There was a time (and not very long ago) when committing to exhibit at a gift show also entailed planning a special event for buyers and attendees. Not only would these mini-fêtes offer the exhibitor precious face time with press, buyers, key accounts, and whoever happened to be strolling by — believe it or not, many, many great partnerships were born by this serendipity! — but it gives small companies a chance to play the host with personality as they literally put their faces on their brand.
And, here’s the best part: For as long as I can remember, some form of goodie bag was also mandatory. Mind you, the Lalique crystal perfume diffusers I received pre-9/11 evolved into far more affordable swag, but you’ll never, ever hear me complaining: I always think it’s cool to personally experienced a backstory, and if I don’t want to keep it for myself, I find someone who will.
As a member of the press, I’ve had the great pleasure of attending many of these events through the years, and honestly, until COVID, I took them for granted. Many were far more elaborate and polished than weddings I have attended — which actually does make sense. For a small company who has already invested a lot in their newest range, debuting with a splash can lead to massive retail success.
Post-COVID, as trade shows redefine themselves, these elaborate brand shindigs have mostly fallen by the wayside. I get that too: These days, it can feel like a miracle to be at your booth dressed and ready to go on Day 1, with all your product, fixtures and décor set up roughly as you envisioned.
But, fortunately for *Noted exhibitors, this year, 2021 Co. went greatly against the grain. In collaboration with Karla Ebrahimi-Camens of Sky of Blue Press + Papery, Nicole Couto and Emily King held its very aptly named Paper is Personal event — and I’m here to tell you, it WAS the belle of the expo ball. Everyone left their comfort zone a bit with this. Emily and Nicole delved into the world of letterpress, while Karla delved back into shows and digital printing.
First off, “a set of free personalized hand lettered stationery” is the understatement of the year. Below you see only one side of the set of four glorious, customized, hand-lettered, edgepainted AND letterpressed ultra-thick flat cards.
On the other, “A little hello from” was letterpressed at top center, and beneath that, Emily hand-lettered the sender’s name! Below you see one of mine — and while I *WILL* mail this out, I am not quite ready to part with this edge-painted beautry yet.
The four cards were tucked in a beribboned gift box, tied up with hot pink ribbon along with white and gold Gelly Pens (perfect for the envelopes!). Also in the box were wax seals and four floral Forever stamps in a glassine envelope. Branded ribbon encircled the box, accented with a letterpressed gift tag with the name again hand-written in gold.
Like all the best collaborations, it elevated each brand to an exquisite place. While it was my honor to introduce Emily and Nicole to Karla in the hopes that would generate something, I had no idea it would be this phenomenal! (Note: these were not hand-lettered yet.)
However, creating this was also a gargantuan, cross-country effort, as Karla is in California and 2021 Co. in New England.
Here was the process:
1. 2021co designed the card backs and they were printed at Indigo Ink.
2. Indigo Ink shipped them to Karla and she letterpressed the white foiling over the digital ink.
Portrait of Karla courtesy of James Wirth Studios
3. Karla duplexed them (first pic) with the letterpress fronts (second pic) that she had already completed. I’ve seen many a slimmer paper coaster, as you can see for yourself in the video!
4. Then, Karla applied the edge paint.
5. The envelopes were custom designed and ordered by Karla.
6. Karla sent about 30 sets to Emily to hand letter VIP names, but the rest remained in California until right before the show. All the separate items for the event and the VIP sets, such as the pens and wax seals and ribbon with branding, were shipped to Karla’s studio.
6. 2021 Co. designed and printed event tees and shipped them to *Noted. They also ordered these cookies in Rhode Island to ship to the event. After all, what’s a party without cookies …?
7. Both brands contributed to the packaging, production notes, ribbon, pens, stamps, etc.
8. Everything that had been in California was delivered to Emily & Nicole and they assembled it all at the show the morning of the event. There was also a quick run to the market for seltzer, strawberries, plus a platter for the cookies.
While the event was seamless day-of, unfortunately Karla could not make it. While in Italy visiting her son studying abroad there, she took a bad twist on a hike that necessitated a perilous — if picturesque — trip on a stretcher down the mountain before returning to the states for emergency ankle surgery and a boot (which I believe is either about to come off or has just come off). Karla, I so hope you are feeling better! Everyone missed you.
Please know that everyone was singing your praises during that unforgettable afternoon!
That’s Kandice from Barque with Nicole and Emily, both in their Paper Is Personal tees.
That’s me in pink — and that’s 2021 Co. and I with the Jamie and Chelsea from Sugar Paper.
That’s me taking a video of Emily lettering. At left is Soula from The London Studio. And, here is that video!
For Karla, her favorite part was getting to know Nicole and Emily. “We had a great time throughout the entire process. Multiple daily emails and texts sorting out all the details of our project and event were big part of my day, and because of the time difference oftentimes I’d end my day with emailing a long list of items we were figuring out (ribbon with our branding, envelope liners, pantone color choices, etc.) and then I’d wake up to a long email from them with their answers and their lists of things they were ordering or samples of the designs Emily was working on. We were on a strict time schedule because I had this trip to Italy planned and wasn’t returning until a day or two before *Noted, so we had this extra pressure of finishing everything before I left. But we laughed our way through it and they were always so positive and had great energy, and it was so much fun. I really missed our communications when it was all over!”
Great minds cleary think alike, as the planning was also Emily + Nicole’s favorite part. “This collaboration was remarkable on multiple levels, but actually the planning process stands out as the favorite part,” Emily wrote me. “Our meetings became this vibrant, creative space where each of us contributed our unique talents to make this event far more special than it could have been without everyone’s involvement.”
Karla loved the quality of the Indigo digital printing, now she is wanting to incorporate that method into some of her products. Meanwhile Nicole found the experience inspiring on several levels. “Our minds were on fire after this event with ideas!” she told me. “But I think there are a few things: 1. Having an interactive event that provides value in some way drives traffic + sales, but most importantly, it allows relationships to grow and that is always our goal at an event. 2. People still love personalized products and custom note cards are no exception (stay tuned for a new collection coming soon!). 3. When you collaborate with others, the outcome is always greater than if you had not. We loved working with Karla and her talents were an integral part of this event.”
Clearly Karla is so sad she couldn’t make it. But it wasn’t a loss at all, she wrote me. “I would’ve loved to have met not just Emily and Nicole in person, but also the people attending our special event so that I could share more about what I do and what I offer. But I do think even though I was not there, it was still a wonderful way to reintroduce my brand and acquaint people with what I can offer on the printing and finishing end of things.”
Much of what happens at trade shows these days happens afterwards, as Emily explained. “People are still emailing us about this event — we have even received some thank yous in the mail using the very cards from the event. We were able to have conversations with prospects who have become customers as a direct result of this event.”
And that, my friends, is how I define a true win-win (as well as an unforgettable event!). Both Karla and 2021 Co. (along with a celebrity a few of you may have heard of, Jennifer Love Hewitt), have appeared on my podcast The Paper Fold if you want to learn more.
Now that I have written this post as I wanted to from when I first introduced these three dynamo design talents, I know who will be receiving at least three of my cards! If anyone is wanting to generate a similar collab, give me a shout. I’m always thrilled to brainstorm a good fit + get the creative process going. You just never know what will arise from it!
