ºÚÁÏÃÅ

IfÌýyou’re considering selling your products inÌýperson atÌýanÌýevent like anÌýart show orÌýcraft fair, don’t expect toÌýbeÌýable toÌýwing it. You need aÌýplan inÌýplace soÌýyou don’t end upÌýwasting aÌýwhole weekend lugging around aÌýbunch ofÌýinventory that nobody buys.

There are three stages toÌýwork through ifÌýyou want toÌýproperly plan forÌýthese types ofÌýselling ²õ¾±³Ù³Ü²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ–a²Ô»å we’re going toÌýwalk you through each one.

Let’s start with theÌýpre-event stage, inÌýwhich you’ll set yourself upÌýforÌýsuccess before you even leave theÌýhouse.

Pre-Event Stage: Planning forÌýArt Shows andÌýCraft Fairs

Before committing toÌýbooth rental atÌýanÌýart show orÌýcraft fair, you need toÌýbeÌýsure that theÌýevent isÌýboth relevant andÌýfinancially logical forÌýyour business. That means doing some initial research.

Note: Craft fairs like Ìýhave anÌýapplication process that begins far before theÌýevent. Start planning early!

Learn about theÌýevent’s audience

You want toÌýbeÌýsure that your offerings are going toÌýbeÌýrelevant toÌýtheÌýpeople attending theÌýevent, soÌýfind out details about theÌýdemographics ofÌýattendees. The event organizer will have some ofÌýthis information, but it’s aÌýgood idea toÌýcheck with past vendors, too. Find out:

• How many people attend onÌýaverage each year?
• Are they mainly men orÌýwomen?
• What’s theÌýcommon age range ofÌýattendees?
• What’s theÌýaverage spend per customer?

You’ll beÌýbetter suited forÌýsuccess when you’re certain that theÌýaudience forÌýthis event falls within your target market.

For example: You probably wouldn’t want toÌýget aÌýbooth atÌýaÌýcraft fair that’s mainly forÌýhigh-end home decor ifÌýyou’re selling low-end, trendy jewelry. The audiences forÌýthese offerings are just too different, andÌýit’s unlikely theÌýattendees would beÌýinterested inÌýyour offerings.

Estimate your expenses

You also need toÌýcalculate what itÌýwill cost forÌýyou toÌýset upÌýatÌýtheÌýevent toÌýensure theÌýinvestment makes financial sense. Tally upÌýcosts you’ll incur, including:

• Travel time andÌýexpenses (gas, hotel, meals)
• Booth fee
• Application fee
• Setup costs (displays, tent rental, decorations forÌýyour booth)
• Packaging
• Setup fees associated with aÌýPOS forÌýprocessing credit cardsÌý(if you don’t have one yet).

This part isÌýespecially important ifÌýyou’re selling low-cost items with aÌýsmall margin. IfÌýthere’s aÌýchance you could end upÌýinvesting more than you could potentially make atÌýtheÌýevent, you may want toÌýreconsider theÌýopportunity.

Once you’ve decided onÌýaÌýcraft fair orÌýart show that makes sense forÌýyour business, it’s time toÌýplan out your booth soÌýyou can attract many customers andÌýsell more goods.

Planning Stage: Prepping Your Setup

Your booth isÌýaÌýrepresentation ofÌýyour brand–a²Ô»å itÌýneeds toÌýlook that way. That means planning out theÌýlook andÌýfeel ofÌýyour setup toÌýensure you have everything you need when theÌýevent finally rolls around.

IfÌýyou’re not sure how you want your booth toÌýlook, explore photos from past years ofÌýtheÌýevent toÌýsee what other vendors put together. Ìýalso has aÌýlot ofÌýgreat images you can browse that will help you come upÌýwith creative displays andÌýthemes forÌýyour booth.

Friendly reminder: You don’t want your booth toÌýfeel cluttered orÌýtoo empty, soÌýtry toÌýfind aÌýbalance between theÌýtwo.

Pack UpÌýtheÌýNecessities

Once you’ve prepared your booth’s different elements, you can group everything together inÌýanÌýeasily movable storage bin (with wheels, ifÌýit’s heavy) toÌýmake loading andÌýunloading easy. Items might include:

• Well-stocked inventory, with multiples ofÌýevery product
• Decor forÌýyour tables, displays, banners/signs
• Signs/tags that clearly indicate prices
• Pens, scissors, andÌýtape
• AÌýway toÌýcollect email addresses from customers
• Business cards
• Packaging forÌýsold items
• Water andÌýsnacks
• Tent rental, ifÌýnot provided
• Mirrors, soÌýcustomers can evaluate items that can beÌýtried on
• Cash, change, andÌýaÌýcredit card POS system, plus aÌýway toÌýrecord total sales

With everything neatly organized, you can simplify theÌýsetup andÌýtear-down processes soÌýthat everything isÌýready inÌýjust aÌýfew minutes.

Get Some Help

It’s always aÌýgood idea toÌýhave someone come along with you atÌýanÌýevent soÌýthat theÌýbooth isÌýalways supervised. IfÌýyou attend alone, itÌýcan beÌýtough toÌýfind aÌýgood time forÌýbathroom breaks andÌýfood–a²Ô»å you may have aÌýhard time handling periods ofÌýhigh-traffic.

After theÌýevent wraps upÌýandÌýyou’re back atÌýhome, it’s time toÌýreflect onÌýtheÌýexperience soÌýyou can doÌýeven better atÌýtheÌýnext art show orÌýcraft event.

Post-Event Stage: Evaluation

It’s important toÌýtake time toÌýsit down andÌýreally think about theÌýevent after it’s over, andÌýtoÌýmake notes onÌýwhat worked well, what didn’t work, andÌýhow you felt about theÌýexperience overall. You should beÌýable toÌýanswer questions like:

1. Did you make aÌýworthwhile profit from theÌýevent?
2. Did you gather valuable feedback from customers?
3. Was theÌýlocation/demographic aÌýgood fit forÌýyour business?
4. How did your prices compare toÌýyour competitors’ within theÌýmarketplace?
5. Did you forget anything?

AsÌýyou evaluate, you’ll have aÌýbetter idea ofÌýhow toÌýproceed with similar events moving forward. You might find that inÌýtheÌýfuture, you’d like toÌýtry out different events, orÌýthat theÌýone you attended was extremely successful forÌýyour business.

Art Shows andÌýCraft Fairs: Everything You Need toÌýKnow

Art shows andÌýcraft fairs can beÌýaÌýgreat way toÌýget inÌýfront ofÌýnew customers forÌýyour online orÌýbrick andÌýmortar store, but remember: You need toÌýplan ahead. Follow theÌýthree stages outlined here, andÌýyou’ll beÌýtaking aÌýstrategic approach toÌýall your events inÌýtheÌýfuture.

Discover DIY craft ideas andÌýlearn how you can sell them online.

• How toÌýStart aÌýHandmade Brand andÌýSell Crafts
• DIY: Things You Can Make andÌýSell Online onÌýYour Own
• 8ÌýHottest Craft Ideas toÌýMake Money From theÌýInternet
• Art Shows andÌýCraft Fairs
• DIY Craft Ideas toÌýMake andÌýSell

Ìý