Getting ready to sell wholesale jewelry

  The truck is packed I'm just about ready to head out the door to ACRE Orlando!  This is going to be a lot different than the art shows I've done because this will be a show for people to place orders for inventory, not buy and take home the jewelry, as is done at the art festivals.  I need to be well organized so that I can be sure to get everyone's order fully completed accurately and on time.

To borrow a few words from Santa Claus, I'm makin' a list and checkin' it twice....  What follows is an exhaustive list of what I will be taking with me (any many thanks to other artists and the ACRE Orlando staff for helping me to come up with this list):

Jewelry.  I'll be taking a large sampling of everything I can possibly carry.  While I may not display it all at once, I can pull it out to show customers should a conversation go a particular direction..

Large duplicate invoice pads.  I need to make sure I have plenty of room to get all the contact information and the specifics of the order.  Plus I need to be sure I keep a copy for myself.

Fact sheets about me, KMS Designs, and my jewelry.  Knowing that many of the attendees are coming to gather information and (hopefully) place orders, I need to give them pertinent facts that they can review later and place and order.

Mailing list signup.  I need a list and method to collect email addresses for vendors to receive contact from me about what's going on within my jewelry business.

Laptop computer.  This will allow me to coordinate the orders with my account on the ACRE wholesale crafts website.  It will also give me the chance to show gallery and boutique owners my Flickr jewelry page, which has pictures of me doing works in progress.  (There is wi-fi at the show.)

Business cards.  I need people to have a way to contact me, whether by phone, email or my twitter and facebook pages.

Signage about the jewelry prices and a bit of information about how they are made.  This might be overkill, but I like people to get information without having to feel "embarassed" to ask.

Jewelry display materials.  This includes my velvet displays, tablecloths, and risers.

Track lighting, zip ties, and extension cord.  Since the show will be indoors, I need to bring extra lighting so people can fully appreciate the jewelry.

Cart and associated bungee cords.  It's not going to be a short trip between my booth and the parking lot.  Carrying things in is going to have to be as stress free as possible.

I'm sure there will be something that I wish I would have had, but I will have to work on that for next time.  I will be sure to get some pictures while I'm at the show to have on the blog next week!