moneymatters
ASTRA Camps S’more Than a Virtual Trade Show by Theresa Duncan, Villa Villekilla Neighborhood Toy Store
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n 2019 when we were gathered in Pittsburgh, it would have been hard to believe that the very next year ASTRA would have to cancel Marketplace & Academy. It may have been even harder to believe that ASTRA would create a virtual experience with the same spirit and camaraderie as an inperson event. Trade shows may serve very different business objectives for brands, inventors, sales representatives and retailers, but from every aspect of the industry, the sentiment is the same - ASTRA Summer and Winter Camps had the same supportive, fun and connective environment that attendees have come to expect from Marketplace & Academy. Just as ASTRA had to get creative as an organization to deliver a virtual trade show experience, vendors, sales representatives and exhibitors all had to make changes to their typical trade show
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process. For Philadelphiabased Tildie’s Toy Box, the quick huddles and large number of vendors and activities meant they had to get more organized before the show. “I tried my best to view each vendor’s page ahead of time and watch their videos so when I attended a Huddle (a live, 15-minute presentation by exhibitors) I felt like I had all of the information I needed for placing orders,” said Michelle Gillen-Doobrajh, owner at Tildie’s. I also took a lot of notes, which was really helpful looking back. At an in-person trade show, I just wouldn’t have the bandwidth to do all of that, but I forced myself to set aside the time to really make ASTRA Camp valuable in place of the in-person experience. I really had to be more organized because I wasn’t able to ‘visit’ a booth again like I normally would in a trade show.”
July 2021 • astratoy.org
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6/29/21 2:57 PM
