Get Your Product in Front of Millions of Consumers and an Expanded Buyer Community

CHA’s New Products Preview Program is an exciting new opportunity for manufacturers to premiere their “latest and greatest” in front of hundreds of media, thousands of prospective buyers, and millions of consumers.  President & CEO of the Craft & Hobby Association, Andrej Suskavcevic, took some time out from his knitting project to discuss this valuable new program:

Visit craftandhobby.org/newproducts to find out all you need to know about the New Products Preview Program, and gain exclusive media coverage for your business at this summer’s Create-n-Connect Conference & Trade Show.

Introducing the NEW Create-n-Connect Conference & Trade Show

Dear CHA Members, Friends and Colleagues,

As I celebrate my one-year anniversary with CHA I am beyond words at how excited I am about the possibilities facing our industry. As I have listened to so many of you this year, your input and passion came through loud and clear, and is all being considered as we plan events that will help you make the connections you need to grow your business.

We are putting the final touches on the NEW Create-n-Connect Conference & Trade Show (formerly the CHA Summer Conference & Trade Show). This event will move around the country every year and makes its first stop – LAS VEGAS, NV on July 22-25.  This Show will provide many opportunities for conversations and connections that matter while showcasing new, never seen before, products coming to market.

Here is what you can expect:

• Show Floor Access for Members – No more fees! Show floor access is FREE. Education will be priced a la carte so you can choose the sessions that will make a difference in your business. The conference program schedule, along with pricing will be available in late April.
• Buyer Power Hours – Qualified buyer-only access to the Show floor from 9am-11am on July 23rd and 24th. Non -exhibiting Designers, Creative Professionals and members of the Press will have access to educational programs and networking opportunities off the show floor during this time.
• Access to World Premiere Product Previews – A spotlight will shine on never seen before products through special media and buyer events. Exhibitors will gain industry-wide recognition and national media attention for their new products. Buyers will get VIP access to a sneak peak for products being released for the first time.
• Connections that Count – The next person you meet may make a difference in your business!  After-hour cocktail mixers, town hall meetings and forums for members with common interests give you   access to conversations that may provide huge insights and infinite possibilities for your business.
• Enhanced Match-Making Program to Facilitate Superior Connections Between Buyers and Exhibitors – We will be offering a tool for you to use, if you choose, but is in NO WAY mandatory. Instead, a new software will be available that allows you to easily connect with and search manufacturers and retailers with similar product interests. This software will be available after registration opens on May 14th

The Priority Point Deadline for exhibitors is March 1, 2013. Download the Exhibiting Contract here:

https://www.craftandhobby.org/eweb/docs/CreateConnect2013/CombinedCnCFillinforms.pdf

Attendee registration for Show floor badges and the Conference program opens on May 14, 2013. For more information visit:

https://www.craftandhobby.org/cnc

Answers to additional FAQ’s can be found here:

http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19781160:22028553393:m:1:2065622812:185483F29E7DD1105F19A7A792F0EF17:r

CHA’s job is to help you. Feel free to contact any staff member with questions. I can be reached directly  at 201-835-1201 or at Andrej@craftandhobby.org

On behalf of the entire CHA staff, we look forward to seeing you in Vegas.

Cheers,

Andrej Suskavcevic
President & CEO
Craft & Hobby Association

Go on an Exclusive Tour of the CHA 2013 Winter Show Floor in 3 Minutes

Didn’t make it to the CHA 2013 Winter Show in Anaheim, CA this past January? Here’s your chance to go on an exclusive tour of the Show floor in less than 3 minutes!

Save the Dates for upcoming CHA Shows and Events:

• Creative Conference CANADA
  April 11, 2013 Calgary, Alberta
• Creative Conference NYC
  May 19–21, 2013 New York, NY
• Create-N-Connect
  July 22-25, 2013 Las Vegas Nevada
• CHA Town Hall Meeting in Utah
  March 20, 2013 Sandy, Utah
• CHA 2014 Conference & Trade Show
  Friday, Jan. 10 – Tuesday, Jan. 14 Anaheim, CA
• 2014 Create – n – Connect Conference & Trade Show
  Monday, August 4 – Thursday, August 7 St Louis, MO
• 2015 Create – n – Connect Conference & Trade Show
  Monday, July 27 – Thursday, July 30 Charlotte, NC

CHA Summer Conference and Trade Show – Designer Section Meeting Thanks!

The CHA Design Members hold their section meeting at the CHA summer and winter shows.  This summer was no exception.

However, before the start of our meeting, we were able to have some great products as door prizes for the CHA Design Members who attended our early morning meeting.

CHA Manufacturers are known for their generosity and the munificence gifts for the door prizes were breathtaking.

Beadalon® provided wonderful tools and supplies for jewelry making.

Impress Art® sent a great metal stamping kit which included their new hammer designed just for metal stamping.

ILoveToCreate.com® supplied a goodie basket filled with their fantastic products, which was wrapped beautifully.  They also offered a Tulip® ScreenIt™ to every CHA design section member who attended the summer show.  The designer had to register with ILoveToCreate.com® at the show in order to receive the machine.

Cousin® gave fantastic jewelry kits and their new Snap in Style® bracelets.

Die Cuts with a View gave a pretty container loaded with their magnificent products.

Sizzix® presented one lucky winner a Vagabond and some amazing dies. Design Section Member, Shannon Bielke, was the winner.

Velcro® sent a bag over filled with their superb fasteners for every need.

Westcott® loaded up lucky winners with excellent cutting tools that will make cutting a joy.

Beacon sent a bottle of Zip Dry for all the designers who attended the meeting, unfortunately, the box couldn’t be located during the section meeting. 

The Design Council and the Designer Members of CHA thank Beacon, Beadalon®, Impress Art®, ILoveToCreate.com®, Cousin®, Die Cuts with a View, Sizzix®, Velcro®, and Westcott® for all their support and generosity.

Andrea Currie, Winner of TLC’s Craft Wars, Tells All

By Andrea Currie, Guest Blogger

I have to start by saying thank you to my friends at CHA for naming me the “Official CHA Craft Wars Ambassador.” In return of the generous title I have compiled a list of the most popular Craft Wars questions that I received while I fluttered around the Chicago trade show.

Wait who are you and when did you start crafting?
Although I’ve been hooked on glitter and hot glue my entire life, I didn’t seriously start pursuing my creative dreams until about 4 years ago when I joined the Craft  & Hobby Association as a designer member. My goal at the time was simply to find like minded glitter obsessed crafters – and boy did I!

Eventually my dedication to the craft industry and hard work got me noticed by industry professionals but most importantly helped me groom invaluable relationships with talented designers and established companies. The most rewarding relationship created was with my Craft Wars assistant Lisa Fulmer!

Moving forward I hope to help companies enter into the craft market, license my library or designs and represent companies already established within the craft and hobby industry. Ohh and I want to write my very first craft book too!

How did you get onto Craft Wars?
I wish it was some fantasy story where a producer begged me to be on the show, but I had but one choice – audition tape! Once I found out I was on Craft Wars I was elated because I knew that win or lose the exposure would be a phenomenal thing for my blossoming creative career.

From that moment forward I vowed to keep my nerves in check by concentrating on having fun and following my creative instincts. A tactic that paid off in the end!

What did you make on Craft Wars?
In the pop craft challenge we were tasked with creating keepsake boxes using keys and locks. These odd materials inspired me to create a whimsical gnome home keepsake box which I constructed out of from foam core and covered in lot’s of felt!

The bling of the keys and locks were just the right touch to get me through to the master craft challenge where the remaining contestant and I were challenged to create something for a wedding in 5 hours using invitations, baby blankets, jeans and candle sticks! In the end I created a life sized modern whimsical wedding wishing tree which acted as a fun alternative to a cookie cutter guest book.

Did I mention we had to do this in 5 hours!?! Looking back (given the time) I would have done a few things differently but that didn’t stop the judges from naming me the Craft Wars winner!

What were the judges and Tori Spelling Like?
Even though we didn’t get any off camera time with the judges or Tori Spelling, I can assure you that they are just as fun as the crafters competing on the show. At first I was incredibly intimidated by all of their industry expertise but to my surprise they were very easy to talk to – which in turn softened the blow of their criticism. Judge Stephen Brown gives you a good idea of his approachable style in his CHA blog post here.

One of the most memorable moments was at the end of our episode when a teary-eyed Tori gave Lisa and I big hugs. I think she was touched by how emotional we were about our win.

What do you think Craft Wars means for the Craft Industry?
I’ve been taking an informal survey throughout the season and found that in my circle Craft Wars is being embraced by the younger generation of creative people who seem to be inspired and entertained by the faster paced unconventional approach to crafting. Hopefully, this concept, along with initiatives like Cre8time, will help strengthen the industry and ensure we have enough diversity to keep the future generations excited about crafting.

Other than winning what was the best part about participating on the show?
Crafting with my crafty sister Lisa is at the top of my list – followed quickly by the opportunity to  show off my skills on a national TV show.

Also it was quite nice to be able to craft my brains out and not have to clean up afterwards!

What are you going to do with the prize money?
I’m giving half of the money to Lisa and using my half to kick-start my next line of fun designs. Shoot me an email to be put on the first access list! Or just drop me a line to say hi!

Don’t forget to watch Craft Wars every Tuesday night at 8pm (7pm Central).

-Andrea

Email: Andrea@handmakemyday.com
Blog: http://handmakemyday.com
Twitter: #handMAKEMyDay
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/handmakemyday/
Lisa’s blog: http://lisalizalou.blogspot.com/

Become an official CHA Blog Guest Blogger!

The CHA Blog is currently seeking guest bloggers and blog posts. Any CHA member can submit a post! Basically, a blog post consists of either a video or photo of an event or experience and a short blurb. We want you to tell your story: what current trends do we need to know about? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at CHA shows? What crafty community service project are you involved with? If you’re interested, please submit your post idea, blog post, name and contact information to jbaum@craftandhobby.org.

All guest blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), its staff members, sponsors or exhibitors. The inclusion of a link or reference does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).

CHA 2012 Summer Show Recognizes Excellence In The Craft Industry

The 2012 Summer Show hosted 172 exhibiting companies filling 61,028 net square feet of exhibit space. The Show attracted 3,111 attendees representing over 600 buying companies from 43 states and 34 countries. Fifteen percent of Show attendees were internationally based with the greatest number coming from Canada, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Norway.

Despite the declining numbers in attendance, the smaller Show delivered substantial foot traffic to exhibitors’ booths and valuable product recognition was received through product launches and the Show awards. Show floor activities such as the daily “The Next Iron Crafter Challenge” a fast paced, high-energy crafting competition which challenged audience members to create a mixed media project in under 10 minutes using a mystery product, kept both exhibitors and attendees engaged and created buzz and excitement on the Show floor.

“CHA Summer 2012 was better than expected” says Sonia Viteri, Assistant Product Manager of Tombow, USA.  “With so many opportunities for exposure such as the workshops and the product showcases, and the great number of people visiting our booth, it was definitely worth our time and investment. We look forward participating in the upcoming CHA 2013 Winter Show.”

During the Show, CHA member companies were recognized for their outstanding Trade Show achievements. The following awards were presented:

INNOVATIONS SHOWCASE

The Innovations Showcase brings together the newest ideas and most innovative products from exhibiting companies.

• WINNER – Majestic Elements by Spellbinders
• HONORABLE MENTION – All Natural Cake Kit for Dogs by K9Cakery

PRESS KIT AWARD
Press kits arejudged based on design, content and creativity.

• GOLDEN PRESS KIT – Sizzix/Ellison
• HONORABLE MENTION – Avatrex/Scrapbooking Attitude
• DESIGNER PRESS KIT – Sara-n-Dipitous Designs by Sara Hodsdon

EXHIBITING WITH EXCELLENCE

The CHA Exhibiting with Excellence Award is presented to exhibitors as the gold-standard of exhibiting. Winners were selected by CHA’s Trade Show Consultants, Competitive Edge – an exhibitor education, training and consulting firm. Booths are judged based on: Exhibit Design, Product Merchandising/Demonstrations and Exhibit Staff.

• NEW EXHIBITOR BOOTH AWARD WINNER – Little Darlings Rubber Stamp
• ISLAND/PENINSULA BOOTH AWARD WINNER – Sizzix/Ellison
• LINEAR BOOTH EXHIBITOR AWARD WINNER – Westcott/Acme United

“Congratulations to all of our award recipients, they each represent creativity and innovation and are valuable assets to the industry” said Andrej Suskavcevic, President and CEO, CHA.

Cre8time, the CHA Foundation’s new consumer awareness initiative and industry-wide movement, was announced at the 2012 Summer Show. For more information on Cre8time, watch the video below or contact Keri Cunningham.

For more information on CHA, the recent 2012 Summer Show or the upcoming CHA 2013 Winter Show being held from January 12-15, 2013 in Anaheim, California please visit www.craftandhobby.org.

Why Trade Shows?

The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation:

How Much Does It Cost to Make a First Face-to-Face Contact With a Potential Customer?

This post is the first in a series of articles and research provided by CEIR – the Center for Exhibition Industry Research – and focuses on the value of Trade Shows. These informative articles will help you understand and report on the overall effectiveness of trade shows.

To determine the cost effectiveness of exhibiting, a survey was conducted among sales and marketing managers of random firms over all sectors of the industry with annual sales above $50 million. When asked the question, “Annually, how many people visit your trade show displays?” respondents’ answers averaged 20,000+ visitors per year! These 20,000+ visitors present thousands of opportunities to capture better qualified leads, making exhibiting clearly the right choice when it comes to a truly cost-effective method of selling.

Among other findings of the survey, it was determined that in order to make an initial, face-to-face visit with a potential customer, companies can expect to incur the following costs…

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Become an official CHA Blog Guest Blogger!

The CHA Blog is currently seeking guest bloggers and blog posts. Any CHA member can submit a post! Basically, a blog post consists of either a video or photo of an event or experience and a short blurb. We want you to tell your story: what current trends do we need to know about? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at CHA shows? What crafty community service project are you involved with? If you’re interested, please submit your post idea, blog post, name and contact information to jbaum@craftandhobby.org.

All guest blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), its staff members, sponsors or exhibitors. The inclusion of a link or reference does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).

Paige The Intern Goes To The Summer Show!

The Summer Show in Rosemont, Illinois was everything I expected and more! I loved every second. I was in awe walking around the show floor gawking at all the beautiful displays, products, and booths. Everyone says the Winter Show is three times the size of the Summer Show, but I just can’t fathom it!

I got to meet some really great people from all across the country, in all areas of the industry. It was interesting to talk to them about their business, their story, and what they thought of the show.

I even got to meet some of my favorite craft celebs!

Cathie Filian. Talk about the nicest lady you have ever met. Her and Steve were at the Mod Podge booth everyday doing make and takes with attendees, and talking to people. I really miss good ol’ fashion craft shows like Creative Juice, so I loved dropping in to say hello.

Tim Holtz. I refer to him as the mac daddy of crafts. Tim also was in his booth everyday, and while sitting and talking to him I discovered how involved he is with his booth. Design, set up, placement, he is there for the whole shebang. I think his involvement contributes to his success, while his unique style brings a different perspective to the scene.

Kristine McKay. Kristine started off doing segments on my local news channel in Utah a few years back. I have followed her ever since and now she is working with My Craft Channel. She was really friendly and fun to talk to about Utah.

My favorite part of the show was the competitions! The Next Iron Crafter, an event where participants had to make a craft in less than 10 minutes, were a blast! The hosts did a great job interacting with the crowd and each challenge got more and more interesting. The last challenge included CHA staff members, and of course I won! Bragging rights, the best prize you can get.

I decided to highlight my favorite products and booths I saw at the show, so here it is..

PAIGE THE INTERN’S FAVORITES OF THE 2012 SUMMER SHOW!!
(Pause for applause)

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT: Fix n’ Zip! This was a booth I wasn’t expecting to see at the show, but they manufacture zipper pulls to replace broken ones. I have a bad history of zipper problems and thought this was genius. Plus they were really nice to chat with.

PRETTIEST NEW PAPER LINE: I couldn’t decide, so there are two! Basic Grey Lucille line and Graphic 45’s Bird Song line. Both of these lines grabbed my interest with vintage floral designs.  Basic Grey’s Lucille line has an adorable corresponding dress garland where the collars fold down giving some added dimension!

OVERALL FAVORITE PRODUCT: Impress Art Metal Stamping Alphabets! I’m a big fan of the stamped jewelry craze happening right now, so when I saw this kit my wheels started to turn. I would love to make a few charm necklaces.

FAVORITE BOOTHS
The booths were all so visually appealing! You can tell a lot of creativity and thought goes into each and every one. Here is a list of my favorites:

BEST THEME: Graphic 45! Their booth was beautifully decorated, and they dressed up each day to match one of their paper lines. For their Bird Song line (that received my Prettiest Paper Line award) they wore Kimonos!

BIGGEST BANG: Die Cuts With A View! They definitely had the most extravagant and largest booth. The cool thing was it was Halloween-themed, and this display was the first thing to greet you as you entered the showroom floor.

BEST OVERALL PRESENTATION: Drumroll please…..

DOODLEBUG! I loved their “Doodlebug Color Lab” theme. It was simple, with great use of color, and the “lab techs” wore their lab jackets. Great job Doodlebug!

Overall, I had a great time at the show and was really impressed with everyone’s booths and displays. I even got a glimpse of downtown Chicago! Here are a few more photos

This was the playhouse from Craft Wars that was raffled off!

Me and Andrej, the CEO of CHA!

Happy crafting!

Become an official CHA Blog Guest Blogger!

The CHA Blog is currently seeking guest bloggers and blog posts. Any CHA member can submit a post! Basically, a blog post consists of either a video or photo of an event or experience and a short blurb. We want you to tell your story: what current trends do we need to know about? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at CHA shows? What crafty community service project are you involved with? If you’re interested, please submit your post idea, blog post, name and contact information to jbaum@craftandhobby.org.

All guest blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), its staff members, sponsors or exhibitors. The inclusion of a link or reference does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).

Paige the Intern: Summer Show Excitement!

I’m SO excited to go to the upcoming Summer Show in Rosemont, Illinois in just 4 days! This will be my first CHA Trade Show, making me feel a bit like a child going to Disneyland. Being surrounded by crafts and other crafters will be my dream come true!

I’m starting to map out my must see list of events I want to attend and people I want to meet. At the top of my list is an event the show is hosting called The Next Iron Crafter!

The first time I heard the title I though it was some sort of challenge using an actual iron (the kind you iron clothes with). But no, it’s better! It’s an event where crafters compete against each other to create the best craft using random items their given. What crafter doesn’t like a bit of competition? Besides, I hear there are some pretty cool prizes!

Next up, TIM HOLTZ! I may be a bit “distressed” when I meet him…

“Why hello there Mr. Holtz, you’re a craft industry genius and I’m standing next to you. Please, sign my paper trimmer!”

Tim is doing a Holiday Happenings workshop and has been really involved in past Shows. I love that he is a hip and cool man crafter, but creates stuff women love as well.

Cathy Filian & Steve Piacenza! I did a kids craft camp in my neighborhood for all the girls I babysat and we made fairy wings featured on their show Creative Juice!

Plus, they are celebrity judges at the Innovations Sneak Peek Media & Buyer Event at the summer show!

I’m also excited to see some manufactures booths! To name a few…

 (I love BG’s new Paper Cottage line!)

But I’m even more excited to discover new manufactures to add to my list of favorites! I’ll make sure to take a lot of pictures to brag about all the cool things I get to see! Stay tuned!

Become an official CHA Blog Guest Blogger!

The CHA Blog is currently seeking guest bloggers and blog posts. Any CHA member can submit a post! Basically, a blog post consists of either a video or photo of an event or experience and a short blurb. We want you to tell your story: what current trends do we need to know about? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at CHA shows? What crafty community service project are you involved with? If you’re interested, please submit your post idea, blog post, name and contact information to jbaum@craftandhobby.org.

All guest blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), its staff members, sponsors or exhibitors. The inclusion of a link or reference does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).

Paige the Intern

Nice to meet you!

Hi, I’m Paige and I flew across the country from Ogden, UT for a PR internship with CHA in New Jersey. I enjoy long walks through the city, reading and most of all—CRAFTING!

You name it, I do it. Sewing, paper crafts, wood crafts, baking, jewelry making, painting… I have tried it all. So when I found out CHA offered a summer intern program I knew I wanted to be involved.

I owe my love of crafting to my mother. All growing up I watched her craft and as I began to get older she began to include and teach me. A lot of our time spent together has been through crafting and I’m grateful to have that bond between us that I can someday pass to my own children.

My interest with CHA started back in high school when I worked at a cute little scrapbook company called Daisy Dots & Doodles. Adorable right? We worshiped the CHA trade shows. We would wait until all the new products were released at the Show and then make large orders to prep for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, the shop closed in 2009 when the economy declined.

Since then, I keep up on trends through craft magazines (Paper Crafts is my favorite) and find new ideas online through Pinterest and blogs. My biggest motivation for crafting is for gifts and entertainment like theme parties.

Here are a few crafts I have done.

Sewing!

My mom taught me how to sew in middle school and I really dove into it during high school. Aprons are my favorite to sew for gifts because they are adorable, quick and easy.

Card Making & Paper Crafts

I love how quickly I can put together cards. I feel like people are much more appreciative for a homemade card than one you paid $5 for. I would say my biggest paper crafting weakness is stamps, I love the re-usable factor!

Food Crafts

I love to make food look good. Cakes, cupcakes and pies are my weakness (for baking and for eating)! I highly recommend the Wilton Cake Decorating classes as a start if you want to learn. I have taken courses I, II, and III.

So here is where I would like to hear from you! Send me, Paige the Intern, a photo or two of your favorite craft project you have done and I will select my favorites to include in my next guest post. Please include a sentence about yourself, the photo and title of your craft with a sentence or two about why you love it to psjoblom@craftandhobby.org.

Can’t wait to see your great projects! Happy Crafting!

Become an official CHA Blog Guest Blogger!

The CHA Blog is currently seeking guest bloggers and blog posts. Any CHA member can submit a post! Basically, a blog post consists of either a video or photo of an event or experience and a short blurb. We want you to tell your story: what current trends do we need to know about? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at CHA shows? What crafty community service project are you involved with? If you’re interested, please submit your post idea, blog post, name and contact information to jbaum@craftandhobby.org.

All guest blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), its staff members, sponsors or exhibitors. The inclusion of a link or reference does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).