Blog Post Series: Top Five Tips for Attending the HSMG Soap Conference in Miami

It's March, and I can hardly believe the Handmade Soapmakers Guild Conference in Miami, Florida is only two months away. I've been busy working on my two presentations and demo for the conference. Held May 18-20 at the Miami Downtown Hilton hotel, this fun and inspiring conference attracts entrepreneurs for lectures, classes, workshops and networking.

This is the third year I've been asked to speak at the conference. I'll be giving a presentation on "How to Successfully Wholesale" and a demo called "Wild Child Soapmaking: Combining MP & CP Methods."

This is a six-part blog post series to share what I've learned from attending past conferences. I've been picking up tips each year and thought it would be helpful for new attendees. If you have been attending the soap conference please leave your helpful suggestions and tips in the comments and I'll share them in this series as well.

Here are my top five tips that I'll publish in detail this week:

1. Proof That An Open Mind Could Lead to More Sales
   
   
2. Even If You're Shy, Just Say Hi
   
   
3. How to Get Your Social Media Game on During and After the Conference
   
   
4. Why You Should Pack An Extra Suitcase
   
   
5. How Not To Miss Each and Every Workshop

The keynote speaker for the 2011 Annual Conference is Barbara Corcoran, head of The Corcoran Group and real estate contributor to NBC's TODAY Show and a "shark" on the ABC reality show Shark Tank. Barbara is also a regular columnist for the New York Daily News and MORE Magazine.

There are many other fabulous speakers: Debbie May of Wholesale Supplies Plus, Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale, Marie Gale of "Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English,", Larry Plesent of Vermont Soap, Tina Howard of Majestic Mountain Sage, world reknown aromatherapist Robert Tisserand and many more.

In addition to informative workshops, there is plenty of time to network with other business owners (one of my favorite parts of the conference). The evening sponsored dinners and entertainment are relaxing, informal and included in the conference package. Speaking of dinner, you won't go hungry at any HSMG conference. Last year I won more than $250 in raffles and giveaways - in addition to the $100 highly coveted goodie bag!

Two years ago the conference was held in Palm Springs, CA and I spoke about "Differentiating Yourself in the Highly Competitive Market of Soapmaking." Attendees learned how to increase sales by targeting niche and vertical markets. There I presented on how to develop an "eye" for demands and trends in other industries to stay ahead of the competition.

Last year at the HSMG 2010 Soap Conference in beautiful Denver, CO I presented on "New Opportunities in the Melt and Pour Soap Market." After the Palm Springs conference I didn't know how the Soap Guild could possibly top such a fantastic event, but they did.

It's not too late to join us in May. Simply visit the HSMG website and sign up. Hope to see you in Miami!

Beyond Boston Gift Show: Taking Wholesale Soaps & Gifts on the Road!

It's a grassroots sort of year in so many ways for me and my company. After 12 years of exhibiting in Handmade of Boston Gift Show I've decided to do things a bit differently for all my retailers in New England: I've decided to take my show on the road.

In this year of change, it's imperative that we connect with each other and build on our relationships. There is so much more that exchanges between a retailer and wholesaler besides merchandise. It's networking, idea swapping, and cross-promotion. And unfortunately, this isn't conducive at trade shows. There simply isn't enough time.

If there's one thing I've learned from the past 14 months in business, it's that status quo just doesn't cut it anymore. And I'm embracing this change. Are you?

My schedule is booking quickly. Please call 781.934.8100. Now booking appointments into the week of March 30. For retailers out of New England, please call or email for sample sets or catalog. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, too.

Have you received our Summer 2009 wholesale catalog? Email me at marla@backporchsoap.com.

Many new and exciting Summer 2009 products: organic line, starfish soaps, sea glass soap in bulk, soap and lotion sets, seashell potpourri sea glass soap gift sets, private labeling, beach soaps and much more!

I look forward to connecting in person with you!

~Marla Bosworth

Founder/Owner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Massachusetts Wholesale Soap, Connecticut Wholesale Soap, Rhode Island Wholesale Soap, Maine Wholesale Soap, New Hampshire Wholesale Soap, Florida Wholesale Soap, California Wholesale Soap

What Would You Put In Soap?

I just finished the spring Boston Gift Show, a wholesale show where gift shops, hotels and other businesses shop for products to resell. Every year there is a new product that I design (usually days before the show begins under the pressure to have something new and rockin'!) that quickly becomes a bestseller. This year was no exception.
This year's hot soap is a new custom image soap. The image in the soap is made from a new skin-safe material that stays in the soap for the life of the soap! Customers were having fun choosing what they wanted in these 5 oz. bars. Most popular were the words "Beach House." Also selling briskly were town names, quotes and taglines, as well as key destination images. In addition, there are six beautiful fragrances from which to choose.

I had so much fun designing the samples shown here in the picture. See my monogrammed soap? The map is of Martha's Vineyard, my Cape Cod friends love the blue lobster, and the photo in the back left is of Powder Point Bridge near where I live in Duxbury. The ideas are endless. Think business logo to wedding favors to house guests.
All you need to send is a logo or picture in jpeg format (the higher the resolution, the better). There is a minimum of 12 per design. Retail pricing is $8.00 per bar. Wholesale customers should inquire about pricing, etc. at www.backporchsoap.com/wholesale
For more information contact me at info@backporchsoap.com or visit http://www.backporchsoap.com/ and look for the Personalized Soap link.