, will tell you how to promote yourself and your business. Learn how to expand bridal events with Mary Anne Jacobs. Get tips on managing your inventory, handling your customer service phones and much much more.
You still have time to take advantage of special registration and hotel rates. Don’t miss this premier industry event!
June 26th, 2010
Are you ready for a challenge? Enter the Gift Basket Association Design Contest! Winners will be chosen in four categories and those designs will be featured on the Gift Basket Association web site as well as in Trends and Tips magazine.
Don’t know about the Gift Basket Association? GBA is a “community of gift basket professionals that work together to uplift the gift basket industry”. Debbie Quintina launched this membership organization one year ago, and it has quickly become an essential resource for gift basket retailers. The GBA web site offers opportunities for networking, advertising, and learning. You will learn about the latest design trends, business strategies, the newest technology for marketing and promotions, and much, much more. And GBA Talk will connect you to other professionals from whom you can learn.
Get involved and join other gift basket professionals in the “spirit of support and collaboration”.
June 15th, 2010
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