It's that time of the year again... trade show season.. starting from ExpoZoo (Quebec) in August to SuperZoo (Las Vegas) and PIJAC (Toronto) in September to HH Backer (Chicago) just around the corner in October. The fall-winter season is THE busiest time of the year and FouFou Dog is running around like a chicken with its head cut-off; with phones ringing off the hook, fax-in orders coming in incessantly, sales reps bombarding us with orders, and incoming shipments full of Fall-Winter-Holiday goodies that needed to ship out yesterday.
It's literally a zoo at FouFou Dog these days... but we're truely loving every minute of it. How can anyone complain about a flourishing business with products that are in high-demand?
The overtime hours, getting down and dirty with sweat, bruises, sore muscles, a constant grumbling stomach, high-stress craziness, and overdose of caffeine is a small price to pay for the joy of watching your business grow.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Trade Show Mishaps
FouFou Dog has encountered many "mishaps" over the years from exhibiting at trade shows worldwide.
We've left samples and display items at home and have had to courier them over to the show on overnight service. We've had our entire crate with all of our exhibiting contents arrive late AND not at all to our booth location. We've had our empty boxes damaged and misplaced when packing up our booth. We've had display cases shatter in our hands as we were dismantling the booth. We've had catalogues shipped to us which were damaged in transit and the most recent mishap which took place at last weekend's ExpoZoo show in Quebec involved forgetting to bring the metal stands that we use to display all of our apparel items.
You would think that after 6 years of trade show exhibitions, that we'd be pro's by now... but I guess it goes to show that everybody makes mistakes. Luckily, we HAVE become experts at pulling things together given our circumstances at the last minute.
When Evelyn and I discovered that we had forgotten to ship metal stands to display all of our apparel items, with 2 and a half hours left of set-up to go, we hauled ass to the nearest Dollarama that we saw en route to the convention center. Evelyn and I purchased all of the paper towel holders that they had on their shelves.
We cut up cardboard pieces and taped them to the top of these paper towel holders.
Et Voila!!
If I hadn't told Cheryl about this mishap, she would never even have known.. hehehehe
We've left samples and display items at home and have had to courier them over to the show on overnight service. We've had our entire crate with all of our exhibiting contents arrive late AND not at all to our booth location. We've had our empty boxes damaged and misplaced when packing up our booth. We've had display cases shatter in our hands as we were dismantling the booth. We've had catalogues shipped to us which were damaged in transit and the most recent mishap which took place at last weekend's ExpoZoo show in Quebec involved forgetting to bring the metal stands that we use to display all of our apparel items.
You would think that after 6 years of trade show exhibitions, that we'd be pro's by now... but I guess it goes to show that everybody makes mistakes. Luckily, we HAVE become experts at pulling things together given our circumstances at the last minute.
When Evelyn and I discovered that we had forgotten to ship metal stands to display all of our apparel items, with 2 and a half hours left of set-up to go, we hauled ass to the nearest Dollarama that we saw en route to the convention center. Evelyn and I purchased all of the paper towel holders that they had on their shelves.
We cut up cardboard pieces and taped them to the top of these paper towel holders.
Et Voila!!
If I hadn't told Cheryl about this mishap, she would never even have known.. hehehehe
FouFou Dog Trade Show Season
It's that time of year again ... Trade Show Season, where FouFou Dog travels North America to feature the newest items from their collection. Entering the fall/winter season, FouFou Dog has come out with new and innovative products to keep your pooches warm and dry. A few new items include:
1) New Sweater Coats (with removable hood)
2) New Toggle Coats (with fur trim)
3) New Sweater / Scarf sets
4) New Fou-ski Parkas (that are reversible)
All of these items, and more, can be found in the new FouFou Dog Fall-Winter 2011 catalogue. Click on the title of this link to download this catalogue.
FouFou Dog will be making the following stops to feature their collection:
1) Expo Zoo Trade Show (Quebec)
2) SuperZoo Trade Show (Las Vegas)
3) PIJAC Show (Toronto)
4) HH Backer Show (Chicago)
1) New Sweater Coats (with removable hood)
2) New Toggle Coats (with fur trim)
3) New Sweater / Scarf sets
4) New Fou-ski Parkas (that are reversible)
All of these items, and more, can be found in the new FouFou Dog Fall-Winter 2011 catalogue. Click on the title of this link to download this catalogue.
FouFou Dog will be making the following stops to feature their collection:
1) Expo Zoo Trade Show (Quebec)
2) SuperZoo Trade Show (Las Vegas)
3) PIJAC Show (Toronto)
4) HH Backer Show (Chicago)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Keep your pooch cool this summer
Many cities within Toronto and Quebec have been experiencing heat waves with temperatures of 32 C and up for the past 3 consecutive days and counting. Toronto is having its first heat wave this week since 2007.
While health officials are urging both provinces to keep cool by staying indoors, wearing light weight clothing, and keeping hydrated, FouFou Dog is reminding pet owners not to forget about the health and safety of their furry friends too.
We tend to forget about our dogs and their vulnerability to the heat especially in our eagerness to spend time outdoors in the company of our canine friends. Unfortunately, dogs do not have the luxury of sweating, like humans do, and so they overheat and suffer from heat stroke more easily than their masters. Some dogs are in more danger, especially those with pre-existing heart conditions, with heavy coats, black coats, or dogs with narrow nasal passages such as Bull Dogs, Boxers, Pugs, and Pekingnese.
FouFou Dog suggests some Do's & Don'ts to keep their pooches cool in this summer heat wave:
Do leave water plentily available for your dog.
Putting ice cubes in the water dish will help to keep the water cool and refreshing
Don't leave your dog unattended in a vehicle for more than a few minutes.
When the temperature is 30 C outdoors, the heat inside a car can reach up to 40 C
Do cool your pooch down by putting cold water on his chest, not his back.
Most pet owners automatically assume that if a dog is sitting under the sun, that putting cold water on his back will cool him down, but if his coat is thick or black, this won't do anything, but make him wet
Don't leave your dog on hot surfaces.
Dog owners do not realize that hot surfaces, such as, ashphalt or concrete, can cause serious burns to their pets paws on a hot, sunny day
Do use veterinarian approved sunscreens that can help protect dogs from harmful UVA rays.
Beware of human sunscreens because of their zinc oxide content. White muzzles, ears, and white dogs are more susceptible, especially Chinese Crested hairless dogs
Don't overfeed your dog.
The act of eating and digestion will increase its heart rate and metabolism which can contribute to raising the temperature of your pooch
Do recognize the early signs of heat stroke.
Watch for heavy panting, difficulty in breathing, unordinary breaths, and tacky saliva.
While health officials are urging both provinces to keep cool by staying indoors, wearing light weight clothing, and keeping hydrated, FouFou Dog is reminding pet owners not to forget about the health and safety of their furry friends too.
We tend to forget about our dogs and their vulnerability to the heat especially in our eagerness to spend time outdoors in the company of our canine friends. Unfortunately, dogs do not have the luxury of sweating, like humans do, and so they overheat and suffer from heat stroke more easily than their masters. Some dogs are in more danger, especially those with pre-existing heart conditions, with heavy coats, black coats, or dogs with narrow nasal passages such as Bull Dogs, Boxers, Pugs, and Pekingnese.
FouFou Dog suggests some Do's & Don'ts to keep their pooches cool in this summer heat wave:
Do leave water plentily available for your dog.
Putting ice cubes in the water dish will help to keep the water cool and refreshing
Don't leave your dog unattended in a vehicle for more than a few minutes.
When the temperature is 30 C outdoors, the heat inside a car can reach up to 40 C
Do cool your pooch down by putting cold water on his chest, not his back.
Most pet owners automatically assume that if a dog is sitting under the sun, that putting cold water on his back will cool him down, but if his coat is thick or black, this won't do anything, but make him wet
Don't leave your dog on hot surfaces.
Dog owners do not realize that hot surfaces, such as, ashphalt or concrete, can cause serious burns to their pets paws on a hot, sunny day
Do use veterinarian approved sunscreens that can help protect dogs from harmful UVA rays.
Beware of human sunscreens because of their zinc oxide content. White muzzles, ears, and white dogs are more susceptible, especially Chinese Crested hairless dogs
Don't overfeed your dog.
The act of eating and digestion will increase its heart rate and metabolism which can contribute to raising the temperature of your pooch
Do recognize the early signs of heat stroke.
Watch for heavy panting, difficulty in breathing, unordinary breaths, and tacky saliva.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
FouFou Dog @ Woofstock
FouFou Dog exhibits at WOOFSTOCK - the largest outdoor dog festival in Toronto.
The FouFou Dog booth is located at the same prime spot, year after year, in front of the Metro grocery store.
While the weather wasn't the greatest on Saturday afternoon, with grey skies and rainy periods, that didn't stop our loyal FouFou fans from visiting us decked out and ready for rain in their FouFou Dog Reversible Raincoats.
This year, even our cousin Daryl Ching (aka "new FouFou Dog mascot") lent us a helping hand.. here's a funny video of Daryl selling FouFou Dog products at our booth!
The FouFou Dog booth is located at the same prime spot, year after year, in front of the Metro grocery store.
While the weather wasn't the greatest on Saturday afternoon, with grey skies and rainy periods, that didn't stop our loyal FouFou fans from visiting us decked out and ready for rain in their FouFou Dog Reversible Raincoats.
This year, even our cousin Daryl Ching (aka "new FouFou Dog mascot") lent us a helping hand.. here's a funny video of Daryl selling FouFou Dog products at our booth!
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