Melinda and I recently returned from the annual Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) convention in Las Vegas. We had an amazing time learning the latest industry trends, catching up with our staging peers and finding ways to grow and scale our business. Not only that, we were recognized within the industry for our vacant staging with two amazing awards: Best Vacant Stager of the Year (US) and Best Vacant Home Staging Team of the Year (North America). It was truly an unforgettable experience and we returned to St. Louis invigorated and excited to get back to work. We left with so many takeaways from the convention that we are excited to share below:

embrace the staging community

More than anything else, attending the staging conference in Las Vegas was an opportunity to connect with fellow stagers in all phases of business. We met so many staging teams that we know and admire and connected with teams that we only knew online but felt like friends. It was an opportunity to ask questions to teams that are further along, who have invaluable knowledge and experience. The team at Staging Studio has always been amazingly supportive and forthcoming over the years and we are dying to find a time to go visit them to attend their Expert Level Staging course. We offered advice and encouragement to teams that are just starting out and shared what has and hasn’t worked for us along the way. And finally (and most fun), we laughed with other stagers about goofy clients, physical exhaustion and how much we hate social media. It was a great experience to come together as a staging community and find ways to better the industry as a whole. While attending a Vegas convention is an investment, we definitely think attending RESACON is an invaluable experience for stagers at any stage in their business.

efficient packing solutions

Just when we thought we had a solid process for stages we learned that we really have a lot to learn when it comes to packing and transporting to and from our projects. We sat in several seminars during the conference that highlighted some best practices for more efficient stages. Some will require a financial investment, but time is money and finding efficiencies in our day-to-day practices creates the biggest impact to our bottom line. Here are a few packing solutions we learned at RESACON:

SHOPPING AT THE WAREHOUSE VS. SHOPPING AT THE STAGE

One key takeaway was the difference between shopping at the warehouse versus shopping at the stage, meaning, do we spend more time picking and packing accessories for each specific room in advance or do you pack a bunch of stuff and determine it’s placement on site? We typically shop at the stage, with that idea that bringing a variety of accessories without pre-planning allows for each project to look unique. What we didn’t consider is the time that it takes for us to unload all the accessories in one central location, just to move them a second time to their final home. We also lose time having to pack up any items that we do not use. By converting to a shop the warehouse method, we can place the accessories selected for each room in a labeled bin(s) and our movers can simply place the bins in the designated location. It takes a little more planning on the front end, but it more than makes up for all the moving on site.

USING WHEELED CARTS FOR TRANSPORT

Another packing takeaway was to incorporate the use of a wheeled cart for transporting items from the warehouse to the truck. Historically, we packed our bins (without lids), tagging the bins and artwork with colored painters tape as an indication to pull for the project. Our movers would then carry each bin and piece of artwork into the truck one at a time. To save time loading, we learned to pack our bins with lids and to label each with the designated room. We can then stack the bins 3-4 high on top of a rolling cart and our movers can then wheel multiple bins directly to the truck in one trip. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that we didn’t think of this sooner. For art, we learned that large wheeled laundry baskets are a great solution to transport wrapped art from the warehouse to the truck. Not only does it save time by eliminating multiple trips, but it always saves the artwork from being picked up and placed on hard surfaces multiple times per project, thus extending the life of the artwork. Genius.

FINALLY A SOLUTION FOR LAMPSHADES

Lampshades are easily one of the hardest items to transport and keep clean during our projects. The are delicate and typically white and despite our best efforts often get dented and dirty. To protect the lampshade during transport, it was suggested to use a disposable pedicure tub liner to place around the shade and then store the covered shades in empty, clean trash cans. The trash cans containing the lampshades can be placed directly on to the truck for transport and if you want to get really fancy, the trash cans can be placed on wheels to simply roll them on to the truck.

new ways to track our business

As small business owners, it’s hard sometimes to work on the business, and not just work in the business. As the token accountant, I maintain our accounting and Melinda regularly tracks our revenues against our goals. We also keep a watchful eye on our staging statistics, such as average days on market, which is important both for inventory purposes and marketing materials. But following a session with Anne and Patrick Furlow, owners of Step by Stage Interiors, we learned that perhaps we’re ignoring some key statistics that will help us better understand our business and focus our marketing strategies accordingly. As an example, Anne and Patrick examine their revenues by client to identify which agents are repeat clients and driving revenues, versus the one-off agent that has only staged once or twice. Identifying the repeat agents allows us to target our marketing efforts to other top performers in that agency, where we already have a solid reputation. Conversely, we can establish an email campaign targeting the agents that don’t use us often, but that we want to work with, so that we remain top of mind when it comes to staging. The Furlows also set aside designated time in their week to compile and review their statistics so that they can provide real-time data to clients who may be on the fence about staging. They exemplify what it looks like to work on the business, not just in it, and we’re determined to implement this mindset moving forward.

New potential line of business

As we continue to grow our brand, we always keep a pulse on opportunities that might enhance Olive + Opal and increase our revenues, but not at the expense of our sanity. Whether that be expanding our staging team to take on more business or expanding into new avenues, we try to keep a healthy pulse on what makes sense for our business and what will benefit the brand. Melinda attended a seminar presented by Thanks For Visiting discussing how staging for vacation rental properties (or short term rentals) is a natural extension of the staging business. It might not be the right direction for all staging companies, but it’s certainly a promising opportunity to incorporate both the design and staging sides of our business. The seminar was a great introduction to the similarities and differences between staging and vacation rentals and really took a dive into the business side of running this type of venture. It certainly got our wheels turning and we plan to figure out if it’s the right move for us. Who knows, you might see O+O VRBO/ AIRBNB in the near future?! We’ll keep you posted.