An Odd View Into the Promotional Modeling Industry

A friend of mine posted this article on social media today and of course I had to read it. I love the promotional modeling industry, I have worked in it for many, many years. This industry is so much more than pretty girls and nice bodies. I've worked hundreds of events and I can say that I have never worn anything inappropriate, felt slutty or guilty about what I was doing. This article was hard for me to read. I started working events when I was 18 in Wisconsin and always looked at it as an opportunity to get experience, have fun, make money, and meet people. Maybe there are girls that look at it as a competition, a way to get attention, or an opportunity for conflict, but I never did. I used this industry as a stepping stone to gain experience, open my own agency, and do some pretty amazing things. I was excited to read this article and I think it would be a whole different scenario if promotional models that I know were interviewed. Any feedback? https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/599vwa/the-weird-things-you-learn-as-a-booth-babe Team Pink Avenue

Pick Your Employers Wisely

I know we have blogged about this before because it has been a consistent problem in this industry. Last night I saw a post on one of the job boards about companies not paying their staff, ignoring their calls/emails, and treating their staff poorly. I have seen this happen so many times. We all know that I started as a promotional model, I started when I was 18 in Wisconsin. I knew early on that I should stick to the companies that I trusted, paid me on time, and appreciated my work. Just like everyone else, there were times when I was desperate and booked any job I could. I've chased money, I have not been paid by companies and given up, and I have also been treat like $hi! by marketing managers, those NYC women are the worst! When we started Pink Avenue Models almost 9 years ago I told my partner that I wanted to be different. I wanted to be the agency that was available at all hours, the agency that paid well and paid on time, and I have always had the promotional models best interest in mind. I did what models do, I worked long hours, I skipped lunches, I worked every single weekend while my friends had fun, I dealt with the stupid comments, I worked while I was sick, and I waited and waited for paychecks. Promotional modeling is a different kind of industry, we all know that, there are highs and there are lows. Please, please learn from your mistakes and listen to others. When I first started I asked other models about trustworthy companies, this is how I found the best agencies. We are living in a time where social media is powerful and we should use it. Promotional models are very vocal on these job boards, if they are struggling to get paid from an agency you shouldn't work for them. You also shouldn't take jobs that are paying $14 per hour, you are more valuable than that. The industry is changing and I don't think it is for the better. Team Pink Avenue

Use Social Media Wisely

I think one of the best feelings in the world is leaving the country and not being able to use your phone for texting, social media, or checking work emails. At least once a year I visit my friends at their lake house in Canada and it's the best weekend of the year. We are outside 90% of the time, we watch the stars, go boating, hiking, lay on the dock and just enjoy being friends. This is the weekend that I forget about life, work, bills, and focus on having fun and enjoying life. It is so refreshing to not see the news or anything on social media. This is something I feel like I need to do. I can say that coming back and facing reality is always hard the first couple of days. I decided to go back to school for another degree and we studied the reality of what social media does to people in one of my classes. It is depressing and gets to everyone, but most people don't notice. I found an article about ways to keep social media a pleasant experience and thought I would share it. I follow a lot of people in the promotional modeling world on social media and a lot of it is selfies but a lot of it is posting just for attention. I do like the posts about trade shows and events that the promotional models are working! Please review this article and remember to not believe everything you see on social media and to post wisely! http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a8104658/how-to-use-social-media-and-stay-happy/ Team Pink Avenue

It's Tax Time! Here is What You Can Expense.

Tax time is an extremely confusing time for anyone in the promotional modeling/acting industry. When I first started I didn't know that I could expense anything. Then another promotional model shared her secrets with me and I have saved every receipt since. There is still time to pull together all of your receipts and submit them to your accountant. Make sure you find someone that understands what your job is. It can be expensive working trade shows and events, make sure you expense what you can. Here is an article that will help you with those deductions. https://motivatedmodels.com/2012/02/tax-deductions-for-models/ Team Pink Avenue

5 Ways to be Happier at Work

The big topic today is about the Oscars, obviously. There were a lot of pretty dresses, a lot of exciting, some disappointing moments, and a show that started amazingly with Justin Timberlake but ended with everyone asking WTF? It was a long show but I don't regret watching. Now that we have that out of the way we can continue our daily conversation about the promotional modeling industry, trade shows, events and promotional models! I saw an article on LinkedIn today and thought it was worth sharing. I meet a lot of people and work is always a topic that comes in. For the most part I wake up daily happy and excited to work in this industry. Of course there are bad days but those are easily forgotten. Here are some tips from one of the best entrepreneurs out there. Life is too short to be stressed and unhappy with work. We weren't born to just work and pay bills. https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/five-ways-be-happier-work Enjoy! Team Pink Avenue

Don't Cancel Last Minute

I don't know how many times I have written about no call no shows or backing out last minute but it happened again. I don't think promotional models know how big of an issue this is and how it puts everyone in a bad place. Here is an example of what happened late last night. IMTS is one of the biggest trade shows in the World and definitely one of the biggest conventions that comes to Chicago. One of our clients booked a model months ago and I made sure to follow up with her numerous times to make sure she had the dates set and planned on working. I reached out to her over the weekend with final details and she responds saying she is no longer available. This was 11 hours before IMTS was starting. IMTS is one of the busiest trade shows, pretty much every local model works and many travel in for this event. Most models have been booked for months so imagine how hard it is to find a replacement at 10pm on a Sunday. I reached out to our local staff and posted on the brand ambassador pages on social media and as you can imagine I barely received any response. At this point I am extremely annoyed, the client is furious and the situation isn't getting any better. As I am spending hours working on this the model isn't thinking about the situation at all. The worst thing that happens to her is that I delete her from the database and she never works with us again. We did find a replacement after hours of back and forth emails with models and the client. Promotional models don't understand that this costs the agency thousands of dollars, ruins our reputation and makes our clients go elsewhere. Promotional modeling is a profession and can be a career. This can only happen with reliable, professional, outgoing and intelligent models that care about their reputation and appreciate the opportunity given to them. The moral of this blog is... if you book work, plan on working. Team Pink Avenue

Has The Promotional Modeling Industry Died?

I have worked in this industry since I was 18 and my how has it changed. I remember when I first started working events all of the other promotional models I worked with were gorgeous, smart, reliable, responsible, outgoing and professional. They were friendly and we were part of a small circle and so lucky to work in this industry. We helped each other out and recommended other staffing agencies and promotions to each other because we trusted each other and cared. I don't see this in the industry anymore. The NRA is a trade show that comes to Chicago and is one of my favorites. I think it is the best convention to work, the consumers are relaxed, there is music, food and drinks and close to 70,000 people. All I noticed this year was girls that looked like they rolled out of bed, promotional models coming late to their booths, constantly on their phones and just not thrilled to be there. There were so many last minute cancellations, promotional models not showing up or canceling half way through the event. If you cant have fun at the NRA you should not be working trade shows. I know we all need to work and love to make the money we do in this industry but seeing all of this makes me miss how things used to be. Models were excited to work and happy to work in this industry because it didn't feel like a job. It's heartbreaking to see an industry that I love so much not do well. Clients aren't paying as much, they are cutting hours yet demanding more than ever. I don't know if things will go back to the way they were. Is the promotional modeling world dying? Will this be a position that doesn't even exist in 5 - 10 years? Team Pink Avenue

Why Have Promotional Models Changed the Past 10 Years?

I started working in this industry when I turned 18. I started as a promotional model for Miller Lite and other liquor brands. From on premise samplings I headed into special events, trade shows, and other promotions. When I started I worked with smart girls, most had marketing backgrounds. They were pretty and always showed up with their hair and make up done. They were professional, educated on the brands, and very outgoing. This was 14 years ago and my have things changed. I'm still involved in the industry but in different ways. Promotional models are not the same as they were when I was working events. The staff doesn't care about the brands or the client/agency, they just care about the paycheck. Models are late and show up like they rolled out of bed. They are not as outgoing and most have bad attitudes. When did things change and why? Promotional modeling is supposed to be fun! Models get to work at some of the biggest events in the country and get paid for it. They get paid well to! When you are hired you are expected to show up on time, study up on the brand, be energetic and engaging, put effort into your appearance and respect the client, staffing agency and attendees. Lets work together and be better at this! Team Pink Avenue

Photo Advice

Winter is approaching us in Chicago and usually things slow down in the promotional modeling industry. This is the time to update your resume, get new pictures and look for more agencies to work for. When it comes to pictures the team at Pink Avenue Models wants to submit the best pictures that we can of our promotional models. With that said here are a couple things to keep in mind when submitting pictures to modeling agencies. Please wear clothes! I can't even count how many times we have been sent nude pictures. We don't want to see you naked, we will never send naked pictures of you to our client, and you should not send them to us. This includes implied nudes! We want to see recent pictures, not anything from 10 years ago. Please submit clear pictures of your face. We don't need pictures of your back or you with sunglasses. We want a clear representation of what you will look like when you show up to work your event. Photo shop happens, I know. Let's keep it minimal. Always send a candid picture as well. These are more accurate. Do not send pictures with your boyfriend, friends, baby, family or group. We need to know who you are, not other people. Those are my tips for now! If you get updated pictures always send them to your agents. People change over the years and we want the most current images. Team Pink Avenue

Another Pink Avenue Pet Peeve

Last night I was working on booking a trade show in Las Vegas and there were 2 problems that kept happening and it was driving me crazy! The first problem was promotional models not following instructions. We ask for specific information because that is what the client requests. When you don't submit the information that we asked for we have to ask you again which makes the process to submit you to our client a lot longer. Another problem is stage names. This has always been a pet peeve of mine, it's annoying. You have a legal name, that is how we saved you in our database. When you respond to our casting with your stage name it confuses us and we have to figure out who you are. This is promotional modeling not Hollywood. Lets keep things simple so we can all do our jobs. Sorry for the rant but understand how annoying this is when you are going through 60+ emails. Team Pink Avenue

The Top 10 Excuses We Have Heard From Promotional Models

This article made me laugh. Working in the promotional modeling world has taught me a lot about people and has definitely made it hard for me to believe any excuse we receive. When we book promotional models for trade shows, events or promotions we hope that they follow through and show up for work. In this industry if a model wakes up and doesn't want to work or books something better they usually give us a lame excuse. The modeling agency cant really do anything about it. We have to find a replacement which usually upsets the client and we always ban them from further work. There are so many staffing agencies now that models have no problem screwing one over because they know they can get hired from another company. This is a list of excuses to give instead of just bailing and I feel like we have heard all of them. I hope you find this list as funny/annoying as we did! http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a43646/alternatives-to-standing-someone-up/ Team Pink Avenue

Survival Tips for Promotional Models

I have worked in the promotional modeling industry for a while now, longer than most. I have worked as a promotional model at trade shows, events, street teams, and just about any other type of event there is. I have also worked at 2 agencies and have been part of everything this industry has to offer. We love what we do and are so lucky to work in this industry. We need promotional models, as many as we can find. We want to help you get booked with us and other modeling agencies across the country. Here are a couple things that we look for when it comes to adding promotional models to our database.

1. Be professional. This includes everything from your email address to your pictures and resume. We want our clients to have the best models for their events.
2. Watch what you say on your social media pages and on the job forum pages. We see everything.
3. Be reliable. We understand that things happen but since we do work in a flakey industry we don't believe every excuse that we hear.
4. Don't bother the agency. We receive a ton of calls and emails every day and try to answer all of them. Unfortunately we have no say in who our clients choose for their events, they always pick.
5. Be promo model ready. This means have black pants, a business suit, flats, heels, and khakis. These are basic uniforms for events.

These are a couple tips that will hopefully be helpful to future models. Good luck! Team Pink Avenue

Awesome Website For All Promotional Models

The team at Pink Avenue Models usually blogs about upcoming trade shows and events but we like to write about fashion and beauty tips as well. We think that the promotional modeling industry needs to know about what is going on with our company but we want them to also gain tips of how to succeed as a promotional model and how to succeed in life. Today I came across a post on instagram that intrigued me and I ended up on a new website. This is a website that I think all girls can appreciate. There are fashion tips, make up tips, travel tips, life tips, and even a book club. This is a website that I am excited to visit again and I hope some of you enjoy it too. www.laurenconrad.com Team Pink Avenue  

Do Your Research

The team at Pink Avenue Models spends some time checking out the job boards on Facebook and we notice the same questions being asked over and over. The main question that we see is about an agency and if they pay. We see so many promotional models asking other models if they have been paid from certain events or specific agencies. You have to be smarter when booking work. Do some research! A lot of people see a posting and it sounds like an amazing event with decent pay but you have to see more than that. What is the point of working an event if you never get paid? Some posts mention that they are waiting for checks from Summer or early 2014, that is unacceptable! Promotional modeling isn't always an easy job and you deserve to be paid! Make sure you research the company that you are working for before you agree to work, google them, ask peers, look at their social networking websites and see if there is negative feedback. Just be smart. Team Pink Avenue

My Biggest Pet Peeve In The Promotional Modeling Industry

I worked promotions for a long time and still do when I get a chance. Events are fun and you never know who you will meet or what you will experience. One of my biggest pet peeves is a weak team. There is nothing worse than getting paid the same amount as the other promotional models but doing 100% of the work. Have you ever worked a promotion with another model that thinks she was hired just to be pretty? It's the worst! Promotional models are hired because they are attractive but clients also want them to be intelligent, outgoing, friendly, able to have a conversation with everyone and trained on the product so they can educate potential consumers. Please don't be the weak link, it ruins the event for the client and the other promotional models that you are working with. Team Pink Avenue

Perfect Promo Hair!

The team at Pink Avenue Models does a lot of reading. We do research on upcoming events, current fashion, beauty tips and whatever else is needed in the promotional modeling industry. I have seen a lot of hair tips and I feel like I have shared them all with our promotional models. Here is another way to curl your hair, I've never seen this process before but it looks easy! https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/beauty-gif-how-to-get-commercial-girl-hair-88003530333.html Team Pink Avenue

Promotional Models, Please Keep It Professional

I have worked in this industry for many years, I have been the promotional model and I have been the person at the modeling agency staffing events. I've seen a little bit of everything and there are some things I just don't understand. A couple things that you should think about if you want to work in the promotional modeling industry or if you already do work in this industry here are a few things you should change.

1. Your email address should be semi professional and not from high school. Try to keep it simple, your name works best. There is nothing more shocking than some of the email addresses that I have seen. My goodness!
2. Unfortunately the internet is not private and a lot of work is now booked online. Keep your facebook profile picture classy. The pictures we see are appalling sometimes. I wonder.. how would this person ever get booked! Again, your facebook should be under your name, we don't want to see an inappropriate name.
3. Speaking of names, tell us your real name! This is work, there will be legal contracts involved. The most annoying thing for us is dealing with "model names" and this happens often. I hate sending a contract to a model and getting a response that says "sorry, that isn't my legal name, can you change it?"
4. Fill out your paperwork correctly! Don't beg me for your check that we sent to the wrong address because you filled out your W9 wrong. We use echo sign, it's the easiest way to fill out paperwork. Please pay attention.
5. Please be professional onsite. Show up on time, interact with attendees, know your brand facts, have manners, and work as hard as you can. You were hired for a reason.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when working in this industry. If these things bother me they probably will bother other people that are booking you for events. Team Pink Avenue

Overworked Promotional Models? Only In The US!

In the promotional modeling industry it is common to be overworked, and the thing is we do it to ourselves. Promotional models book themselves for a 10 day auto show, or work a trade show for 8 hours and then a liquor promotion or 2 at night, sometimes these models work 3 weeks in a row without a day off. It's not a bad thing, good work ethic is a great thing but this can be exhausting. We all need days off so we can do personal things, grocery shopping, laundry, lunch with friends, and we all need a quiet or crazy vacation sometimes. Try and have a day off every week just so you don't get burned out, we need you at your best when you're working your events and promotions. Here is proof that the US is full of workaholics. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/proof-americans-bunch-workaholics-110000639.html Team Pink Avenue

Picture Perfect!

I love this article that I just found online! We know that in the promotional modeling industry there are a lot of pictures being taken. Models have photo shoots to have pictures that will get them work, then of course promotional models have to take pictures at their events for clients and recaps. This article gives great make up tips to look your best in every picture. These tips are easy and can be used for trade shows, photo shoots and any other type of event. Enjoy! http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/beauty-blog/19-ways-to-look-instantly-better-in-photos Team Pink Avenue

Tips For Difficult Dresses

What will they come up with next? The promotional modeling industry is full of surprises and you really never know what is going to be thrown at you. Uniforms are huge in this type of work and dresses are very common. Now dresses come smaller than ever and everything seems to be backless. Don't worry promotional models, there are tricks for wearing a bra with every type of dress. Enjoy and thanks to Cosmo for another helpful article! http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/7-non-bras-for-difficult-dresses Team Pink Avenue