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Stellajella Apr 5, 2007

Sunday, April 1st 2007, no, not an April fool´s joke: I am exhibiting my teddies for the first time; at the “Puppen und Bärenbörse” at the Hotel Intercontinental in Vienna.

Well, to make a long story short: it was a desaster .

And not just only for me .

I was hoping to at least earn the money for exhibiting there, which  was € 200,- and equals $280,- but I did not sell one single bear.

There were some customers interested in my bears, a few even to the extent that they took several fotos. One elderly man took about 20 pix only of my Funky but I was too shy to ask him, why he needed all these pix of one single bear. René said, that I should check ebay in a few weeks, maybe somebody in China is going to sell a ton of Funkies. Funky is very contoversial: either you love him or you hate him. He is different through his fur and his eyes but he gets attention, funnilly enough mostly positive. He was the only teddy I showed in the show case, but since there was no reply for him I thought, y´all did not like him. But I do  ( Sort of moms even love their ugly children )

Anywhooooo: I´ve been trying to analyse,  why nobody bought my teddies ( or anybody elses´s teddies):

The main problem I think is, that easter holidays had started the day before, and not really a lot of visitors had chosen to come and see the show.

The poster for the show only showed a ( I have to admit adorably)  doll, so it might not have been clear to people, if teddies would be there too. I saw a few ladies proudly walking their newly bought reborns around, so obviousely dolls were sold.

The entrance fee of € 7,-  (  $ 9,50) was obvious quite high. ( I have nothing to compare the costs to, so I did not bother to think about that, but was told, that this is high.)

For me it was a sad experience, I lost a bit of money, but there were exhibitors, who sell bears for their living and did not sell one single bear from their collection.

I had left my home in a complete mess, to be prepare for the show as well as possible, and I really have to thank my partner René for his support. He even stood there with me from 10am till 5 pm and at least we had a good time with the "neighbours" : Annette Esche of Eschebären.

Now I cleare the mess and finally foud the time to write this and prepare the pix I had taken, so please forgive me, that I have not immideately posted after the show- I was cooling my feet.

I do have a slight vision, that american shows might be different. Am I right, if I invision them more relaxed? Not so much a place where you sell your bears, but where you show them off?

Ok, I´ll stop whining now and show you some pix, and as soon as I find the paper, where I wrote down people´s names, I´ll add titels to the pix...

and this is my favorite of Bevern Bears, who did not find a new mom either:

Have a great eveing y´all!

Regards from springish Vienna

Gaby

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorApr 5, 2007

Oh RATS, Gaby . . . so sorry your first show was not a good experience.  I think bear shows these days are pretty much hit or miss.  I've had a few myself where I did not make my expenses.  Maybe your next one will be way better.  Those photos show some really nice work!  Thanks much for sharing!

bumblebearies Apr 5, 2007

What a shame Gaby that nobody was selling anything.....and the really sad thing is that it looks a beautiful site compared to the shabby ones I have been in from time to time for doll and bear shows.  I guess it just depends on the day and the people ...

Can't say that I find the entry fee that high either.... people pay that all the time here for home shows and other crap displays and shows...

valewoodbears Apr 5, 2007

Oh it looks a really nice place, sad that you didn't cover your costs as it is expensive but its good that you enjoyed the company there as I find that is what is so nice about the shows. You really don't know what might come later from the show either, some people may contact you at a later date if you gave out  business cards and this may result in some sales. I hope this happens for you.

Warm wishes
Pauline

psichick78 Apr 5, 2007

That's too bad Gaby, the show looked so nice.

Sounds like it wasn't advertised too well judging by your description of the flyer. That's not too good and something I will take to heart for my own bear show this year.

Thanks for the pics though! I hope you at least had fun at the show meeting other bearmakers.

Carolyn Green Apr 5, 2007

Sorry to hear that the show did not go well Gaby - very disappointing for your first show.
Maybe as you said the time was not right with Easter so close and it would not help if it was not advertised well.
I hope that your next show will be better.
Thanks for sharing the photos - all the bears look great.

Hugs
Carolyn

Daphne Apr 6, 2007

Aw, Gaby, that stinks!

I agree with Heather that it likely wasn't advertised properly.... at least as far as promoting teddy bear artists.
Take heart in the fact that you weren't the only bear artist not selling.

My experience with Doll and Bear shows is that it's really just a doll show with some fuzzy critters to fill in space that doll collectors have no interest in. If the show is promoted to both doll collectors and bear collectors equally then there is a better chance of success.

Don't get too discouraged, Gaby. Don't let this experience turn you off to doing another bear show. I did many when I first started out, before I learned which ones were worth repeating and which ones to stay away from. Not all shows are created equal, that's for sure! And ones that were once great aren't necessarily so any more.

That guy taking all those pictures sounds a bit suspicious!

Hopefully for you there will be more shows, more experiences and better sales! Don't give up!

Little Bear Guy Apr 6, 2007

I have to agree with Daphne on this one Gaby.  We did a lot of shows one yr and some were really good and other just stunk, you do get to know which ones are better and those are the ones to stick with.  Again it does depend on the collectors as well, sometimes collectors just don't show up.  If it's a really nice spring day you will get some die hard collectors but a lot of people want to be out in the sunshine and not inside.  Don't be discouraged at least you had some interest in your bears and gave out business cards, so you never know you may hear from people who want to order something from you.  We have had that happen a lot to us, and sometimes people who looked once will buy the second time they see you.

Don't get down, I enjoy getting to meet other artist and talking with them that's part of the fun in doing shows.

big hugs

Shane

rosebearcottage Apr 6, 2007

You never know with shows. I have sold out on shows that are known not to be much. And then the next time around sell only a few.

Jellybelly Bears Apr 6, 2007

Oh I'm so sorry Gaby    heres a hug :hug:  :hug:

doodlebears Celebration AmbassadorApr 6, 2007

What a shame Gaby, I feel for you. It's a lot of hard work, and stressful too, getting ready for a show. Don't let that show put you off as it sounds as if it was poorly advertised. I hope that you can look forwards to another show and have great sales. Your bears are adorable and deserve to be loved by the world's collectors.    Chin up old bean, there hope at the end of the tunnel! That's a silly old English saying, daft I know but I think you'll know what I'm saying.

Hugs Jane.  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

audemesange Apr 6, 2007

How frustrating , I know the feeling . Never been to a bear show yet but I've done other shows. The first was for all kind of crafts, I was selling fur and it was too expensive for the market there I just covered my expenses. But after the show I got a couple customers that asked for special orders . A guy who saw my bears (huggables fur bears, didn't make jointed at that time) even called me 1 year and a half later and asked me to ship two of my bears to Australia where he moved (I'm from canada). The funny part is my boyfriend had to go to Australia (Melbourne) for a business trip so he delivered them in person. All of that to tell you that sometimes it can pay after the show as you get visibility. Who knows?

K P Bear Apr 7, 2007

Do not be too sad, my last show in Januari was also a disaster here in Australia, and that is a show where I always do very well. So there is no way to figure out what is going to happen. And I do have one next weekend here in Adelaide so I am hoping ti will be a bit better.
I know it is soo disheartening when you do not sell but there will be better times so please do not give up.
Bear hugs from Lena

Laura Lynn Banner SponsorApr 7, 2007

Gaby I am so sorry that your first show was not a great experience....please don't let it be your last!!!  Your table fee did sound fairly costly .... for the lack of advertising they provided!  The Schaumburg show is between $300-$400.... but they have an extensive teddy bear people mailing list!

Pumpkin & Pickle Bears Apr 7, 2007

Gaby, I'm so sorry. I am doing my first show in May and my biggest worry is that I won't sell anything, but on the other hand I suppose you have to think of any exposure as advertising? You never know, you may get people contacting you after seeing you at the show.

Stellajella Apr 7, 2007

Sue Ann, Veronica, it´s so sweet of you to cheer me up! THANK YOU!!!
Pauline,yes, it is a real nice place! And maybe you´re right about somebody contacting me later on.
Heather, in my humble oppinion advertising is very important nowadays! Informations are pouring over us, so it´s hard to keep track on single attraktions ... I bet, you´ll do it better! All the best for your show!
Carolyn, thanx for your cheering up! :hug: I guess, I´ll try again sometime...
Daphne, you´re right about the combination of dolls & teddies- I think, that doll people are usually not bear people, and vice versa, even though I saw some adorable dolls by teddy ladies lately ( thinking of Shelly, Aleta)
Shane, yes, there´s a lot that adds up to a success or not of a teddy show, and it was really a pleasure to meet all these nice teddy designers!
Debbie, well, lady luck has her own way of surprising us, hasn´t she?:)
Sarah, thanx for your hug, sweetie!  :hug:
Jane, *giggle* old bean! Reminds me of what ma lovely brithish ex used to call himself from time to time: old f*rt  :crackup: - and I know what you mean  :hug:
Aude, nic to meet you! What a pretty name! I have a fairly new colleague, who has your name! And yes,who knows, what will happen
Lena,thanx for your kind words!:) ...and these 2 bunnies are so sweet!
Laura Lynn, souds like you are going to Schaumburg! I wish you a great show there!! :dance:
Gemma, I keep my fingers crossed! I bet your show will be great! Where´s it going to be? ...and I guess you know: do not forget your cam :photo:

I have to admit, it was nice to read how much everyone here cares about another. A REAL BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE LOVELY PEOPLE ON TT!! Y´ALL ARE SMASHING AND I WISH YOU LOADS OF SUCCESS ON YOUR SHOWS!
:hug:
Gaby

karenaus Apr 7, 2007

I am a bit late here  but wanted to say chin up Gaby- its very disheartening to go to a show and not do as well as you were hoping for, sometimes there is no answer to it.. at least you have the consolation that it was not your bears, since others didn't do well too.... I hope it doesnt discourage you from your bearmaking.
   Have to say tho that I find doll people are far more likely to collect teddies than the other way round maybe because I do both I sell pretty much equally at combined shows or bear only shows? I don't know lol.... the whole thing is a mystery- just do what makes you happy and the like souls will find you......  :hug: