The week of the Lithographics Spring Paper Show started out with wind, rain, and intermittent tornado warnings. The Lithographic team watched reports anxiously. Improvement was promised. On Wednesday, a general sigh of relief went up when the skies cleared and the sun reappeared. And when Thursday, May 6 arrived, it was a perfect day with sunny skies and temperatures comfortably in the 70’s – the ideal day for ushering in a return to in-person events.
In 2020, Lithographics had hosted a virtual open house with over fifty visitors, and we wanted to make 2021 even better. After a lot of internal discussion between David Bailey, Jr., President and Bill Blair, Vice President of Business Development, and Thought Transformation, our marketing agency, we decided the time was right for an in-person event if we could safely host the event in an outdoor space.
After searching many venues in the Nashville area, we decided to hold it at The Cordelle, a historic space with a convenient, centralized location. As planning began in March, we invited paper vendors to participate. While a few were able to accept the invitation immediately, some were still restricted from traveling, but all promised to send materials.
Marketing the event commenced, with a multi-platform strategy involving email, social, and telemarketing, plus personal invitations from the sales team. The end result? Over eighty signups by the time the event rolled around!
The May 6 event was a huge success, with lots to see and learn for clients. Clients enjoyed a boxed lunch, along with giveaways, swag, and even the chance to get a free headshot. The Lithographics table gave people a chance to see some of our marketing materials while learning more about the talented and creative paper vendors we proudly work with.
Bill Blair, VP of Business Development, said of the event, “We couldn’t have asked for a better day, and we are so appreciative of the support from everyone who attended the event and our paper vendors. Best of all, it got everyone on the Lithographics sales team to pitch in to help with promoting the event, assisting with set-up, and making clients and prospects feel welcome. Who knows? Our outdoor paper show may become an annual spring event.”