 Made in Montana Tradeshow Awards
Polson business wins Retailer of the Year Award at 2021 Made in Montana Tradeshow
MONTANA -- Polson business handMADE Montana and owner Carol Lynn Lapotka was honored by her peers as the 2021 Retailer of the Year. Montana Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras, Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark and Commerce Director Scott Osterman presented the Award to Lapotka at the annual Made in Montana Tradeshow for Food and Gifts.
Each year, Montana retailers are nominated by their communities and across the state to receive this prestigious award. This year, there was overwhelming support for handMADE Montana.
“It’s small business owners like Carol at handMADE Montana who highlight the very best of Montana-made handcrafted goods while providing a supportive platform for local artisans,” said Montana Department of Commerce Director Scott Osterman.
Located on Main Street in Polson, the handMADE Montana store sells over 80 local and regional modern handcrafted goods, includes 65 artists and has a fully visible and functioning production studio in the back for REcreate Designs. In addition, handMADE is an event and community resource organization for artisans, provides selling opportunities for artists and offers workshops in small business development.
Other award winners include:
  
Save the Date
2022 Made in Montana Tradeshow - March 11 and 12 in Helena at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.
Exhibitor application will be available October 20 at 9am here. To participate you must meet the following requirements:
- Be an active and registered member of the Made in Montana program
- Sell gifts, general merchandise items, and/or shelf-stable, packaged food/beverage
- Sell at wholesale prices and follow wholesale practices
- Follow all applicable Health Department rules if sampling food and/or beverages
- Agree not to exhibit or promote any non-Made in Montana products at this trade show
- Agree to all Exhibitor Rules & Regulations
Montana Manufacturing Day October 1
Manufacturing Day is the first Friday in October, and events continue throughout the month. Whether you've held events in the past or you're new to these activities, it may take a little extra time (or creativity) to plan activities this year. The great news is, hosting virtual events can often be more flexible and have a greater reach!
The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center has a website with lots of resources to help you plan an activity.
|
Trade Show Assistance
Are you planning on exhibiting at any U.S. trade shows outside Montana between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022? If so, Export Montana has grant funds available to reimburse you for up to $3,000 of your expenses!
The trade show assistance program can help you with out-of-state market expansion by exhibiting at U.S. trade shows. You can apply for these funds to get a 50% reimbursement, up to $3,000 for:
- Exhibit space fees and registration
- Booth rental
- Display elements (booth rental, graphics, banners, signs, racks, decorations, lighting)
- Booth furnishings (table, chairs)
- Shipping and storage (drayage, freight, exhibit storage)
- Show services (set-up and tear down, utilities, card reader, security)
- Trade show literature (brochures, sales sheets, business cards, etc.)
- Travel expenses (hotel and airfare)
For more information and the application, please contact Export Montana
|
RESOURCES
|
