FastTrack Your Fashion Brand Podcast · Nicole Di Rocco : Fashion CEO, Teacher, Mentor and Speaker

EP 84: The Insider's Guide to Trade Shows: Tips from Alli Jackson

·49 min·3 clips

Allie says brands lose opportunities when they sit at a booth with a laptop instead of engaging buyers.

1. FastTrack Your Fashion Brand Podcast episode 84 focuses on trade shows for swimwear and activewear brands. 2. Nicole DiRocco hosts Allie Jackson, senior marketing manager at The Collective Shows, and her role matters because she works on Swim Collective and Active Collective. 3. The episode asks what brands should do before, during, and after a trade show to write wholesale orders. 4. Allie says The Collective Shows aims for a more intimate, upscale market than large convention centers. 5. She explains that exhibitor packages include fixtures, back walls, tables, chairs, ID signs, garment racks, and in some tiers web ads and email ads. 6. She says the Lux package can include looks in the runway show, which gives brands an additional visibility channel. 7. Nicole contrasts that structure with trade shows in Miami and Las Vegas, where electricity, lighting, and booth infrastructure can become expensive add-ons. 8. Allie says the show format helps smaller brands avoid being hidden behind larger booths and creates a more even playing field. 9. She describes the target category as swimwear and activewear, plus wellness products, beauty products, fitness tools, accessories, resort wear, athleisure, footwear, and bags. 10. She names buyers and stores such as Nordstrom, Revolve, REI, Dillard's, Anthropologie, Hobby, San Diego, Everything But Water, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Foot Locker. 11. Allie says the shows specifically invite swimwear and activewear buyers, not just general store teams. 12. She says brands should research retailers, schedule appointments, and build brand recognition before relying on walk-by traffic. 13. She recommends using the exhibitor online listing because it is visible on the website after launch and can attract buyer attention before the show. 14. Allie says brands can stand out with social media outreach, e-blasts, gifting, show specials, and booth details like flowers, plants, rugs, or branded surfboards. 15. She suggests gift ideas tied to the product itself, such as a hair scrunchie made from swimsuit fabric or other small items buyers can physically experience. 16. She describes a VIP gifting option for 40 retailers, where several brands contribute items to one bag and a note card can invite the buyer to visit the booth. 17. Allie says the best booth behavior is to be present, engage quickly, and avoid sitting behind a laptop when buyers walk by. 18. She recommends a one-sheet with a brief company bio, a few highlighted products, and contact information instead of overwhelming buyers with a full line sheet first. 19. The tone is practical and interview-driven, with Nicole using her own wholesale experience to test Allie's advice against real brand scenarios. 20. Brands planning their first trade show or trying to improve buyer outreach would get the most value from this episode.

As heard by us

Practical trade-show advice for fashion brands that need booth presence to turn into wholesale orders.

Fast Track Your Fashion Brand episode 84 gives fashion founders a clear playbook for turning trade shows into wholesale orders. It centers on simple moves that help buyers remember a brand: use social media and e-blasts before and after the show, and offer small incentives such…

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You want trade-show tactics that help new fashion brands write wholesale orders.

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