GRAND DESIGNS AWARDS

Just stumbled upon this picture of my receiving the Grand Designs award from Kevin....Think he looks scared....You've gotta love that ginger beard.

EMBRACE OWNERS CLUB

Great pic for the Embrace owners club album. This is a walnut embrace in "donkey" mode. Performing well I'd say. Cheers for the pic sid.....& kerry & slinky G.

TV

I forgot about this. Over a year ago now I was down at the habitat HQ being filmed for an episode of Britains Next Big Thing. It was aired on BBC 2 last month and with everything being so hectic with exhibitions I never had the chance to watch it properly. I did however see episode 3 right before I headed off for Grand Designs to see that after a whole day of filming I starred on it for about 2.5 seconds...ha..what you see in the screen grab above is about all you can see. Me walking through the habitat carpark with my mate si and a couple of embraces.

ICFF

Well...it's been an eventful few days, but I have to say some of my most relaxing of this month. Everything has just slotted into place quite nicely! For the first time I havn't been rushing about like mad. I like American trade shows.

A few pics of the stand above. Not very good...I need to get better at this!

NYC by foot.

Decided not to take the subway whilst out in NYC so that we could walk about and take in as much of the city as possible. Took a pic of my feet each day and wasn't sure what to do with them, so here it is, mine and Jess's feet out and about in NYC.

LAST MINUTE PREPERATIONS

Thanks to BA throwing my case around a little bit more than I expected, I'm having to do a last minute spray touch up in the hotel room. Thanks to jessy for setting up the spray booth.

New York, New York

well, it's been an eventful few days, but I have to say some of my most relaxing of this month. Everything has just slotted into place quite nicely! I arrived in New York on Tuesday afternoon, wasn't jet lagged felt good had a nice stroll round. The city if everything I thought it would be....BUSY!

Decent view of the Empire state building from my hotel room:

Got to the Javits centre yesterday to set up the stand around 9.30 only to find my pallet had not been delivered despite an email to say it's waiting on my stand. So as you can imagine I was slightly nervous. Anyway after a few phone calls back to the UK I was re-assured it was on it's way. Waited for a good hour but nothing came and I was getting a bit stressed out with it all.

There is only so much thumb twiddling you can do when your in NYC. (Think I'm actually weeding some vinyl in the image below).

Went for a burrito and a quick sight see. Once we returned, as promised the Pallet was there. A couple of hours later and I was up:

Back in the Hotel room now trying to get some good shipping prices and burning press packs. I'll be finishing off the stand later and will hopefully get some nicer images up!

embrace in situ!

Just burning my new Press packs for ICFF and are adding some very nice situ shots of embrace taken by the amazing photographer Alistair Nicholls. You can enjoy more of his work here: http://www.alistairnicholls.com/

I have a few more shots that I will post when I'm not right in the middle of the worlds most exciting city!

GRAND DESIGNS LIVE 2011

Well, well...what a show. I have just returned back up north after 10 days in London at the Grand Designs show and all I have to say is.....I'm knackered. With less than 24 hours before I depart for New York I will keep this post as short as possible. Sorry in advance for the grammer...i'm rushing!

So, just incase your not aware. I shared my stand at Grand Designs with snowhome. I showed embrace and snowhome had the word map. A nice collaboration between Angus @ snowhome and Alison Hardcastle, Click here to view. 

This was my first time at Grand Designs so I didn't really know what to expect. The biggest difference with this show to the others I have done is that this is a Retail show rather than a trade show. So I was expecting to be selling direct to customers, market stall style! Man......what a rollercoaster. I don't think I'm cut out for market stalls, too stressful.

To sum up the show: the first few days there were no embrace sales (Maps were moving slowly) and then mid-way through the show I found myself up on stage with Kevin McCloud being presented with the Grand Designs 'Highly Commended' Award for Product of the Year 2011. (a pic of me on stage will follow at some point). After this Embraces started to sell like Hot Cakes. Good show in the end.

9 days was a long long slog, but ont he bright side it gave me enough time to chat to some of the other exhibtors and I met some great designers you should check out: JamesUK, Tandem, and AssemblyRoom  

Sorry the pictures aren't too good, i was hoping for much better but the poor lighting made it difficult!

Right I have 23 embraces to pack up now for collection in the morning, a coat stand prototype to finish off and my bags to pack for New York, I'm sensing an all nighter on it's way :( at least I can sleep on the Plane. 

Highly Commended

Embrace = Highly commended for the Grand Designs Product Design Awards 2011.......NICE!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Edgware Rd,Paddington,United Kingdom

Grand Designs LOVES

Nice little present from the organisers of grand design last night! It was nice to chat with organisers of the show and hear that Grand Designs LOVES embrace! :)
(Appologies for the GASH photo's. I'll get some nice ones on the SLR asap).

So......If your in the London area and would like to pick up a bargain on an embrace, then get your self to Grand Designs. For this week only I'm offering a SHOW PRICE for all orders and sales made at the show....upto £100 off! This was never intention, but I have been here 2 days now and not sold 1 table. I've soon found out that the visitors to this show will not part with their cash unless your offering a show price. So it's day 3 and within 20mins I had sold 2 tables.

This offer willl not extend past the show, and just so you know, I'm accepting all major credit cards :).

I'm on with it:

Every time I do an exhibtion it always seems that I have loads to do 2 days before it starts. And I always end up working stupid hours and forgetting what I've done. So I've decided to document a few of my goings on from my iphone 2 days before my show at Grand Designs.

It's not to moan about what I'm doing but just to document stuff, so that I have a record of what I've been doing and stupid hours and locations I'm doing them in. See a few I'm on with it posts below.

I'm in with it: 7

Man I'm getting tired! (2am) Just printing some last minute tags for the embraces I dropped off at Grand Designs yesterday! Hopefully I'll be selling a few and will be putting these to use! Once these are done I'll be heading home to pack for London & NYC. Not looking at many hours sleep!

Train at 7 in the morning back to London! cheers! See you at the show!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Diamond St,York,United Kingdom

I'm on with it 6

Grand Designs is set up now! Just embarking on my 4 hour trip home! It doesn't really feel right building the stand and then leaving it again, but the Royal Wedding has left me with no choice, the hotel prices for tonight were HUGE. SO I'm heading back to york and I will get the Train back down hear on Saturday morning for when the show opens.
Instead of street parties tomorrow morning I will be indoors finishing off my things for ICFF New York!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Sandstone Ln,East Ham,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 5

Just arrived at the Excel centre ready to set up for Grand Designs! Definitely set off this
Morning at 4am and now I'm queuing to get in! Just what I want!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Seagull Ln,East Ham,United Kingdom

Im on with it: 4

Good Morning A1. Best part of Setting off at 4am......sunrise!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Oakham,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 3

Setting off to Grand Designs at 4am. Currently 2am and I'm weeding vinyl.....cheers!
- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Healey Wood Rd,Halifax,United Kingdom

I'm on with it 2

laser cutting some nice Oak market style price tags for Grand Designs.
- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Bootham Crescent,York,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 1

Quick spray Job prepping prototypes for NYC before I set off for Grand Designs.

- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Bootham Crescent,York,United Kingdom

EMBRACE OWNERS CLUB

Another one for the embrace owners club / andrex advert. Thank you heather for sending in the pic. Enjoy the puppy!

IN THE PRESS

A nice feature for the Pantone Wallstore in this month's living etc.

MILAN

The above image is the Ex.T advert for their new range currently on show in Milan. See my product "standard" on the ground floor. Nice!