Chapter 638: Perfect Planning
Chapter 638: Perfect Planning
Here they come!
Elder He, along with some of the leaders and staff responsible for this Guangzhou Trade Fair, arrived to watch the dress rehearsal.
Everyone immediately fell silent, no longer chattering, and turned their attention to the stage.
Backstage, twenty models were already dressed and lined up, waiting to go on stage.
Jiang Xia was the planner, host, and commentator for this fashion show.
She was giving each model instructions on when to go on stage and which outfits to change into when they returned backstage.
Zhang Fuyan and another female assistant were helping her, both holding detailed run-of-show schedules, notebooks, and pens.
They listened attentively to the instructions, noting down any missing details in their notebooks to ensure everything was perfect.
Jiang Xia had already gone over these instructions with the models in Capital City, and even this morning, several times.
After briefing the models on the necessary precautions, Jiang Xia turned to the photography team and volunteers, instructing them to take photos of each outfit on the runway.
"Take photos of every outfit on the runway."
"Got it!" the staff responded loudly.
"Develop the photos as soon as possible, select the best ones, and make multiple copies. We’ll compile them into a catalog for customers to reference when placing orders."
A catalog would be even better, but it’s more expensive and requires design work, which they didn’t have time for.
"Got it", they replied in unison.
"Each photo should have the model number in the corner. Include the top, bottom, shoes, bags, hats, and accessories—nothing should be left out!"
"Got it!" they answered in unison.
After finishing all the instructions, Jiang Xia glanced at her watch, "It’s time! Are you all ready?"
"We’re ready!"
"I’ll go on stage first. Follow the instructions I just gave you!"
Zhang Fuyan and the models nodded, "Got it!"
Jiang Xia then walked out to the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends..."
...
The first dress rehearsal took over an hour.
For over an hour, the entire venue was silent.
Those who had previously mocked the idea, saying it would be a disaster, were now silent. After the rehearsal, they immediately sought out their leaders!
"Leader, I think this fashion show is a great idea! It will definitely boost sales! Our National Cotton Factory 6 also wants to participate. The catwalk is already set up, so we can hold our show after the first six factories. Can you help us apply to the higher-ups? I’ll even sign a pledge! If we hold a fashion show, I’m confident we can exceed our targets at this Guangzhou Trade Fair!"
"Leader, please help us apply to the higher-ups. Our leather goods factory can collaborate with the clothing factory to hold a fashion show!"
...
On the catwalk, a new round of the show began.
This time, it was a men’s fashion show.
Male models started to walk out, showcasing the second clothing factory’s designs.
However, many factory managers were too busy to watch. From the first factory’s show, they saw the potential business opportunities!
Huge opportunities!
Everyone was now vying for the chance to participate.
Not just clothing factories, but also shoe factories, leather goods factories, and accessory factories.
When the models walked out, some were also wearing bags, shoes, belts, jewelry, hats, scarves, and shawls.
The key was that all these accessories were listed in the order materials!
Several factories were involved in this fashion show.
The planning was too perfect, too cost-effective!
...
Seeing the opportunities, the factory managers approached their leaders, who then approached the higher-ups, who in turn approached the even higher-ups, until they finally reached Elder He.
One of the leaders said to Elder He, "Elder He, could you ask Comrade Xia to help plan a fashion show for a few more factories?"
Elder He waved his hand. "Xia doesn’t have the time. She has other exhibitions to manage and won’t be able to help you with this. If any of you want to participate in the runway show, submit a proposal for me to review. If it’s well-planned and well-prepared, I’ll approve it. The proposal must be ready by tomorrow evening. If you have any questions, you can ask Factory Manager Qiu and Factory Manager He from the Capital City. And don’t bother Xia; she’s really swamped."
Elder He was preemptively discouraging them from seeking Jiang Xia’s help, to prevent them from disturbing her.
The catwalk was already set up, and if more clothing factories could participate in the runway show, it would indeed boost the success rate of the Guangzhou Trade Fair.
Elder He wished Jiang Xia could help them with the planning, but that wasn’t practical, so he directly declined on her behalf.
Elder He knew that organizing a successful runway show was no easy task.
First, one needed to understand all the styles of clothing from the factories, then all the accessories, from shoes to socks. Just the task of matching them was enormous.
Then came selecting models, having them try on the clothes, and doing their makeup.
Preparing order catalogs and arranging the display booths were also crucial.
As the saying goes, a moment on the stage requires a month of preparation.
These tasks couldn’t be completed in just a few days.
"This catwalk is a platform to showcase the charm of our Huaguo clothing brands to the world. If you can’t do it well, we won’t approve your application", Elder He warned them.
This was a matter of national pride, and they couldn’t afford to embarrass themselves on the international stage.
Despite the warnings, the factory managers still wanted to give it a try.
The Guangzhou Trade Fair lasted about a month, and they could make a final push in the last few days!
Six runway rehearsals, which ended at around 7:30 PM, were conducted at an accelerated pace, skipping the explanation segments to allow more time for guests to place orders the next day.
As they left, all the leaders were smiling, eagerly anticipating the runway show the next evening.
The next day, Jiang Xia and Zhao Chenglei arrived at the exhibition hall at 7:45 AM.
Zhao Chenglei headed straight for the shipyard area.
Jiang Xia, as before, stood at the entrance with Zhang Fuyan, waiting for the foreign guests.
At the entrance, there were also several volunteers and staff members.
In addition to the volunteers, some factories had hired their own translators, who had learned from Jiang Xia’s approach during her first participation in the Guangzhou Trade Fair. They were taught by the factory staff to attract customers at the entrance.
Jiang Xia had created a trading miracle at the autumn Guangzhou Trade Fair last year, and many of the factories’ translators were now emulating her.
Wenwan was one of them.
This time, Wenwan was working as a translator for several clothing factories, earning a base salary plus commission.
As a student at Beijing Foreign Language University, she had secured positions with several factories as a part-time job.
Not only did she find work with several factories, but she also brought a few classmates who were good at foreign languages to help, to gain experience and build connections.
Unlike Jiang Xia, who had initially kept her lucrative opportunities to herself, even when she knew Wenwan was good at foreign languages and could have introduced her.
Wenwan glanced at Jiang Xia. This time, she was determined to earn more money, to save for buying a house, a shop, and a siheyuan in the Capital City.
Wenwan was very confident about making a lot of money this time, especially with her classmates helping her.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
