Friedrichschafen Outdoor Show
Seems strange to be blogging about a trade show rather than a photoshoot or film project but I’ve just had 4 days at Europe’s biggest outdoor trade show and it was an experience worth talking about.
There are 2 sides to being successful in the creative world, not just how your eye, brain and emotions interpret the world around you and how you carry out your craft as an artist but also how you manage the business side of things. In an industry that is all about being in the outdoors and engaging with adventure /exploration , being indoors for 4 days is a bit of an paradox. But business has to be done , deals have to be made and networking has to happen. How many opportunities have arisen by just happening to bump into that key person on the way to the bar because you both happened to be in the same film festival/trade show and that ends up leading to the next project ?
All the big names in the industry are there and also the various superstars of the climbing world with their respective brands that they either own or are ambassadors for. I had planned a number of meetings with companies , both clients I already had good working relations with and also companies that I was interested in pitching an idea for a film or photoshoot to. The first 2 days are the busiest , by the third day I had lost the will to live and just had to get out of the conference centre and have a change of scene. Bizarrely , it was the fourth and last day, the day I hadn’t planned to be there and ended up with a free ticket when very few people were around and I hadn’t made any appointments , that I had my most fruitful conversations with a number of new potential clients and with the possibility of becoming an ambassador for a major outdoor footwear company , watch this space!
Another ‘interesting’ project that may come from the show is a shoot for a major lingerie company. One of the design consultants for an outdoor company I had recently done a shoot for was interested in my lifestyle and fashion portfolio and suggested we pitch a shoot to a lingerie company he has been in conversation with regarding taking on their marketing , so , yet again , photography throws up an usual and unexpected project.
Its now on the road with Susan Jensen and Colin Peck chasing good weather around the alps for 2 weeks.