...I'm not sure If I/we were more excited that there was finally a cool, lifestyle tradeshow coming to Australia that we had been waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for or that for our first ever tradeshow, we were selected as the key brand!? Either way, I knew it was going to be a blast and the start big things for the both Assembly company and Few and Far Collective as a brand - and it was exactly that.
Given the calibre of brands that were attending, the natural pressures and competitive nature of a tradeshow (and our predicated over saturation of the super busy/detailed/custom style booths booths that you'd expect from passionate brands), we decided to steer clear of the pack and go with the "less is more" approach (even though I'm sure we were expected to go beyond the other way). This was definitely a big risk ...but hey, no risk, no reward ...right?
Another huge risk was not running a "pop-up shop" component at all. We knew this was going to be a double edged sword because in flip we were not only going to be the only brand that wasn't "open to public" persae but it was almost guaranteed to lose sales (which we can always desperately use) and annoy a few supporters - but at what cost?
We knew it was going to be a long, hot, busy and frantic day and in-turn probably quite stressful so we all decided scrap the retail element altogether and put all of our focus into the execution, display and presence of the brand - which thankfully we did.
Not only was our booth the big open and welcoming booth that we were aiming for but due to our minimalistic approach, the focus was entirely on our work/s which were all presented and showcased impeccably. And mostly importantly, we nailed the main component - us as a brand. No one was hot and sweaty and/or stressed as predicted instead, we were all incredibly comfortable, confident and proud - which I feel was very evident not only with the way we greeted everyone or stopped by, checked us out or just walked but, but the way we conducted our business and in our stress-free, fun vibe. I also think the candles we took and the old blues music we had playing also helped with this :)
All in all, I'm incredibly proud of what we did, how we handled it and that we were able to continue to think and act with our hearts, not our wallets. I'm also very grateful and appreciate for the overwhelming response and incredible we recieved - if you read this and came along or had anything to do with this memorable weekend then thank you.
Photo/Video Credit: James Bolin