The Saskatchewan Craft Council provides wholesale opportunities for qualified Saskatchewan craftspeople to form ongoing relationships with retailers across Canada. The program currently offers logistical and marketing support to Ken Wilkinson, Zach Dietrich & Wendy Parsons, Adrienne Gradauer & Zach Quin, and Zane Wilcox, assisting them in getting their product to wholesale trade shows. Thanks to the financial support of Creative Saskatchewan, the SCC can now expand this program to include a new wave of marketers ready for this next step in their career. We will provide training, marketing tools, and logistical support to four to six marketers who are interested in and committed to the program.
Highlights of the program include:
- Consultation services provided by Bernard Burton, Executive Director of Craft Alliance and Sue Robertson, one of Saskatchewan’s most successful wholesale marketers of craft;
- One-on-one training sessions with studio visits to assess capacity and identify strengths and weaknesses;
- Mentoring from current wholesale participants;
- Marketing tools;
- Shared booth at Toronto Gift Fair (January and August 2016), including travel and accommodation; and
- Assessment of success and identification of next steps.
Participants must be committed to:
- Consultation services between October 3-7 (we’ll come to you);
- Development of a production line of products;
- Fulfillment of orders from the show within promised timelines;
- A full report to SCC, including detailed sales and contact data;
- Attendance at both TGF shows in 2016; and
- Payment of a $250 participation fee per show.
Please submit a letter of interest to Carmen Milenkovic (scc.director@sasktel.net) with details on:
- Your market experience
- Description of product line(s)
- Plan for fulfilling orders
- List your online presence (website, Facebook page, etc.)
- We look forward to hearing from you.
Please note: This program is only open to Saskatchewan residents and to Professional Craftsperson Members of the SCC.
Participation is made possible through Creative Saskatchewan’s Market Export Development Grant Program