The New Trade Show Model: Shoppe Object

Hey everyone!

Last week, Kelly got a chance to shop at the newest trade show in New York City. Shoppe Object, a reinvented, more curated trade show inspired by the forwarder thinkers Deirdre Mahoney and Minya Quirk of the apparel trade show, Capsule. Jesse James the founder of Aesthetic Movement, approached the two to embark on a new trade show experience created to streamline and curate  the top product options across the home decor and gift sector. Their hope was to create a hyper-curated, smaller and elevated trade show and from my perspective this was a success!

From a buying perspective, Shoppe Object was a much more pleasant shopping experience for both shop owners and the individuals representing these companies at the show. There was a much more personal and low-key vibe that was palpable from your entrance at the front doors! I arrived unregistered and exchanged my MA business card for an orange token Shoppe Object card with the date of the show.

Personally I think this smaller ticket option is a strong choice because it can be used to organize companies names within the show you were introduced to the artisan through. I prefer this to a lanyard with a name and ticket on it because it does take away that ability to skip conversation and introductions at each booth. Rather than perusing each booth without interacting with a representatives they great you at each booth and ask about your business. I love chatting with the owners of small companies because its a way to connect on the ground level about their passion and a great to find out if their pieces will work with the current collections we are curating.

While we are buying much less modern accessories and decor since The Summer House closed, we like to keep our eyes on the trends and to consider incorporating modern artisanal work at times. One of our current modern artists is Isabel Halley, we have a variety of her gilded pinch-pot pottery in the Antique and Artisan Gallery and it was such a treat to see her booth on beautiful display with such a complimentary curated show surrounding it!

Shoppe Object is not the same scale as NY Now or the Las Vegas and Atlanta trade shows, but its collection is much smaller, expertly curated and filled with unique artisanal wears from around the United States and other areas of the world. I will definitely be attending their second show, coming February 2019.

xoxo Kelly