219: The Inside Scoop on WWDMAGIC with Kelly Helfman

You either LOVE it… or are SCARED of it. Fear not, BoutiqueLand! I’ve brought in THE woman behind of the infamous Las Vegas fashion trade show, WWDMAGIC, on the show to debunk all myths and rumors you may have heard about it on the Internet. Kelly Helfman, Vice President and Brand Director of WWDMAGIC, tells me that the twice annual show is NOT overwhelming, NOT hard to shop and actually sounds SUPER fun! In our in-depth conversation, Kelly walks us through how to shop WWDMAGIC, what’s new for the August 2018 show and shares her take on boutiques in today’s retail landscape. This episode is PRICELESS. Listen ASAP! SHOW NOTES: Kelly Helfman worked her way up from Customer Service to Vice President at the company that operates WWDMAGIC! (love this.) 75-80% of WWDMAGIC attendees are small boutiques. They are a one stop shop twice a year- a mix of 2000 brands, new brands, returning and international. “Don’t let the size of the show overwhelm you. We are very careful about curating the floor to make sure that you know exactly where you need to shop.” “It’s not just the ultimate buying trip. It’s education, it’s networking, and it’s buying all wrapped up into one trip.” “We have a retail relations team of 10 people their sole job is to help boutiques like you figure out where they need to go, set up travel, make appointments, anything you need!” Here’s the email to ask for help: [email protected] How to find out all the contact info and FAQs about WWDMAGIC: https://www.ubmfashion.com/magic/attendee-contact and more Show info here: https://www.ubmfashion.com/magic/attendee-showinfo Schedule your seminars & networking events here: https://www.ubmfashion.com/show/76/schedule “Let’s say 80% of your listeners are boutiques that like to have product that retail under $100 and you’re women’s, you only need to go to WWD MAGIC.” How to Search Brands that are attending WWDMAGIC: https://www.ubmfashion.com/shows/wwdmagic?display=modal “It’s an area called GLAM. We have 13 brands only, and it’s a mix of Korean beauty, skincare, makeup, accessories, like makeup erasers and cute makeup bags. Basically, we curated it down for you to have a simple selection to pick a few to add to your store.” “I really encourage everybody to include beauty in your stores. The world is going toward indie beauty and we’re supporting those companies more than ever, their stories are great, and we should all be jumping on that bandwagon.” @MakeupbySamuel will be at the August 2018 show to do some demos, and talk about how to mix more beauty products with your boutiques! “We created an area called ON:LINE. ON:LINE is an area with 35 new brands that have never exhibited at WWD MAGIC before.They’re each going to have a rack or two of product, so you can touch it, feel it, see it in person and figure out which of the 35 brands you really like. And then, with each brand is going to be an iPad with their full collection that you can shop there at the show and place additional orders. And then you can shop online, all year… and guess where you’re going to shop them online, all year? FASHIONGO!!!” (www.fashiongo.net) Kelly walks us through how to shop WWDMAGIC, gives us the inside scoop on her own perspective on owning a boutique in today’s retail landscape… and tells us about her favorite boutique purchase! This episode is a MUST LISTEN! As of the air date of this podcast, the next WWDMAGIC show is August 13-15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. You can find out all the dates and other worldwide UBM Fashion Trade Shows at www.ubmfashion.com Want to scope out Kelly’s killer style on Instagram? Follow her at @greydahl. You can also follow WWDMAGIC: @wwdmagic. Here's to making lots of friends and making lots of money! Emily Benson www.StylishandSuccessful.com www.FashionTruck.com www.BoostYourBoutique.com My FREE Facebook Community: bit.ly/trucktribe