Associate member Hannah Bates from Hannah Jewellery Designs joined Design Factory in August 2009 and has found that featuring in Design Factory's online Associate directory has already boosted her profile.

Hannah said "In the two months since joining Design Factory lots of exciting opportunities have come my way, I have increased my jewellery collection and launched my website and online shop. Almost a third of website referrals so far have come from Design Factory's website."

Hannah is finding that having access to the Members Only section of the website is keeping her up-to-date with upcoming shows and exhibitions and has found the advice and information from other Design Factory members invaluable. "Having access to the post-show evaluations really helps new start-ups assess which shows and exhibitions are relevant and worth applying for."

Design Factory has enabled Hannah to exhibit her work at prestigious venues such as The Collection in Lincoln. Hannah commented, "I hadn’t put myself forward for exhibitions before believing that I wasn’t ready, however I recently received a phone call from Design Factory telling me that not only had my work been put forward for the showcase at the Collection, but that the venue liked my work and I could be a part of the show!"

"Since then I have put applications in for other exhibitions as well as putting together information packs and issuing them to galleries and craft shops throughout the UK. That initial push has been a huge confidence boost."

Hannah will continue to raise her profile through retail outlets and shows and is looking forward to applying and attending trade fairs in 2010. "I’m currently developing new jewellery pieces and adding fresh designs to my existing ranges - knowing that I can call on Design Factory for help and advice along the way makes it all less daunting!"