Coterie Setup

As these six months of co-op come to a end, I can't stop reflecting on all that is happened and all that I've learned. For instance, this officially marks my fourth set up of a trade show. A week into starting co-op I did my first set up and I felt overwhelmed to say the least. Now, even the though the show is still just as insane, I know what I am doing and can go about it on my own. Its very rewarding knowing  that everyone, including myself, is confident enough in my abilities to give me such responsibilities.

So I thought I'd give you an outline of what a day is like working display for a trade show setup. Firstly, you spend the week or so before prepping all the display you can make beforehand. The day before you make sure you have everything you need and pack it all up for the movers and separate out what will need to be hand carried.  Now on to the day of: 

7:40AM:Wake Up and get ready.

8:40AM: Get coffee and a bagel (you will need it!)

9:00AM: Meet the movers at the showroom and realize that you need ladders, so you run around the showroom getting those together.

Workers still papering our empty booth

9:15AM: Meet the Uber and pile all the supplies into the car and hope the driver doesn't hate you.

9:30AM: Get to the show, get your passes, wait in line to use the elevator, find your booth and pray everything is finished and done right.

The signs I painted and embellished

9:45AM: Find out your booth is not done being papered and you have no electrical. Get people on that STAT.

10:00AM: Start painting logos on booth walls

12:00PM: Finally finish painting all five logos and realize how weird your eyes feel and how cramped your hand is. 

12:05PM: Start new task of glueing pre-prepped lace patches along walls and embellishing with sequins

1:30PM: Break from lunch

1:40PM: Get interrupted at lunch when the sales team arrives and needs help bringing in boxes.

Rug the team and I spent 8 hours embroidering

2:00PM: Get back to booth and finish eating.

2:10PM: Start placing rugs

2:30PM: Continue embellishing the walls while the sales team runs around frantically trying to get their stuff organized and ready. 

Pretty shoe booth!

4:30PM: Go over to the shoe booth to set up the chandelier 

5:30PM: Go back to main booth and continue adding embellishments to walls

6:00PM: Help Mallory set up center hanging moment

6:30PM: Clean up and take pictures of work

7:00PM: Call Uber and again stuff the car to the brim and head back to the showroom

8:00PM: Drop stuff off at the showroom and finally go home. 

Mallory doing her thing

A partial view of the booth

Trade shows are crazy, high energy, and very demanding. They are a whirlwind of a day and certainly an experience I will never forget from my co-op.