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Help me with Framers Corner Demo on Sat, Sept 20, 2014

Gregory K. Norris CPF

Gregory K. Norris CPF

RIP Past PPFA President 2016-2018
 

In Remembrance

Rest In Peace


Messages
3,916
Loc
Huntington, West Virginia
Company
Huntington Hall of Frames
On Saturday, Sept 20th I will be at Mayne Framing Supply's 30th Anniversary Open House manning a PPFA Booth. They have generously offered me access to their wireless network so I can demonstrate the Framers Corner. This is quite a coup since we have relatively few members in their service area, WV, Eastern KY & Southern Ohio. When I had a booth at the 25th Anniversary, I saw 300 framers, only 2 of which were members.

Since Sat is usually a slow day here on the FC, I am hoping some of you will sign on for part of the time during the hours of 10 & 4 to answer questions. I'll be signed on during the event to post technical questions as well as show how to navigate the forum. I am thinking along the lines of "stump the framers" to promote it.

If you think you can help with this, please post what times you might be able to be signed on.

I am also going to take my copies of the new Guidelines Series as desk copies in hopes of taking orders. This will be the third time I have done one of these booths for PPFA, but the first time I had something more than a poster and membership applications.

Any other ideas you have to help promote PPFA would be most welcome. Thanks.
 
Membership apps and also the PPFA TODAY fliers (benefits of joining) are always well rec'd at ours. I just printed some of each and will be bringing them along to FrameFest, in case they run out.

Good luck with the show!

Mike
 
We were just talking about how to make our "booth" at one of these events more inviting and see if we could dispel some of the elitist feelings we seem to engender with many. We thought one or more photo boards with us having fun and generally showing a good time if they'd just join us. Something a bit more inclusive and inviting was the idea.
 
Yea I think we agreed to do it with a computer slide show with photos of people having a good time at recent chapter events.
 
I will be at work on Saturday from 9-12 so I will sign in when I am not busy to see what is happening. Thanks for doing this! Showing the FC is a Great! You may want to show them the MA program and the PPFA website
 
Great stuff here. Metro Atlantic PPFA will have a table at the Don Mar Event on September 21. I'll be sure to bring my Ipad to show a few things.

Thanks to the nice folks at Don Mar for giving us a table to promote PPFA. :smile:

By the way to have some excitement, AMS has donated a big container of frame hardware for us to play a "Count the Hardware" game. By putting your guess on a business card (so we can add folks to our mailing list) we will generate names of existing frameshops and attract people to our table. Yes, AMS is kind enough to give us a count too, so we don't have to count the pieces!
 
Gregory, I'm normally busy on Saturdays, but as an option?

My primary strength is decorative mats: primarily painted variegated bevels, wrapped bevels (aka bevel extensions), gesso mats, painted panels on paper.

If you get any questions on this give me a call and I will try break away and discuss. Phone 303-809-4957.

I could also show something on Facetime (Apple version of Skype, I don't have Skype). I assume you are on Central Time?

This is an example of a set of painted bevels (4-ply and 8-ply) for a William Henry Jackson chromo-litho (i think that is what it was called?) from around 1900.



Crow-001-IMG_0669-crop-low.webp
 
This was not a busy event, attendance was down this time, but the people we saw were serious. Lots more interest in PPFA than in previous events here--they happen once every 5 years. One completed application, 2 promises to complete the application and pay. I put some urgency on the trial membership.

Unfortunately, none were in my chapter! But hey, we are all in this together. Strangely, though they were interested in seeing the FC, no one could think of a single question. Perhaps it was all the hubub...but I am fearful I saw a bunch of framers today that don't have questions....you know, the framers that have repeated the same year for 20 years...not learning much.
 
PS, thanks to all of you who made it a point to be signed in today.

I didn't have time to set up a slide show for this event (our chapter's photos are scattered among the members), but that is something pretty easy to do and update. I do wonder why this hasn't occurred to us before. And it is even better if some of the subjects of those photos is around!

One of the weaknesses in our chapter events is that late-comers and people new to us are often not greeted and shown around. If they aren't assertive enough to come up and ask someone, they are kind of left to wander.

Being a greeter at an event is a really boring job since you spend most of your time standing around with nothing to do, while everyone else is having a good time. I have been thinking that we might break it up into 15 min intervals to make sure every guest is greeted.
 
2 out of 300? G

Greg, pardon the intrusion, but I don't think showing them an online forum is going to be the strongest play. I'd try to come up with something a bit more compelling.
 
With the limited resources we have, PPFA has been doing a good job of test marketing ideas in smaller venues rather than rolling out ideas in a shotgun approach. I thought it worth my time to see if this could be an effective marketing tool.

I had all of the usual things, PPFA Today, membership applications, copies of the FMO/PPFA News, as well as a backboard I designed and printed myself to promote the trial membership as a "show special."

Since this was the first time I was going to be in a venue with wireless, having the PPFA website, Consumer slide show, FAPF. Members Advantage and the FC seemed like an idea worth trying.

Though there weren't any questions to post, many who passed by were intrigued by the technology, and I demonstrated how it works several time. To have 3 potential members seriously engaged for lengthy conversations was a win in my book. If 3 new members ultimately sign on, we will have doubled our membership in WV.

I'm sure some of our marketing geniuses could have done a better job, but they weren't here or likely to come. It was a long day, for which the only compensation I received was the enjoyment of talking to framers all day...well worth the effort IMO. I didn't have chocolate:shame:, but I did have starlight mints, which as in previous years were popular after a heavy lunch of Carolina barbecue.

Unfortunately, I don't have a clear answer as to whether or not this might be an effective tool for other venues. But it didn't cost much to try it, and if I get the opportunity again, I will repeat it in hopes of getting a better idea of whether or not it is a viable tool before recommending it to other chapters.

As always, I remain open to other ideas.
 
Gregory, it sounds like you did a great job!

And as they say, "try different things, and see what sticks..."

I also like your idea about the greeter, and breaking it up so it is shared!
 
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