Interior Design Show Boosts Your Home Staging Business

Going to an interior design show is a quick way to meet industry contacts, learn about products and design trends, and give you confidence as a professional home stager!

When I first started my home staging business, Six Elements Inc., in 2002 I admit I sometimes felt like I was playing make believe. I had no formal training in interior design.

But I did have the experience of buying, decorating and flipping 6 of my own homes in 4 cities. This is how I knew I could stage a home to sell faster and for more money on the real estate market.

The First Interior Design Show For My Home Staging Business

One of the first events I went to with my new home staging business cards was the Interior Design Show. It felt great to attend on Trade Day along with architects and interior designers.

It made me feel more “official.”

After all, my badge said “President” and I was at a trade-only event on a Friday before the Interior Design Show opened to the general public on the weekend.

In addition to getting automatic respect from suppliers at their display booths, being there on Trade Day meant I didn’t have to navigate my way around toddlers, strollers or large extended families blocking the aisles.

I remember walking by a booth and out of the corner of my eye seeing them pour a glass of red wine on a piece of fabric.

This was totally cool because I knew little about professionally-treated commercial fabrics at the time. This lead to me getting listed as a distributor for that fabric company and getting a whole pile of free sample books which I could take into client appointments.

While these fabrics were meant for restaurants and hotels, I thought how perfect they’d be for homes with young kids!

Within a few months I was sourcing fabric for various clients, something I wouldn’t have thought of doing, or been too intimidated to attempt, had I not already found a source at the Interior Design Trade Show.

I found a seamstress to make up custom cushions for my clients and earned a commission not only on her labor, but also the fabrics themselves.

I also met a window fashions supplier.

He became a great resource for me whenever I had to recommend custom window treatments for a redesign project. He’d show up with all the samples and do all the measuring, and I’d earn a nice commission on anything he sold to my clients.

An easy solution that meant I didn’t have to worry about whether a client would need window treatments or maintaining my own bulky sample inventory.

To be honest, I never wanted to be responsible for accurate measurements either. Imagine the liability if a $1000 order didn’t fit properly? This way it wasn’t my problem, yet I still made a commission.

By the way, if you’re curious how to negotiate commission deals like this, check out Course 5 of the Staging Diva Training Program, called Over 30 More Ways to Make Money in Home Staging.

My first Interior Design Trade Show also allowed me to learn about different flooring materials, counter surface options, tile suppliers and more.

With a quick electronic swipe of my show badge, I was added to myriad industry mailing lists and received free samples.

My samples included a very expensive (though free to me), Designer Kit from both Benjamin Moore and Para Paints. I also got free subscriptions to a few design-related magazines.

If you’re in Canada, you don’t want to miss the Interior Design Show in Toronto in January. This is the final week to order your free trade day badge to the largest show of it’s kind in Canada.

Other Interior Design Trade Shows to look into include:

Interiors UK – the definitive business interiors event for people passionate about design and sourcing great product.

Home & Lifestyle Expo – Atlanta – A wide range of products are exhibited at the show, including appliances, bath accessories, kitchen fittings, rugs, and other items of home decor.

Design Chicago – One of the leading trade for furniture fashion and fabric industry in Chicago.

Have you attended any trade shows for interior designers? Which ones and what benefits did you receive? Please share your ideas and comments below!

Comments

Jackie Nordeman says

October 15, 2012 at 7:50 am

Debra, once again, your timing with this post is perfect! I was just reading my emails and found the “sign up” for trade day e-flyer in my inbox. I hummed and hawed as to whether I should go and marked the email as “not read” (so I could contemplate it for a bit). I’m going to register right now! You make some very good points and reminded me of why I enjoyed it so much last year! Thanks 🙂
- Debra Gould says
  
  October 15, 2012 at 2:53 pm
  
  Jackie, that’s fantastic! Thanks for commenting and I look forward to seeing you at the show!
  - Jackie Nordeman says
    
    October 15, 2012 at 3:10 pm
    
    Debra, Just wondering, will 6 Elements be exhibiting?
    - Debra Gould says
      
      October 15, 2012 at 3:41 pm
      
      Hi Jackie, No Six Elements will not be exhibiting. I’m merely attending just like everyone else on trade day 🙂
Canvas Art says

February 20, 2013 at 9:34 am

Thanks for the Info! I can’t wait to go to my first trade show.
Menaka Sachi says

November 15, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Hi Debra,
Do I have to show proof of registered business in order to attend the trade only shows?
- Debra Gould says
  
  November 15, 2013 at 11:50 pm
  
  Menaka, each show will have their own requirements. It is important to register a business though if you’re serious about being in business (for a whole bunch of reasons beyond getting into trade shows). Thanks for commenting.

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The First Interior Design Show For My Home Staging Business

Other Interior Design Trade Shows to look into include:

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