Atlanta Gift Show 2012 - Take One

January 24, 2011

It has been over a week since I traveled across the country to walk the 2012 Atlanta Gift Show.  It was overwhelming and exciting to walk the show just for the pure excuse of finding inspiration for new Jamie's Painting & Design Products.  I stayed with three other very talented artists; Shelly Kennedy, Kelly Rightsell and London Edwards.  The laughing and the sharing of stories was enough for me, but we did even more.  

We attended a seminar that discussed the 6 top design trends in the Children Industry.  After  that event we were spoiled with drinks and appetizers while we attended a seminar about social media and blogging.  I took more notes on paper and on my iphone than I have ever taken at any event.  I also took many a photos (even if all are not for sharing or viewing....or even focused).

I do plan on listing my many stories and lessons about the show, but thought I would just list a few highlights from the event first:

Things I Learned at The 2012 Atlanta Gift Show

1. Flying first class is the best!  Did you know they let you watch TV & movies for free, eat a meal and even drinks are free?
2. If you bring  a dog on a plane it will bark at take off
3. The artist behind Loalita (Tracy Healy) is fab-u-lous!
4. Sleeping in the hallways of AmericaMart is....frowned apon
5. It is perfectly okay to walk around with a bag on your head that is shaped to look like a hat if and only if you paint it and attach a big flower to it
6. The best showroom was Glitterville
7. Christiane Lemieux of Dwell Studio is adorable and seems brilliant
8. If you are wearing a Buyer badge you can get people to pretty much give you anything (see #5)
9. Shelly Kennedy has the best (and most popular) accesories 
10. Pinterest is the most fabulous research tool EVER!
11. The security guard at our hotel is also the same person that brings up sheets
12. 6 pillow cases is not the same as sheets for a pull out couch
13. Occupy Atlanta or Tent City is pretty damn scary to walk through at night
14. The guy at the bar that offered me a cigarette (I declined) then asked my height (5'4") and THEN asked if I wanted a smoke should not pet my hair unless he wants to get arrested
15. Knomes are big in Atlanta
16. Random people do a conga line/mardi gras/marching band type of thing through the event center at least once during the show.
17. No one really leaves the Alanta Gift Show....it's like Hotel California
18. Freaker USA looks like the coolest company ever....and we are pretty sure they had the best time ever at the show.
19. Women will threaten to "cut you" if you get in between them and some costume jewelry at the Cash & Carry section of the Atlanta Gift Show
20. Meeting someone on a shuttle to the Atlanta Gift Show can be rewarding & exciting....maybe priceless.

I promise to expand on many (or some) of these stories.  I am sure I am missing a ton, but I am working on a project wtih a pretty short timeline so I don't have hours (actually) days to put all my thoughts down.