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Wharton Retail Conference: Max Brenner and Mei Xu

As I have shared in previous posts, as the PR & Marketing Manager for Blissliving Home, one of the perks of my job is to accompany Mei Xu, the Creator & CEO of the company, to a broad range of exciting events and social engagements. Most recently Mei and I visited Philadelphia as Mei was invited to join the Entrepreneurship Panel at the Inaugural Wharton Retail Conference. (It was my first time in Philly but I am already planning another trip – just for fun).

The conference was organized by MBA candidates Michelle Taite, Laura De Sole and Lindsey Rhoads under the leadership of four Conference Directors. We were truly intrigued by the key note speakers and panelists that had been enlisted for this conference. Tommy Hilfiger, one of the keynote speakers, offered an intimate insight into the story and strategy of his global enterprise. Allen Questrom, the other keynote speaker, is known in the world of retail as a “turn-around person”. Mr. Questrom shared his views on strategy and effective leadership based on his experiences at retail giants such as JC Penney’s, Neiman Marcus, and Barneys New York (“to be an effective leader, you have to first and foremost able to create a strong team and to bring everyone on board regarding strategy”). He also encouraged attending students to find jobs that inspire them.

The conference concluded with the Entrepreneurship Panel hosted by Professor David Bell. Panelists included Mei Xu, Max Brenner of Max Brenner – Chocolate by the Bald Man; Jay McCarroll, Designer and Winner of Project Runway; Nicole Basabe, founder of Tribal Societe; and Mary Norton, founder of Mary Norton, Inc. As Mei and I had learnt at dinner the night before, almost eighty percent of Wharton MBA students hope to launch their own business one day. It came as no surprise, then, to see the students captivated by Mei’s and her fellow panelists’ stories. Truth be told, we almost missed our train as Mei answered everyone’s questions after the panel ended. All in all, participating in the Wharton Retail Conference was a very inspiring and invigorating experience – and I certainly hope we will be invited to come back for future events. Oh, and one of the most critical take-aways from the conference – next time the Blissliving Home team visits New York City we should certainly plan a dinner at the Max Brenner restaurant at Union Square.

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Wednesday
Feb 24, 2010

Chang Mai Bed NYIGF

“Ooooooh, Jane, look at THIS! It’s gorgeous!”

It was day two at the New York International Gift Fair and by then I was accustomed to the excitement. “Hi ladies, I see you’re loving our Chang Mai bed,” I said with a smile. The Blissliving Home booth was on an end cap in the Home section and our Chang Mai bed, nicknamed “The Show Stopper” by my colleague Diane and I, was drawing in quite the crowd. But what people didn’t know at first glance is that our Chang Mai bed is more than just a pretty face. Designed by then 11-year-old Aria Curameng for our national Bliss Kids Arts Festival (a kids-only art competition), the duvet not only looks smashing in bright red, blue and yellow pointillism, but 10 percent of our sales proceeds from Aria’s masterpiece will go to the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC.

Bed Award

We, of course, entered our beauty into the Best New Product awards at the show. As the judges filtered through and listened to our story behind the Chang Mai bedding set, I saw the look of awe on their faces. Good looks AND a heart? What a bed! The Chang Mai bed lived up to it’s nickname and took first place for Best New Product in the Bedding Category. Diane and I placed the gleaming award on the headboard above the bed, like a sash on a beauty queen. Congrats to Aria!

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January 16, 2010 was a big day for Blissliving Home. As the Assistant Manager for PR & Marketing, I was fortunate to join Mei Xu, Creator & CEO of Blissliving Home, to the 21st ARTS Awards Ceremony at the Dallas Market Center where our brand was recognized with the ARTS Award in the Home Textiles Category. The ARTS Award program, held every year during the Dallas January Super Market Week, is the only international program recognizing excellence in retailing, manufacturing, product design and sales representation of decorative home accessories. Through this program, retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives are recognized by their peers for excellence in the development of product, retail merchandising and sales representation of decorative home accessories. Needless to say, it was a magnificent honor for Blissliving Home!

The ARTS award process takes almost a whole year. First, a panel of judges is selected in February. A call for nominations is issued in April running through June. Finalists are notified in August. Truth be told, this is when and how I first learned about the ARTS Award. After speaking to our Business Manager, a few friends in the media (such as the lovely Pam Graves from Home Fashion magazine and conducting a little bit of research, I quickly understood what an extraordinary recognition this nomination was. All nominees have to prepare a complex presentation showcasing their company history and philosophy, company differentiation, promotion and advertising initiatives, and of course product strategy. As with most projects, creating our presentation binder was a true team effort for the Blissliving Home team. A special thank you must go to Amber Kleiner, our Design Manager, for developing the overall concept and to Stephanie Tait, our PR & Marketing Assistant, for working closely with Amber to execute the design. The team did not spare any efforts to create our award winning presentation!

The ARTS Awards process ends with an announcement of the winners at a dazzling gala at the Dallas Market Center in January. As mentioned above, Mei and I made the trip to Texas. Seeing Mei accept the award was truly a special moment for me – after all, I have been with Blissliving Home from day one, and have witnessed our “baby” grow every day of every year. A Thank you goes out to all our customers and those who follow us, our business partners and vendors who have helped us grow over the past three years – we could not have done it without you! And a special note to the Accessories Resource Team – we plan to be back in January 2011!

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02_11_10

Well ladies, it’s official. We’ve had Chris O’Donnell in our bed (on prime time, that is). CBS’s hit show NCIS: Los Angeles shows Special Agent G. Callen, played by O’Donnell, sitting on our Ashley Citron Duvet Set. The bed on the set of the popular crime show was styled with our Alex Euro Shams and our Gemini Citron and Rocco Silver decorative pillows. The ensemble was complimented with a tufted headboard and minimalist decor. We were SO excited to see our products live on prime time television – especially with such a cutie sitting on it! Now that we’ve checked Chris off our list…we’re going to check and see what movies Brad Pitt is filming this year.

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One of my favorite things about working with Blissliving Home is going to New York for the gift show. Twice a year, in January and in August, we open the doors of our little Blissliving Home “pop-up store” in Manhattan, showcasing our latest collections at one of the most popular home and design shows in the country.

For me, traveling to New York and attending the show is always a personal highlight – many of the editors, bloggers, reporters and writers I work with via email and phone all year long stop by our booth to say hello and check out our new designs. It’s so fun to catch up with everyone in person!

I usually also schedule a few visits with magazines and editors at their offices or for drinks or dinner – it is always a lot of fun and great to see people’s faces when they open our new catalog. Some of them may have already received it in the mail and may have flagged their favorite pages (you know who you are and just so you know – you couldn’t make us happier).

My last trip was particularly exciting. Las Vegas World Market Center (another show that Blissliving Home participates in) was hosting an exclusive fall preview event in conjunction with the New York Gift Fair. The event took place at the stunning Museum of Art and Design. Las Vegas World Market Center selected eighteen brands to represent the more than fifteen hundred companies exhibiting at the market – and Blissliving Home was one of them! What an incredible honor for Blissliving Home! The purpose of the event was to create buzz for the Las Vegas market, and to make an important “industry announcement” – as it turned out Las Vegas World Market Center is launching an unprecedented $20 million dollar marketing campaign called “Is it Home yet?”

Walking into the museum and seeing our new Modern Tree House collection on display, surrounded by exquisite pieces of Klaus Moje glass paintings was an unforgettable experience that I wished the entire Blissliving Home team could have shared. But I was truly touched – and I could see in the eyes of Blissliving Home Creator and CEO, Mei Xu, that she shared my sentiment when she saw our products on display. In this wonderful venue our Amelie Green duvet set and matching pillows were truly elevated into pieces of art.

To perfect the evening we were introduced to design icon Vincente Wolf. Sharing Vincente’s passion for travel and global inspirations, we have followed his work for years and we were thrilled to finally meet him in person. Thank you, Las Vegas World Market, for inviting us to participate in this very special event – we cannot wait until the next time!

Mareike Finck
Assistant Manager PR & Marketing
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