As the Ethnotek crew gears up for another trip out to Salt Lake City to hang at the Salt Palace for Outdoor Retailer round 2 - the Winter Market variety - we take some time to take a breath and get excited about everything our small team has been working on. You may remember our team's last trek to Utah - it was our first foray into the trade show world, and we had a blast. We met great people involved with inspiring organizations. We kicked off our first Swag for Stories contest and were blown away by the tales of our Tribe. And, of course, misadventures were had...misadventures that led to a bumpy ride out west, with the van (lovingly nicknamed "Van Morrison") calling it quits in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming. Well, we've wised up for round 2, so hopefully misadventures such as these will be bypassed this go 'round, yet the experience is just as full of excitement, good people and mountain fresh air as the first round. Oh, and some fresh powder for some Jake + Megan shreddin' time would be fabulous too.
So what do we have up our sleeves for Winter Market?! Here's a little sneak-peek of what we've been working on...
Here's a rough mock-up of our booth set-up. Co-Founder and Head Designer Jake is a miracle-worker. He's also one of the most humble people I know, so I'll take care of shouting from the rooftops how much our Ethnotek crew is thankful for his mad skills. The image below, which will be our booth's backdrop, is one of my personal favorite shots...and it's meant to convey the feeling of looking through a window into another culture. I'm psyched to see how it turns out in real-life. What do you think?
Here's a close-up of the banner creative:
Jake's also been hard at work in Vietnam, putting those skills to the test in whipping up some new product that will be debuting at Outdoor Retailer, and will be launching online for our Tribe shortly thereafter. Check out this snapshot of the full collection, pulled from our 2013 Press Kit:
Wayu Pack sneak-peek alert - looks like someone got a bit of a makeover! Mmm...take a look at the fresh new Vietnam THREAD and the improved look and feel of the Wayu. Can't wait to get these on our Tribe members' backs.
My personal favorite image from our Press Kit - such a good shot:
Aside from new product that's on its way over from Vietnam as we speak, we're looking forward to Jake's return back stateside. We love that Jake is able to work so closely with Ai and the whole production team in Vietnam, but man do we miss his creative presence and good vibes here in Minnesota! Looking forward to a big ol' team group hug in Salt Lake. Let's see...what else?!
Oh! Yes! How could I forget...the Ethnotek 2013 Catalog - Volume 1?! That stunning editorial featuring in-depth stories from all five of our villages and eye candy galore has been busy going to print in Vietnam and will journey over with Jake just in time for Outdoor Retailer. I can't wait to get my hands on one of those bad boys. Props, once again, to the uber-creative dynamic duo of graphic designer Anthony Capetta and copywriter Ben Pfutzenreuter. As Jake as mentioned, it's a 50 page mind-bender, goose bump-inducer and tear-jerker, and we couldn't be more proud with how it all turned out.
Remember how Co-Founder Josh's mom Penny made us awesome lanyards/keychains from recycled THREAD fabric for Outdoor Retailer round 1 and everyone loved them so much they were gone before we knew it?! This time we've come prepared and our Wayu Pack will be filled to the brim with lanyards for our faithful booth visitors. Come and snag yours before we run out...they're still limited, just not quite as limited as they were round 1.
Last but not least, Swag for Stories is back. And better than ever, baby! Each and every day of Outdoor Retailer at 4:30pm, we'll be hosting a happy hour and Swag for Stories storytelling shindig at our booth BR640. If you're at Outdoor Retailer, simply visit us and share your story...think inspirational, embarrassing, a lesson learned, a meaningful connection made, a happy mistake, a (mis)adventures, and more. Think big. Entries will automatically enter you for a chance to win free swag. Plus, we'll have free beer. 'Nough said.
Is that all?! Oh! Duh! One more thing. So obviously it's winter, and there's a whole lotta white stuff on the ground out in Utah. Jake and Megan are looking forward to taking advantage by hitting the slopes post-Outdoor Retailer for a couple of days. With GoPro in hand (or, on-head I should say) and Raja Packs on their backs, they're looking forward to grabbing some good footage and breathing in some mountain fresh air.
Make sure to take a gander at our Outdoor Retailer for more info, and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter during the show, from January 23-26.
Family company, tribally organized, globally engaged...
Tribe Scribe