Today it's my turn to be at the keyboard to tell you a little more about last weekend at IFEMA MADRID HORSE WEEK.
This being the first time we sold from the website, and exhibited in a booth surrounded by many other established brands, I can only say: Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
We started the journey by plane from Galicia, heading to Madrid. What an exciting trip! The first direct sales experience, the first time you could try on the product, look in the mirror, and make that final purchasing decision once you had decided. See the colors, touch the fabrics...
Well, once at the airport, with five suitcases in tow (still not knowing how I was going to decorate the stand), we decided to go straight to IFEMA. The pavilion was still in full assembly; we saw how each professional set up their stand. They brought trucks, vans... they came with every screw they needed. It was clear they had a lot of experience, and there I was: excited about my product, visualizing the weekend ahead; but certainly, I did not expect such a reception.
It has been crazy. Hearing people recognize the brand: "Look, Empire Sapphire Equestrian is here!", hearing how you commented on how long you had been looking for one of our Competition Jackets or a Base Layer...but above all, what moved me most were your words when you came up to me, congratulating me and telling me that there is no other brand like it. When you work to create a brand's image, and you realize that it is being conveyed as you wished, it is very flattering.
Creativity, differentiation, quality, design, personality...
For me, seeing how it looked on you, how you wore each of the designs, has been a gift. Little to say about the sales success! I returned home with practically empty suitcases.
We were able to enjoy the competition very little, as it was 99.9% a work trip. But on Saturday, Carolina Villanueva gave us a piece of Gold in the CSI in the 1.40m class, flying with her horse Voice and our NEON line Competition Jacket in blue.
Carolina had already started the season by winning the Spanish Championship with another of our Competition Jackets, this time from the CLASSIC line, in black and white.
It is clear that our jackets have brought her a lot of luck, and certainly Carolina has also brought us luck. She has been with us since our beginnings, and we hope to be able to support her in her super athletic career and live her triumphs as our own.
Congratulations again, beautiful,
and a thousand thanks to all of you, every customer who visited our stand this weekend has been special to us.
There is no other way to say goodbye than...
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR MADRID HORSE WEEK!
Empire Sapphire Equestrian,
Betina Alonso.
