9/20(mon) to 22(wed): We participated in ATELIER for 3 days, and our total sales was 140% of last year's.
During the trade show, we invited several important clients/buyers to a dinner at Japanese restaurant, and we had fruitful conversations with them on business and more.
As our first trial, we invited our retail accounts(personal guests) after the show hours to our suite(trade show booth) and a trunk show. It was a big success.
I spoke with some of the guests, and a lady who works for a museum told us made me so happy....
At the party held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art a few days ago, 5 persons among all guests were wearing AKIHIKO IZUKURA , believe or not!
After the ATELIER trade show, I visited a designer/artist, Susan Cianciolo 's atelier in downtown Manhattan.
I reported Susan's latest collection held on Sept. 12th already in my blog, our new project with her continues, and will be completed by next Feb(details will follow later).
I also had met and had a dinner with our US corporate accountant, and visited MoMA The Museum of Modern Art and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. A week flew so fast as we threw a "we did it" party with our US team.
This business trip, I left Kyoto early in the morining of 19th (sat.) and arrived on the same day in the morning in NYC, and started setting up our trade show suite right away.It was very hard, but our efforts deserved and blessed with many clients' satisfaction, and I did not feel tired much in NYC.
Moreover...
We had a talk about Santa Fe weaving gallery's visit to our AKIHIKO IZUKURA showroom in Kyoto in November, and my possible trip to Los Angeles with its owner next September.
Also, our client from Alabama, who visited us in Kyoto last April brought me a bottle of vintage red wine as a gift, mentioning her Kyoto stay and tour with me was the highlight of her trip to Asia.
Just looking back and writing up what happened made me realize how much we had done during the trip.
Today....
I could not sleep well with a jet lag, and am feeling tired a bit, but excited and feeling quite well!
I will write to my clients with my big gratitude before I start calming down!
