May 29, 2009

I thought we didn't want a third show...

Just recently, I purged my office of all the trade and consumer magazines I had kept "just in case" I wanted to refer back to them. Most of them were magazines no longer in business and they were just clogging shelves of my office.

I tossed one particular issue of a trade magazine I had kept because it really made me mad at the time it came out in 2007. I won't mention the name of it because it's still on business. But, this entire issue was a blatant attempt to kill the Memory Trends show. Memory Trends was, I believe, one of the best things about the industry. It was a time for us to come together for our own networking party without yarn or decoupage classes to wade through.

I made a case for the third show when this particular issue came out. You can read it
HERE. I wasn't so much making the case for a THIRD SHOW as much as I was making a case for the industry to only attend ONE show - a scrapbook-only show that would bring the fractured industry together without the distraction of non-scrapbook specific events. But, this trade magazine's publisher did his best to make sure Memory Trends never saw the light of day again by continually lobbying against anyone attending it. I believe the death of Memory Trends accelerated the downturn of the industry from the inside. We lost our "moxie" when we lost our show.

So, now, I see a new retailer group trying to get started. After having my own group for scrapbook retailers for the past 7 years, I wish them luck. It is hard to get retailers to pay for any networking groups at any price. It's a sad and puzzling fact about our industry because it's extremely common in other industries to pay for networking groups. And, I see that this new scrapbook retailer group is having a meeting this Fall in Las Vegas that they are saying is "replacing the old Memory Trends slot". And, I see that the very trade magazine publisher who tried to beat down and push out Memory Trends is their co-sponsor.

And given the fact that the WONDERFUL one day retailer event planned by true industry veterans before GASC next weekend was shelved because ONE SINGLE RETAILER thought it was worth the $99 price to receive a full day of business help, I wish them well trying to pull retailers into Las Vegas at a random time for $225 plus travel expenses.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see that your website states that you are "considered one of the foremost authorities on starting and running a business in the memory preservation industry as a representative for the scrapbook industry." Who is the author of that statement and does your "contempt prior to investigation' lend truth to your reputation and public appearance?

Food for thought from another professional.

Rena Cotti said...

Dear "Anonymous"

I researched ScrapBiz for months before committing to it.

If you do any research at all you will find that Kim & Scrapbiz are definitely the foremost authorities in starting & running a scrap business.

Joing her group has been a wonderful benefit to my business.

I have continually declined invitations to join the new networking group because of their cost and aggressive marketing.