The fashion industry is incredibly competitive and it can be tough for new businesses in the sector to get noticed. Making good use of online marketing techniques, particularly social media influencer campaigns, is an effective way to start making a name for yourself. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the potential of trade events. 

A fashion trade show is a brilliant place to show off your collection and get some interest from big retailers that may be willing to stock your clothes. It’s also a great opportunity to build a brand and make yourself known to the potential customers that follow these events too. However, a lot of new fashion brands don’t know how to make the most of these events and they miss a golden opportunity. If your fashion business is soon attending its first trade event, here are a few key things to keep in mind. 

Understand Your Goals

Knowing what you are trying to achieve is the key to picking the right trade shows and designing your booth in the right way. If you are looking to build some brand recognition, for example, pick trade shows that are attended by lots of members of the public and when building your booth, display some of your most experimental pieces that really get people talking. However, if you are looking to connect with retailers that might want to stock your collection, you should be going for trade shows that are more industry-focused. When displaying your collection, it may be better to go for slightly more conservative pieces that the store is likely to stock because they have broad appeal. 

Make Appointments With Retailers

If you are attempting to connect with retailers, you can’t expect them to just turn up and start making offers. You need to connect with them beforehand and try to book an appointment with them. Put together a pitch with examples of your pieces and some information about your company. If you can get them interested beforehand, you just need to close the deal at the trade show. 

Get Your Display Right

Hopefully, if you market yourself well in the lead up to the event, you should have plenty of people visiting your stand during the event. It’s vital that you get your display right so you can make your clothes look as good as possible. Finding a good mannequin rental service, for example, makes all the difference. Your clothes won’t sit right on a cheap mannequin, so make sure you go for a quality display mannequin that really does them justice. You should also keep the display simple and let the clothes do the talking. If you overcrowd it, you will only take attention away from the collection. 

Brush Up On Your Networking Skills 

Although there are certain people you are targeting during the event, there will be other opportunities that you need to seize upon. So, make sure that you brush up on your networking skills before the event. In the days afterward, follow up on any connections that you made so you don’t miss out on any potential opportunities. 

Get these elements right and you will see some great results off the back of your first fashion industry trade event.  

• DISCLOSURE – This post has been written by an outside source