What I learned from my trip to the AmericasMart in Atlanta

I recently met my agents ArtsDG.com in Atlanta at the AmericasMart. I didn't stay very long. I was there Thursday afternoon and left Saturday morning. I only saw parts of building 2 where there were a lot of gift manufacturer's show rooms. There are 3 very tall buildings in downtown Atlanta that make up the AmericasMart. If you are looking for trend information - scroll down to the link for Joan Beiriger's blog post, under "Humongous!"

People are just People - The importance of chatting.
I do SO MUCH of my business through email. It is great and efficient. BUT there is value in sitting in on a meeting and hearing a manufacturer's perspective. You can read about it on blogs etc. but listening and watching really brings it home. In my short visit in Atlanta, there were 3 times when I went into a show room just to admire their products and I struck up conversations with the person who approached me asking if I needed help. (Note: I let them know I am an artist and didn't want to keep them from a sale). We swapped business cards and have now sent them art to consider (Julie, my agent sent it :-) . That doesn't happen as easily in a sea of emails.

My agents works their butts off!
We met with a manufacture on Thursday afternoon and I got to see Julie & Mary Ann in action :-) They also let me sit in on a couple of meetings with other manufactures the next day. That day, Julie had back to back meetings. I am very grateful for the opportunity to sit in on meetings and have a much greater appreciation for all that she and ArtsDG.com do! You just can get a sense of that kind of commitment through email updates with each other.

Cheaper!
I think I have been to Surtex 3 times (art licensing show in NYC). It is expensive to go to Surtex! My hotel in Atlanta (near the airport) was only $72 a night. I used Uber for the first time and loved it. A ride from the hotel to AmericasMart ranged from $15 - $18. Depending on how heavy traffic was. That is half a cab ride! I tipped, but it says on their website that tipping isn't necessary.  I like the door to door service, but you could catch the train (MARTA) for even more savings. There is a MARTA station across the street from the AmericasMart.

Humongous!

For a bit I was frustrated that I wasn't staying longer in Atlanta. I realized I just wasn't going to be able to see much of the show. Then it dawned on me - there is SO MUCH to try to see, that taking it in and only seeing a much smaller chunk was so much better than day after day of show room looking and overload. No way I could absorb it all. --Joan Beiriger has a wonderful post if you are interested in market trends here.

Good for the soul

Friday night in Atlanta I hung out with several artist in a nearby hotel bar. I had a diet coke because I was pooped and in serious need of caffeine! :-D I realized that I need to find or start some sort of artists hangout group in my city. It is great to hang with people who don't think it is weird to discuss a certain shade of a particular color. ;-) I am already thinking of going to Atlanta again this July.

Do you go to trade shows? Were you in Atlanta? How was your experience?