Catalyze’s International Events & Meetings Manager, Penny Persadh, travelled to New York City for Shoppe Object in August 2024, supporting the Craft & Design Institute (CDI) with a delegation of 12 incredible South African companies showcasing the quality and bold unique designs that South African talent brings to the home and lifestyle space.

Shoppe Object was an amazing experience for all involved and Catalyze and “the dream team” from South Africa loved being part of the beautifully curated selection of world-class home and lifestyle products showcased.

But don’t take our word for it, here is what some of the South African companies that took part had to say!

“Shoppe Object exceeded my expectations in many ways. I thought it was very well organised, from the freight arriving on time, the stand layout worked well and the breakdown was seamless.

I made 17 really promising connections and am in the process of working out shipping costs, which is a bigger job than I’d thought. With the show ending at 6 pm every evening there was a lot of time to explore the city and see stores for inspiration. Thanks for the wonderful opportunity.”

Anthony Shapiro, Director, Anthony Shapiro Collect Pty Ltd

“What an incredible opportunity to exhibit alongside 11 fabulous South African brands at Shoppe Object 2024! Our collective stand was well designed and created a beautiful feature amongst other international brands.

Penny quietly made it all happen - from applications, complicated travel arrangements to customs and shipping, dealing with show organisers and stand design and build.

We wrote orders at the show and met a lot of potential stockists. We also learnt a lot about export and expanding our business into the USA.”

Leanne Botha, Director, A Love Supreme

“It was an absolute pleasure and privilege working with Catalyze for the recent trip to New York for the Shoppe Object trade show. I can only imagine the effort put in “behind the scenes” to secure the funding and organise the accommodation, flights, stock shipping and stand layout, etc for the trip.

From my perspective there was very little required apart from packing and shipping on time and turning up at the airport. As a busy businessman this made the whole experience very smooth and easy, enabling me to focus on my business and prepare for the event. This resulted in a much more successful and productive trip than if I had had to organise it myself.

We generated 16 good leads and have already secured 3 orders with more expected. This has given our business a much needed end-of-SA-winter boost. Thanks to all of the Catalyze team and I hope to work with you all again soon.”

Arran Guy Bastable, Owner, Barrydale Hand Weavers

“I'm so grateful for the chance to participate in the trade show Shoppe Object in New York this year. It has been an incredible experience and the contacts and orders we have received thus far from the show would have never happened otherwise.

It is at an early stage to say, but I think from the feedback I received from buyers at the show, that this was an important event for my business and a great platform to grow my business further. If just some of the connections to major American museum shops result in orders I'm extremely happy with the outcome of the trade show.

All of this would have not been possible without the dedicated work from Penny. She has been an integral part of bringing us (the South African brands) to the show and made the process for us as easy as possible, by being a great communicator and always available for help and support. Her calm demeanour and organisational skills made being at the show a smooth and positive experience. I'm hoping to get the chance to participate in events and work together with Catalyze in the future.”

Jessika Balzer, Leather Goods Designer, Project Dyad

“The show was nothing short of exceptional, meticulously organised by Penny, whose unwavering support and readiness to assist with every detail made the entire process seamless.

It was truly a pleasure to participate in one of the most effortless and enjoyable events I’ve ever attended, with the perfect foot traffic that resonated directly with our brand. We are profoundly grateful and honoured to have been selected as participants at Shoppe Object.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Penny and the entire Catalyze team for their invaluable support and dedication throughout the show.”

Raihana Govender, Owner, Mors Design

“What a wonderful experience! We were delighted to be chosen as one of the businesses to go to Shoppe Object, New York. It was our first experience in taking part in the trade show and so it was a little daunting.

Your team was fantastic and were there to answer questions and give tips and advice, before we left South Africa. The shipping process and information on stand layout helped us to have a clear idea for setup in New York, so when we arrived it all went smoothly and easily.

There is nothing like first hand experience of meeting the buyers and listening to their questions to get you quickly up to speed. We can honestly say that we have learnt so much from taking part in this trade show. From our time there on the stand, to following up with new buyers, organising shipping quotes, packaging up orders - it has been a really fantastic learning and growing experience for our whole team.

Our first orders are awaiting shipping, we have had 18 orders confirmed in total and so many more businesses interested. We were delighted to have a jewellery order for the Getty museum in Los Angeles, it feels like a real feather in our caps!

The connections made with other businesses taking part was also a highlight of our trip. Hearing our compatriots stories of how their businesses started and how they have grown is inspirational and makes us proud to be part of such a creative and motivated group of people. We have forged some wonderful friendships!

The whole experience was memorable and the organisation to get us all there, accommodate us and get us to and from venues was amazing, and not something we take for granted. Thank you for the experience, it has been HUGE!”

Megan Grills, Owner, Purely Porcelain

“We were delighted to be included in the trip to New York City to participate in the group stand at the Shoppe Object Trade Show.

A DTIC-funded CDI stand made this an endeavour within our financial reach, and we are happy with the appropriateness of the event for the Skinny laMinx brand, as well as the number of sales it has brought in.

A big thank you to Catalyze for managing to navigate the ridiculously tight deadlines and budget constraints along the way.”

Heather Moore, Creative Director, Skinny laMinx

Businesses looking to expand into other countries should keep a close eye on the Catalyze LinkedIn page and sign up for the newsletter (we don’t spam, sharing only when we have something of value to offer!). We work with international events across the world covering a variety of industries. We would love for your testimonial of success to join the hundreds of others we receive!