Each year, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) presents two large annual conventions. This summer, Orland, Florida will host the Summer Convention & Trade Show and the debut of the Craft SuperShow. The 2010 Winter show in Anaheim, California is according to Victor Domine, CHA Public Relations Manager, “the must attend industry trade show of the year.” I had the opportunity to interview Victor for the blog. Below, you’ll learn all about the big, up-coming events and about the Craft & Hobby Association.
What is the history of the Craft & Hobby Association and did the organization start off producing shows?
In 2004, the two most influential organizations in the craft and hobby industry, the Hobby Industry Association (HIA) and the Association of Crafts & Creative Industries (ACCI), joined together to form the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA). As CHA, the new Association formed a single more dynamic and powerful force to drive the craft industry into the future.
The 2009 Summer show is July 28 through 30 in Orlando, and the 2010 Winter show is January 24 through 27 in Anaheim. Does the CHA have a long history producing shows in these cities, or have things changed up a bit over the years?
Each organization had its own tradeshow. The HIA had moving trade shows that moved from venue to venue each year and even moved across Europe. Today, the HIA Show is the CHA Winter Convention & Trade Show held each Winter in January or February. It has been around for almost 70 years and attracts thousands of craft companies from around the world and has established a reputation for being the must attend industry trade show of the year. Most recently the Winter Show has been held in Anaheim, California although no permanent home for the Winter Show has been officially established.
The ACCI tradeshow, today’s CHA Summer Convention & Trade Show has been held for almost 30 years in Rosemont, Illinois. This year in efforts to expand the Summer Show, CHA opted to relocate the Summer Show to the Southeast, namely Orlando, Florida where the consumer craft spend is the highest in the country. In addition to relocating the Summer Show to Orlando, CHA has also moved the Show dates to run Tuesday through Thursday to accommodate more buyers and to enable more families to take advantage of the local attractions in Orlando. As if that weren’t enough, for the first time, CHA will be introducing a new consumer show, the CHA Craft SuperShow (July 30 – August 1) that will immediately follow the Summer Show in Orlando and will enable craft enthusiasts of all ages to experience the professional grade craft education, interact with make-n-take manufacturer projects and try new and different types of crafts under one roof massive at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Tell me about the relationship between your vendors and attendees. What kind of opportunities are there for both?
CHA is unlike other trade associations. Where most other organizations will represent one sector of the industry like retailers, or manufacturers, CHA is composed of every category from designers, to manufacturers, to wholesale and distributors, to independent and national retailers, to publishers, media outlets, and the service providers that cater the special needs of the craft and hobby industry. CHA membership spans 39 different industry segments of the craft and hobby industry from Scrapbooking, to art materials, to needlecrafts & sewing, to general crafts, etc… To become a member of the Craft & Hobby Association, companies need to provide business qualifications. Companies that are involved in the production and sale of products and supplies found in art, craft, hobby, sewing and other leisure industry outlets are eligible for membership. In order to attend CHA Shows attendees likewise have to “qualify” in order to attend. Additionally, CHA shows are order writing events so the qualified exhibitors meet with qualified buyers on the show floor resulting in a unique business environment where over 75% of the attendees are qualified buyers and more than 70% of attendees make a purchase with 3 months of a CHA show as a direct result of attendance. In a recession, there truly is no better place to conduct business than at a CHA Show.
Are craft and hobby enthusiasts able to attend or is the show for industry folks only?
Due to the qualification process, craft and hobby enthusiasts are generally not able to attend the Summer Show.
This July in Orlando, what might people expect to experience at the show and why might they want to attend?
This July the CHA Summer Show is the buying event of the season. With a product base expanding beyond Scrapbooking, to art materials, general crafts, to needlecrafts and more, CHA’s new venue for the Summer Show has sparked additional interest from some of the larger national retailers who will be supporting the Show and sending buyers, and participating in the Craft SuperShow. The Summer Show theme deals with Connecting with Consumers and will offer top-notch business education from PR, to email marketing, to the latest on the Consumer Protection Improvement Act, and will provide attendees with competitive advantages on how to attract and keep customers and to compete in a tightening economy. Business leaders like Maria Thomas, CEO of Etsy will be the keynote presenter and will share how her company has grown from $0 to $88 million dollars a year in sales in just four years and why they were invited to present at the World Economic Forum in Davos, this past January on ‘how handcrafts will change the global economy.’ In addition to the education, the business writing on the show floor, there is nothing like CHA for networking with the who’s who in the industry.
For about 70 years of the Winter Show, and about 30 years of the Summer Show, CHA has been turning consumers away from their events. But this year with the Craft SuperShow, CHA will be courting them to help our members better connect with them to establish customer loyalty programs and to better understand their buying motivations.
Recently, I interviewed Amy Roszak, creator of the Perfect Printing Pouch, who seems to have benefited from attending, and then later actually showcasing her creations at your winter show. Are there any other stories you might have about people with ideas that you’ve seen turn into successes?
There are hundreds of success stories that have been the direct result of CHA participation. Here are few from the 2009 CHA Winter Show:
Spiral Eye Side Threading Needles were invented in 2008 by Pam Turner, as an easy threading alternative to traditional needles. Pam joined CHA, exhibited at the 2009 Winter Show and entered her needle into the CHA Innovations Showcase and her product was named as the CHA Innovations Product of the Year. Her business and orders have taken off.
The Modern Surrealist, Marissa Pawelko responded to a CHA Indie Craft contest on Etsy.com. She submitted her entry, and it was selected to be part of a display at the CHA Winter Show. As a non-CHA member she couldn’t see her project being displayed at the Show so she joined CHA. She was then asked to host a demonstration area, she networked with industry VIPs, came back from the Show, upgraded her CHA membership, and will be hosting a CHA Craft Challenge at the upcoming Craft SuperShow in Orlando.
It’s not always about being discovered; sometimes it’s just about doing good business. An adhesive company called GlueArts, attended the CHA Winter Show and had a tremendous show, the best ever for them. In fact, they had a 68 percent increase in new customers and had to double their assembly team to fulfill the orders.
The CHA Shows are so popular that Paris Hilton selected the 2009 CHA Winter Show to launch her new line of Scrapbooking, jewelry and fashion craft kits.
What are the benefits of becoming a member of the Craft & Hobby Association?
Aside from being able to attend and exhibit at the CHA Show; you also have access to the CHA’s Attitude & Usage Research Study results that are issued each year; CHA provides its members with public relations tools including press release templates, how-to booklets, and free local media lists valued at $10,000 if you were to purchase these through a PR agency. CHA membership also includes being listed on CHA buyers and seller’s guides, trade show exhibitor lists, ongoing business education, special discount offers, and subscription to CHA Portfolio, a quarterly association magazine.
Recommended Links:
Craft & Hobby Association
Perfect Printing Pouch Creator Amy Roszak – Part 1
Perfect Printing Pouch Creator Amy Roszak – Part 2
Joshua Birch
