Art & Craft Show Selling
Where
to Begin One of the most difficult aspects of selling your hand crafted jewelry at Art & Craft festivals is finding the shows initially and contacting the promoters in time to secure a space. There are a number of ways to find shows in your area. The easiest is to attend any shows you are considering. Usually there is a booth or some area set up with information on the show’s promoters or you can ask one of the exhibitors. Other good places to get local information are: · Chamber of Commerce · Department of Tourism. · Civic Center · Charitable Organizations · Craft and Hobby Shops · Local Papers Once you’ve attended a few local shows as an exhibitor, you may decide you are ready to go nationwide. Below I’ve listed a few places you might want to check in order to find some of the shows outside your local area: · http://www.artandcraftshows.net · http://www.artfairsource.com · http://www.artscraftsshowbusiness.com · http://www.craftshowsusa.com · http://www.craftmasternews.com After you locate some shows you would like to participate in contact the show’s promoters as soon as possible. Many shows are booked a year or more in advance. The faster you get your application in the better your chances of getting into the next show and the better your location within the show. What
to Expect Once you obtain the application read it through at least once. Be sure that you include all the required information. If the show is a particularly popular one neglecting to properly fill out the application could get you disqualified as an exhibitor. If you have special needs (i.e. lighting, wheel chair access etc.) be sure to include that information with your application. Many shows are juried. What does that mean? Jurying is a selection process utilized by the shows promoters to ensure that exhibitors fit within the shows standards. It ensures that a show that is supposed to feature handcrafted products isn’t overrun with imported or manufactured goods. It usually requires that the applicant send in photos and/or samples of their work. While this can be a scary process, especially if this is your first show, please don’t let it keep you from making an effort. Even if you are not chosen for this years show you can get valuable feedback on how to prepare yourself for the following year. Once you’ve been accepted into a show you will need to pay a booth or table fee. These vary depending on the size and location of the booth and the size of the show. Small community based craft fairs can range from $10 up to around $75. The longer the show has been established the larger the fee is likely to be. Large, well established shows that attract exhibitors, as well as attendees, on a national level can run several hundred. A few even charge fees in the $3,000 range. Most shows have assigned spaces. The sooner you sign up the better your choices are going to be. Some of the best spaces are on the corners, and near entrances and exits. Another good spot is near food and refreshment stands. The best place to get your feet wet is a small local festival. These are usual put on by churches, schools or other non profit organizations, as fund raisers. You get to practice your set ups and techniques until you feel comfortable moving on to some of the bigger shows. Your first show don’t worry about making a profit. It’s experience you are after. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet it is time to start looking for the established shows, those that have been in the same location for years. That means that the show is successful and has a healthy customer base. How to
Prepare The first thing you should do is read the rules and regulations for the show and be sure you have a clear understanding of what is expected as well as what will be provided on your behalf. You don’t want to find out after you get your whole booth set up that some aspect of your display is a violation or that there is no electricity available for your lighting. The best way to prepare your display area is to do a mock set up before your first show, and anytime you will be making major changes to your display unit. Tape or mark off the size of your space and set up your entire display including your jewelry. The L or U shaped display is considered the best layout for ultimate traffic flow when you will have exhibitors on either side of you. To develop the layout that will work best for you ask yourself some of these questions: · Will there be booths on either side of me? · What is behind me? A wall, another booth? · From which direction will potential customers approach my booth? · Will I be inside our out? · What kind of lighting will there be? · Do I have special needs that require a particular layout? We’ve included a drawing of some typical layouts for a 10’x 10’ booth space to help you visualize what type of layout will work best for your needs.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a nice set up. A card table, some fabric and a couple of covered shoe boxes with will work for a start. During each show take a few moments to visit some of your fellow exhibitors and notice their set ups. Make some notes about what you think will work for you. A very simple and easy to make display option that I’ve seen utilized often is dried beads placed in a low tray. Small shelving units also help bring height to your display. Use your imagination. Once you have your display just the way you want be sure to take a photograph and/or notes. Nothing is more frustrating then working for hours on that perfect set up only to forget how you achieved it. If you have another beading friend you might want to consider sharing a booth to cut down on cost. An added benefit is that you have someone there to watch your items during bathroom or other breaks. Setting
Up Once you have your set up perfected it is time to pack up. Be sure to label your boxes so you know what is inside. Some shows have short set up times. Knowing what is in each box will make the process much faster and smoother. Be sure to arrive in plenty of time to set up prior to the show. Always allow more time then you think you need. Setting up and/or breaking down your booth during the show makes you look unprofessional and may ensure that you are not invited back to the show again next year. It can also get you black listed from other shows. Some shows require that you set up the night before the event, or, if the event spans over several days, may require that you leave items overnight. Be sure to ask in advance what kind of security will be provided and who is responsible for any theft or vandalism. You may wish to provide your own security and/or lock up particularly valuable pieces overnight. Do not exceed your booth space! If you need more space be sure to
ask for it
in advance of the show. What
to Bring Make a list of all the items you’ll need and check it off as you load it in your vehicle. In addition to your display aides and jewelry some other items you might want to bring are: · Your show contract and/or rules and regulations, including any document showing your booth location and size. · A map, especially if you are not familiar with the area. · Copy of your sales tax certificate. · Copy of your business license · Business cards and card holder · Notepad, pens and/or markers · Receipt Book and Order Forms (for special orders). · Tissue paper and shopping bags to put sold items in. · Shims to level your tables especially if it will be an out door show · Scissors, tape and glue · Your jewelry tool kit for making emergency repairs · Paper clips, Rubber bands, a stapler and extra staples · Tape measure for measuring off your booth space in case that hasn’t already been done. · First Aid Kit including aspirin, any prescription medicines you take and/or allergy medications. · Extra price tags · List of your inventory · Screwdriver & hammer · Extension cords, power strips and extra bulbs · Duct tape to tape cords down · Calculator · Chairs (if they are not provided) · Paper Towels and/or wet wipes · Window Cleaner · Cooler with refreshing drinks and snacks · Cell phone · Jacket or Sweater · Sunscreen (if you’ll be outside) · Fan, if you have electricity · Cash box with plenty of small notes and change. · Sales tax table · Copies of your newsletter to hand out. · Credit card slips, manual imprinter or POS terminal · Sign with your company name · Flyers with photos of your items and your website address to give to visitors as they pass by. You never know how many might decide to look you up later. · A guestbook is a great way to get addresses for your mailing list. Be sure to also ask for email addressees. · A basket of give aways, candy or other items for the children. Keep the children happy and the parents are more likely to stop and shop. · Some one to help you with set up. Some shows provide this service for free, some for a fee and some not at all. Be sure you have all the help you’ll need. I also recommend that you take someone to the show with you so that you can take bathroom breaks without leaving your booth unattended. · Your Smile!! The last one may seem silly but so many of us forget that this is suppose to be fun. People are more likely to buy from someone they like. A smile is infectious. It puts people at ease and makes them want to move closer. It’s an invitation. A Good Show The goal of any show is to make a profit along with some good prospects. To do that you need to understand your competition and your potential customers. Who are the other exhibitors? Will there be a lot of other jewelry booths? How can you set yourself apart from them? Find out from the show’s sponsors, or from other exhibitors, who the typical attendee is. Are they middle class? Art collectors or average Joes? Teenagers or senior citizens? Making sure you have the right products increases your chance of making sales. If the average attendee is a housewife on a limited budget then filling your booth with items costing $100 or more is not going to be your best marketing strategy. You can choose a few higher priced special pieces to draw attention but make the core of your booth items affordable to those that will be in attendance. Try to include a few items in the $10 or under range in every show. These will be your quick sellers and will usually net enough to at least cover your booth fees. Use this opportunity to promote yourself and your products. Don’t just sit there reading a book. Talk to your customers. Hand out flyers with some nice color photos of some of your jewelry along with your website address and other contact information. Don’t miss an opportunity to get visitor’s name, address and email addresses. Ask them to sign up for your newsletter. Include a list of your show dates on your website, within a flyer, or on your shop door or windows. Make it clear that you are willing to do special orders. Often it is the special orders that can make the difference between a good show and a so so one. Most important have fun and enjoy the experience. Use each show as an opportunity, a learning experience. Keep your smile on. . . |
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