In the world of tradeshows, understanding the intricacies of event support can feel like unveiling a mystery. Today, I’m excited to share insights into my work as a professional seamstress specializing in tradeshow support, shedding light on what goes on behind the scenes.
What Services Do I Provide?
My work is primarily business-to-business, focusing on exhibit companies that require fabric support for their clients. These services encompass:
- New Production: Creating custom fabric pieces tailored to specific exhibit needs.
- Alterations and Repairs: Adjusting existing items or fixing any damage to ensure everything looks pristine.
- Fitting Support: Assisting clients in fitting sessions to guarantee the perfect look.
- Onsite Show Support: Providing last-minute adjustments during events to address any unforeseen challenges.
My direct client work is usually with an individual though sometimes with small businesses. These services usually include alterations, upholstery, window treatments, new one-of-a-kind special occasion or costume production, and a wide variety of repairs.
What Is “Fabric Support”?
In the world of exhibits and tradeshows, installation for the temporary event is on a tight timeline and limited by show location. You want your fabrics to fit right the first time, but sometimes things happen in the huge production line, and it changes the fabric fit needs. Frames may need to get cut down to accommodate a mistake in space planning. Columns or support beams may be in the way or there may have just been a typo somewhere. In these cases, having a fabric support staff that can handle altering a fabric onsite is your best protection against major disasters, so sometimes the exhibit companies hire me for a specific period of time to be at the show installation.
What Does the Onsite Experience Look Like?
It can vary greatly. Sometimes you are sitting in a room waiting for something to go wrong. Sometimes you are jumping from one disaster to the next, and sometimes you are doing something you never dreamed you would ever be doing. At my latest onsite project, I was in San Francisco for Dreamforce- one of the largest tradeshows in the US.
The three-hour time difference and my schedule to cover the night shift meant it felt like
I was working 3 pm to 3 am, but the first four days were slow with very little to work on.
On the fifth day, that changed and I had to climb into a forklift and hand sew the “bangs” of a large hanging sign that was made to look like hair in front of an LED screen face. It took about 2 and a half hours to sew the 6-foot length and I had an audience of about 15 suits and 10 union laborers the whole time while I was “giving it a haircut”. It had to be hand-sewn since it was installed and couldn’t come down and the bangs were hanging too low and covering the eyes of the LED screen too much.
My audience was amazed at my ability to make it look so neat by hand when the original producers of the banner had sewing that was very bunched up.
What I Love About My Work
One of my favorite aspects of working in the sewn products world is the opportunity to engage in complex and unusual projects, like the one described above. I love being a part of fun and unique projects and getting to say “I did that.”
Often times the people visiting and experiencing a tradeshow event have no idea the details that went into producing even one portion of a display, so I love being involved with the most complex parts of a display and getting to be a part of the wow factor that tradeshow attendees experience. When it comes to fashions and interiors, I love making someone’s vision come to life and their amazement when it is exactly or better than what they imagined.
What Sets Me Apart
Lots of people know how to sew or use a sewing machine. Lots of people can measure and stitch up a hem or follow a pattern, but not everyone cares about the results. I admit that my perfectionist nature isn’t always good for me. Sometimes I redo work that was perfectly fine because to me it could have been better. Many will tell you perfectionism isn’t healthy, but when it comes to my perfectionism and sense of pride in the things I send out of my store, it serves me well because I know more often than not that my work quality expectations are much higher than my competition’s and still higher than my clients.
