Article: Show season has begun!!
Show season has begun!!
I am on my way home from the Ottawa Dressage Festival with my 5 year old daughter. Tired, eager to get home, yet still buzzing with excitement of the last 2 weeks. Join me as I write a small picture of what that was like for me.
Show season for retailers is quite different than it is for a competitor or coach. Yes we do prepare months ahead of time, yes we do get way too nervous and overthink EVERYTHING! Yes we worry about being judged or how other people see us. But it's different for me in how the worry stops once I arrive at the show and set up my booth. And a successful weekend means I've made money instead of spending money on classes and stabling and accommodations, hah!
My show season started at the Celebration of Dressage Show in Vernon the weekend of May 24+25. The Thursday right before was packing day. So I fit everything I could in my pickup truck and tried very hard to not forget anything.
It’s hard to predict what will sell the most and figure out what products to bring out of all my inventory. But the focus was the Equine Collective product line of matchy sets. Since it’s a new brand, I felt like the product needed to be seen in person to show it off as best as possible. Potential customers need to see and feel the quality, as pictures simply don't do it justice, they need to see the face behind the name and build trust in a new brand.
I arrived at the Vernon & District Riding Club Friday evening to say hi, donate my prize and head to a friend's place for dinner and a good night sleep. Hah just kidding, didn't sleep very much at all, me and all the other competitors there that weekend too in sure!
Saturday morning started early and took me 2.5 hours to get the booth set up, tables out, banners up, racks out, products displayed, price tags on everything, and get my Point Of Sale machine working. That thing is quite temperamental and chooses the best of times to not function!
Then I got to enjoy the beautiful riding performed by the amazing horses and riders, connecting with the local dressage people, and talk about my product aka my passion project. And best of all, lots of laughs with old friends and new.
I witnessed so many volunteers working their butts off to make sure the show ran smoothly, what a sight to see. And of course the very best part, the horses!!!
Unfortunately my weekend ended quickly when I got sick with the flu Saturday night and had to head home early Sunday, but I'm still grateful for the amazing day I got to spend with everyone at the show.
Then I had 2 days at home to rest, heal, unpack and get ready to fly out to Ottawa with my daughter to do the same in Ottawa at the prestigious Ottawa Dressage Festival.
I shipped 5 BIG boxes of product 2 weeks prior, and they luckily got there way ahead of time.
The flight down was uneventful, and it was great to see my family when we arrived.
First day at ODF on Thursday was quiet, rainy and cold. So not many spectators. It was a good first day to get ready and set up.
Friday was sunny and we did get a lot of visitors which was very encouraging. Saturday and Sunday were cold and rainy again, we really felt for all the riders and horses, and despite that we got lots of people coming through the booth again and got to watch some amazing rides by Tom Dvorak, Tina and Jaimey Irwin, Camille Bergeron, Brittany Beaulieu, Belinda Trussell and many more!
All and all Ottawa was very successful with lots of exposure and lots of sales. I look forward to coming back next year as it will be the first of 2 qualifying years for the 2028 Olympics which will make it even bigger than this year.
Thank you to all my supporters far and wide for a great start to the season!!!
Looking forward to being in Edmonton at Amberlea Meadows for their Dressage Festival on July 5th & 6th! And remember, or newest matchy set color, Dark Obsidian, is exclusively available to purchase in person at our booths!
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