Picture Frames - Photo Mounts Exhibition - A Day In The Life
Info on Focus
Over 18,000 sq.m of imaging in two halls makes FOCUS the largest imaging event ever staged in the UK and the largest annual event of its kind in Europe. FOCUS is the most diverse and comprehensive imaging show ever staged in the UK, making it the most useful, informative and inspirational to all image makers.
It was 5:30am when we set off from HQ www.cadremont.co.uk - it was cold, it was dark - a step into another world. Who was it that once said - the first step is the hardest?
The previous 6 weeks had seen us all, updating our website, creating a new brochure and making our price list easier to understand.
We simplified create a few price categories and assigned our products accordingly. For me (Peter) I had lots and lots of changes to make to the website, amending prices, uploading new photos.
For Phill - the photographer we had to take photos of some new finished products. Credit here must also go to Simon Reagan, a product photographer, a fine art photographer and printer who only does work of the very highest standards.
The previous night Paul and Aaron had been working in the factory putting the final touches to the display. We had a few hours sleep and then it was show time.
As per getting to the N.E.C in Birmingham was easy, finding the right way to the car park, getting a space and finding where we could unload was the difficult part.
The van is parked - the sun is shining we have 2hours 30 minutes to setup - All hands to the pump, and any spare ones to the coffee machine.
Paul and Aaron get the display up and ready with 10 minutes to go before the public are allowed into the auditorium.
We are all dressed and ready to go, Peter W has done a great job in getting us some Cadremont shirts - complete with embroidered logo - I feel proud.
For the next 10 hours we talk and talk and talk to everyone from Camera Clubs, societies, wedding photographers, amateur photographers, portrait photographers, landscape photographers, wildlife photographers, even Police forensic photographers. We speak to Wholesalers, retailers, publishers and fine art exhibitors. Wow is all I can - the response is 100% positive, everyone is fascinated by the work, people want to know more, could we make this product, could we change the way we sell that product. Everyone's needs are different but everyone's attitude is the same - POSITIVE. That makes all the previous 6 weeks hard work worth it. End of Day1 - we all have sore feet, aching legs , and generally feel tired. Debrief back at the Premier Inn in Halesowen, we then manage to find a pub that sells Real Ale - as well as offering free curry and rice.
Day two:-
Very early start. Today is the day when we get the serious business users visiting. We talk to universities, lecturers, shop owners, photographers (with their own shops). Again they all want to know about out picture frames, our customised photo mounts, although some people also call them picture mounts, whilst others call them bevel cut mounts - at the end of the day - they are all mounts.
The is one particular piece of artwork that seems to catch everyone