Reflections on Surtex

There has been a flurry of activity on the Design Sponge blog over the last week or so and the discussion is about the Surtex design show which will take place again this weekend in New York City. This is the first year in many many years that I will not be exhibiting at the show. I will miss the excitement and being in NYC and seeing all my talented artist friends there, but I made the right decision not to exhibit.

I heard about the Design Sponge forum from my talented artist friend Ellen, who is also a past exhibitor at Surtex and who had commented on the DS blog about the show. Seems that the host of Design Sponge was saying that it has been hard for the last few years to find anyone who would join her on a trip down the aisles of Surtex. That this year people were starting to take notice and to finally pay attention to Surtex because of all the patterns and surface designs that are showing up on blogs and such. Well, I laughed out loud....I mean .... come on....it is as if everyone in blogland thinks that the universe started with them...Now the facts folks, listen up.....

Surtex has been around for over 21 years and I have been exhibiting there for almost as long as the show has been in business. It has been THE premier designs show for artists in the US! I have served on the show's Advisory board, given seminars at the show on Art Licensing for well over 15 of those years, and have been personally responsible for bringing in dozens of artists to exhibit at the show. I have been a huge advocate of the show, telling everyone about it, encouraging every artist I know to take part in it, helping GLM work out the kinks and make it better over the years with suggestions and ideas for improvements. I have even been dubbed "The Queen of Surtex" by some of my fellow colleagues at the show and personally know many of the exhibitors.
It has been the most successful design show ever in the US and my exhibiting there has completely changed my business in the most amazing ways. As a result of exhibiting at Surtex I have met hundreds of manufacturers, had my art work licensed on dinnerware, wallpaper, stationery, all sorts of ceramics, tabletop accessories, clocks, rugs, resort ware, stickers, stamps, tiles, tee shirts, totes, jewelry cases, fabrics, tablecloths, kitchen textiles, ironing board covers, tins, recipe cards, scrapbook items, home decor, aprons, garden items, birdhouses, pet items, canisters, calendars, cookie jars, boxes, bags, totes, and just about anything else you can think of. My work has generated millions and millions of dollars at the retail level and I have established a reputation for being a trend setter in the marketplace. I have done proprietary product development for major retailers such as Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Saks on 5, Steinmart, to name just a few, along with dozens of manufacturers. I have been around the block a few times....

Since this is my blog I can toot my own horn , but what I am really trying to do here is call attention to the state of Art Licensing now and the naive comments on the Design Sponge blog that need to be addressed.

When comments and questions were sent into the forum about the Surtex show, Ellen and I wrote in to attempt to educate and address what is really going on out there now as regards the show and the Art Licensing business in general. Based on our experience levels, we were trying to point out to the newbies that Surtex has some issues now and is not a panacea or guarantee of success. You have to do your homework particularly in this down-turned market and poor economy. We were trying to give helpful, truthful information to a wide-eyed young designer obviously concerned about doing the show, so she would not be crushed by spending her last dollars to exhibit there and then not get much business out of it and wonder why. It is true that there was a large turnover this year at the show and many studios, including mine and Ellen's decided not to exhibit there again.

Wham...slam.. our comments were immediately challenged and we were called "bitter" and "sensitive" with words saying that we probably just wish that we had taken a booth this year after all ...tsk tsk//// bad girls to say anything negative, even if it was the truth. Even Gina De Luca weighed in, the manager of Surtex, who I have personally worked with for years on the show. The poor girl we were trying to help e mailed me privately to thank me for my real responses and I could tell she was overwhelmed with all the info, excited and scared about her debut coming up this weekend at the show and she admitted that she has no clue as to how the business works or how to sell her designs...license?? It is nice to be supportive, but nicer to be realistic and truthful.

The trouble with blogland and I mean this with the utmost respect, is that everyone is being too cutesy and too nice and holding hands and singing "Cum By Ya" instead of entering into the discussion as such in a helpful and truthful way. It becomes a popularity contest.....reality aside I am afraid.

here goes...

we are in a tough times now in the US...the economy is bad....the last 2 years of the show the traffic has been slow and getting slower, thinning out, fewer attendees because there are fewer companies to even come to license art work. So many bankruptcies over the last few years of companies that always attended the show added to the slow traffic demise. That is the truth and everyone who exhibited there knows it.

Last year the first day of the show was really slow and Monday was better but not great. The last day is always slow because most of the Art Directors leave so we had one decent day out of 3. That is a lot of money to pay for one good day of traffic that wasn't fabulous, like it had been a few years ago. In the past the aisles were quite literally mobbed with attendees and it was difficult to even walk the aisles, there were so many people. That is not to say that deals weren't made there last year, but what it does says is that they are harder to get as there are fewer to be had.

The retail market is in a terrible slump, gas prices are through the roof, the prices of hotels in New York City are outrageous, making the show extremely expensive to attend both for buyers and exhibitors. So, for me, based on my experience and contacts that I have made at this point in my career, not exhibiting at the show this year was an easy decision for me to make. I decided to take some of the $10,000 that I spent last year to be at the show, in a prime corner booth and staying in NYC for a week and spend that money traveling to see clients instead and that is what I am doing.

Like everything else in life, nothing stays the same. For everything there is a season so to speak.... Surtex is changing.....the business is changing...the attendees are fewer, the business is harder because of the retail market and the economy, and yet the show prices have gone up yet again.

The Licensing show is moving out to Las Vegas for 2009 for a fresh new approach. I think it is time that Surtex got some sort of a face lift...a new venue, new look, new place...new time of year. I told Gina this when I called her to inform her that I was not going to exhibit this year. Times change, people change, the world is changing. The money now is moving East along with the business...China and India are emerging as new and exciting markets. I am in negotiations now with a company in South Korea that wants to license my designs. I am looking for new ways to reinvent my work and my company. I am doing art licensing consultation and helping other designers learn the marketing strategies that will help them succeed.

I just wanted to set the record straight here, we are not bad mouthing Surtex, certainly not..what we were trying to do was to say hey look...this is not a new show...this show has been around and has had a successful track record, made lots of money for lots of artists, but it is loosing steam and loosing attendees and loosing exhibitors. Be aware, be smart, do your homework, make appointments, don't leave anything to chance encounters at the show...because things are not what they use to be and I have never seen the market be this bad ever.

I wish everyone who is exhibiting at the show the very best success and hope that they do well.

The advice is free, you can take it or leave it....I for one would have loved to have had an experienced designer take the time to give me help and advice when I was starting to do this. Knowledge is power.....use your brain as well as your brush!

more later,
carol

Comments

[ellen Crimi-Trent]

well said Miss. Carol these people are in for a rude awakening and to say there is a " middle ground" in Surtex is also a lie. There is either business or no business!! Since I will be walking the show I will post how I think it was compared to those who are showing. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes!

[Tracy]

Very interesting post, Carol...Though this is not my "field" I learned a lot! Being a different kind of crafter out there, I can definitely relate the slow times at present...Sales at my Etsy shop have all but stopped, and speical/custom orders are few and far between at the moment too. Everyone is being careful with their money...I know we are too. Things of all sorts are in a slump...I hope this show will be a success for all who participate and there will be a better turn out. :o)

[Gina]

Great post Carol. It's interesting to say the least - I'll have to check out the DS forum now too. The importance of education in this field seems to be underrated! I try to learn from the experts (artists like you!) because it's SUCH a complicated business. Kudos to you standing up and speaking honestly about things. I'd rather hear the truth first than waste a ton of time/energy/money!

[robin zingone]

As a fellow exhibitor that has left Surtex, I couldn't have said it better. Kudos to someone has the courage to speak the truth!

[Jamie R Lentzner]

I am walking the show this year, I have been in the children's industry for over five years - this licensing is new to me. I too spoke out on the trade shows in my industry and feel that you are right on - times they are a'changin'. Thanks for this post - makes me think about what to do next year. And congrats on all your success, oh and an HONEST blog - I love that about your post!

[chickengirl]

Very interesting, Carol. Although I dont know too much about the art licensing industry, I'm certainly open to an honest assessment of the industry. Even I know Surtex has been around for a long time (I've did a walk through at a show a few years ago). I know a friend who had a booth, and it is a very expensive investment indeed! And nothing is a sure thing and certainly the economy is changing.

Anyways, great post!

[kathy weller]

Carol. You ROCK. THANK YOU for this post and for sharing your wisdom and experience and your HONESTY about it.

I read Ellen's post on the D*S posts first (before I read this one)and I wrote a long post over there - it really speaks to both of you. So I won't repeat it all here, but I had to chime in and say thanks so much for sharing. Your words are golden.

[Lynnea Washburn]

Well said Carol. I have also been at Surtex for 18 years, either attending or exhibiting, and also bowed out this year for all the same reasons you mentioned. I am in total agreement with your assessment, as my personal experience echoes yours.

I sure hope the folks at GLM get serious about reinventing the show.

Hello Licensing in Las Vegas 2009!

[Lynnea Washburn]

Well said Carol. I have also been at Surtex for 18 years, either attending or exhibiting, and also bowed out this year for all the same reasons you mentioned. I am in total agreement with your assessment, as my personal experience echoes yours.

I sure hope the folks at GLM get serious about reinventing the show.

Hello Licensing in Las Vegas 2009!

[kelly rightsell]

Carol, Thank you so much for your honesty/advice/comments about Surtex. I am an artist/designer that showed there for the first time this year. I was SO LET DOWN after the experience. I have been doing some licensing for 10 years, so I thought this was a natural for me. For two of the three days NO ONE walked into my booth!! I was very discouraged. I have been doing trade shows for ten years and I agree that "the business" is changing. I don't know what to do! Look for an agent? Start selling my work? Go back to my old job??? Anyway, I appreciate artists being truthful and helpful to one another!! THANKS!! Kelly