Oct 10, 2009

NYIGF Offers Monthly Series of Exhibitor Training Sessions

White Plains, NY — A monthly series of “Market Readiness” sessions will begin on Thursday, October 15, for exhibitors participating in the winter 2010 edition of the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®). The series, which includes three pre-show webinars and one at-show program, will provide strategies to prepare for the Fair, maximize onsite sales opportunities and follow up after market.

The webinars will be produced jointly by GLM, LLC and Right Angle Strategies, a business strategy and coaching consultancy led by gift and home industry veterans Stu Teller and Laura Blunt. As an added benefit for NYIGF exhibitors, Right Angle Strategies will offer all webinar participants free 15-minute, in-booth business consultations during the Fair.

“Companies who want to maximize their investment in NYIGF will benefit by taking advantage of these sessions,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director. “This is useful information from industry experts.”

The first webinar, “Pre-show Marketing to Drive Your Sales,” will cover direct mail and e-mail, advertising and public relations, telemarketing, onsite promotions and in-booth give-aways. It will take place Thursday, October 15, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.

The second webinar, “How to Attract Buyers and Close the Sale,” will address creating captivating booth space, buyer interaction and techniques to close the sale and obtain leads. It will take place Thursday, November 5, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.

In the third session, “NYIGF Operations Made Easy,” GLM’s Operations staff will review the NYIGF set-up manual, addressing time-saving pre-show operations, set-up specifics and break-down instructions. This session, which is free for exhibitors, will take place Thursday, December 10, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.

The onsite session, “How to Manage Orders and Leads Generated,” is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3, from 8:00 – 9:00 am, at the Javits Center. Subjects will include closing sales, following up on leads, order and payment processing, and working with sales agencies. In addition to the presentation by Right Angle Strategies, Adam Schrier of Whereoware.com will offer tips for maximizing post-show leads through the NYIGF Online Catalog Gallery.

Webinar registration costs $10 per company, and the onsite seminar costs $20 until January 26, 2010, at which time the price increases to $25. Online registration for these programs is available at http://www.nyigf.com/info/Exhibitortraining.html. (Note: Registration for the webinars closes two days prior to the session date.)

The winter edition of NYIGF takes place Saturday, January 30, through Thursday, February 4, 2010, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94 in New York City. NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,800 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. Some 31,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 85 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com.