Eileen Moylan

Jewellery Designer Cork

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Exhibiting at Showcase Ireland

01.30.2012 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

My Stand, Showcase Ireland 2012
My Stand, Showcase Ireland 2012

I was in Dublin last week where I exhibited at Showcase Ireland in the Rds. It was a really enjoyable four days, I made lots of business contacts and also caught up with other craftspeople and makers.

Being my first time exhibiting at this trade show I really didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve “been there, done that” I thought it might be helpful to write about it and give some tips and hints for anyone considering exhibiting next year.

Firstly, applying for your stand. There are a number of ways you can go about this, the two familiar to me are applying to the crafts council or your local enterprise board. The Crafts Council have stands available in an area known as Creative Island. This space is for Irish makers only and I think only members of the crafts council are eligible to apply. The closing date was in April, I hadn’t realised it was this early so missed the deadline.

The other route is through your local enterprise board. I applied to the South Cork Enterprise Board, who were extremely friendly and helpful. I was successful in my application for one of their stands in the balcony area. They pay a percentage of the stand cost which was great as it would have been a big investment to come up with the full stand price.

As well as this they provided workshops to help us prepare for Showcase. These were invaluable and I learnt so much about what to expect and how to prepare. We did lots of work on our price lists and point of sale material for potential buyers. Having never done a trade show before I wasn’t familiar with how to lay out a comprehensive buyer friendly price list.

It’s also important to plan how you will dress your stand before you make the trip to Dublin. I decided on putting up wallpaper to cover the bare white partition walls. I also got some glass display cases to show my jewellery. The stand I had was 2 metres x 2 metres which made it quite deep. I wanted to draw people into the stand so decided to position one of the cabinets at the entrance and the other at the back corner.

The hall is open from 8am Saturday morning to set up, I would advise getting there early! You would be surprised how long it takes to unload the car, prepare the stand and then display your products. Also the earlier you arrive the quieter the hall. We were able to take up space outside the stand to assemble cabinets and sort stock. Had we left it later we would have been confined to the 2 metre stand as we would be in the way of everyone else setting up.

Once you have your stand set up on Saturday be sure to get some rest, you’re in for a very busy four days! I hadn’t realised how tiring it is to be on your feet meeting and talking to people. Also bring plenty of water, I could feel my voice going by Wednesday!

I’m making it sound like a tough few days but really once you’re prepared you can relax and enjoy the buzz of the show. As well as meeting buyers be sure to talk to other makers. One of the most valuable things for me was chatting to other people in the trade. Working on your own can be isolating so it’s great to meet with other jewellers and exchanged ideas and swop contacts.

I hope that gives you an idea of what to expect at Showcase and all going well maybe I’ll see you there next year!

 

 

Categories // My Business Tags // Crafts Council of Ireland, Showcase Ireland, Silver, silversmith

Business Update: November 2011

11.22.2011 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

This September I started a monthly update on the different aspects of my online business. As well as sharing all the things I’ve learned it gives me an opportunity to look over the developments of each month.

It has been a busy month for Eileen Moylan.com. As well as keeping up with orders, I was featured on the Radio 1 series ‘Made In Ireland’.  It was great being interviewed by someone as enthusiastic as Ella McSweeney. She has a real appreciation for handmade pieces and the tools and processes behind each piece. It gave me an opportunity to discuss the work of a silversmith and different aspects of the workshop.

Outside of the workshop, I’ve been working on my business skills! I was lucky enough to be offered a place on the Macroom E, Greenshoots programme. This programme acts as an incubation for new businesses and guides them through the early stage of development.

Every week we have a workshop on a different aspect of our business. I never thought I’d get excited about these areas of business but when you can see their practical application in your own company it’s hard not to be enthusiastic. I’ve always loved the making side of the business and would happily spend all day in the studio making jewellery. Unfortunately when you have your own business you need to balance the nice parts with the not so nice parts. Thankfully I’ve been lucky enough to have lots of great support in Greenshoots. So at least now when I’m doing the less exciting parts of the job, I know I’m doing them correctly!

As there are ten participants on the course it’s a great opportunity to get feedback and suggestions from other businesses in a similar situation. We have fortnightly meetings where we discuss our progress on different projects and also showcase new ideas and designs.

Apart from my participation in Greenshoots I’ve been kept busy in the workshop. Christmas is the busiest time of year for jewellers and thankfully this year is no different.

I’ve just sent off what I hope will be my second last package to the assay office for hallmarking. With the international postal deadlines finishing on the 6th December I have to carefully plan out my making and finishing schedule.

So there you have it, my business update for this month. If you have any questions or areas for discussion be sure to drop me an email.

 

Categories // My Business Tags // Monthly update, Silver, silversmith

Made in Ireland

11.08.2011 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

This week I was featured in the Radio 1 series ‘Made in Ireland’. Each week Ella McSweeney looks at a different craft or skill in Ireland. So this week was the turn of the silversmiths!

As well as calling to Dublin based silversmith Seamus Gill, Ella came down to my workshop in Cork. We discussed the different tools used by silversmiths, the properties of silver and women in the history of silversmithing.

If you want to have a listen to it click on the link below.

Made in Ireland, Silversmiths

 

 

 

Categories // My Business, My Workshop Tags // contemporary Irish silver, Eileen Moylan, Irish Hallmark, Irish Silver, Silver, silversmith, silversmiths techniques, Women Silversmiths

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About

Jewellery Designer based in Cork, Ireland. Since finishing my Masters in design, I have worked as a Silver & Goldsmith creating unique jewellery, Wedding & Engagement Rings and Sculptural commissions. Read more about what I do here.

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