Hannah Dale inspires as Ladder Club speaker line-up helps newbie publishers
Informative, fun and well worth attending was the verdict on the revived Ladder Club from the 40 would-be and newbie greeting card publishers who attended the one-day annual seminar organised by PG Buzz owner Max Publishing with support key industry figures and companies.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” was artist Georgina Whitelock’s verdict about the seminar on Friday, 1 December. “Getting the info from all the different companies for paper, printing, etc has been great because it’s a real minefield.”
And Ladder Club alumni Hannah Dale, who attended the sessions herself when she was setting up Wrendale Designs back in 2012, was a star of the show with her presentation on her company’s journey from the kitchen table to the present award-winning multi-million-pound business.
Utterly Conkers’ Emma Harrison admitted: “Hannah was my favourite because she started where everybody else did, and she’s an icon.
“I liked that she shared the highs and the lows because you can look at someone like that and think it’s just happened, but it’s been hard work – and also, she still doubts herself, which is unbelievable, she’s absolutely lovely.
“I could have done with the Ladder Club a few years ago – I think it’s a brilliant day, it’s perfect for what it’s meant to be, it’s pitched just right for newbie publishers and people thinking about it. I really enjoyed it, I came looking to network and I also loved retailer Sally Matson’s insights very much too.”
Heather Trefusis, of Heather Trefusis Art, added: “A big thank you for The Ladder Club on Friday. It was an absolutely fantastic day. Packed with really valuable content. I’ve already been making changes to my business as a result of some of the advice!”
It was an “informative and inspiring” day for Julie Loydall, who said: “As a complete newbie, it was a unique opportunity to hear from the experts and to chat to other aspiring publishers – I came away buzzing! I’m looking forward to being part of your industry next year and hope to see you all again in the future.”
After being started by the late publisher and gallery owner Lynn Tait with PG’s Jakki Brown over 20 years ago, the first Ladder Club seminar in four years was held as a one-day event with Bob and Adam Short, founder and md of The Imaging Centre, explaining the digital print side of things, Loxleys md Tony Lorriman chipped in with litho info, G.F Smith paper consultant Mark Jessett explained board and sustainability, and Enveco’s sales support Lucy Glover talked envelopes.
British-born Andy Meehan, who is a consultant to Designer Greetings in America and president of the US GCA, opened proceedings with an explanation of the differences between the world’s two biggest greeting card markets, before GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson and membership and marketing manager Adriana Lovesy explained how the UK association is able to help, while JJ Agencies’ Jo Bannister took attendees inside a sales agent’s brain, and Sally Matson, of Petworth’s Red Card, explained what retailers want and how they can work with publishers to everyone’s benefit.
Trade show tips and etiquette came from PG Live operations director Jim Bullough, and the PG editorial and sales team gave a whirlwind tour around making the most of free editorial opportunities, why entering the free Henries Awards puts publishers in front of retailers, and setting the scene for PG Live.
Everyone had a hard act to follow thanks to Brainbox Candy co-founder and director Ben Hickman’s hilarious take on the business side of publishing, including costs, margins, marketing, and understanding brokerage – with the added spark of how friendly the industry us – but Bewilderbeest’s chief nitwit Iain Hamilton did an excellent job with his own brand of tall stories following his journey from the 2019 Ladder Club event through to winning the Best Young Designer Henries Award last year and forward to his current licensing deals.
