As some of you know one of my sidelines is doing up little tables (www.gilliastables.com). I recently took a stall at a craft fair for a week.
Here’s some advice I’d like to share with you:
- check how many other exhibitors there’ll be and what their products are. Similar stalls isn’t a problem in my view but having totally incompatible things being sold could bring in the wrong type of people – those who wouldn’t be interested in your offering
- check how the tables will be arranged – if you’re exhibiting things made from glass for example it would be very beneficial to be near a window where a lot of light comes through
- what are the opening times – if your target clients are likely to be holidaymakers then it’s fine if it’s only open during the day but if they’re likely to be people working in the area then they’d probably only come on weekends or evenings
- is there a facility for people to pay by credit card?
- if there’s an option for stallholders to rent for the week or by the day check how many will be there for the entire week – empty stalls don’t create a good impression
- will the event be well publicised by the venue – where ? Is this likely to bring in your target clients?
- will there be large notices outside so that passersby know that there’s a craft fair going on?
- how many people came last year – each day?
- calculate how much you’d have to sell (after deducting the cost of materials for making your items) in order to pay the rental for the stall. Are you likely to sell that much if not you won’t even break even.
- if you’re selling large items and/or items with a high value then have smaller items to draw people in
- have some things to attract children – this brings the parents over to your stand
- be busy – I spent most of my time knitting – knitting things that will be the little items to attract people the next time I do a craft show for my little tables
- don’t sit there being busy on your smartphone or tablet – you need to make eye contact and look crafter like. I got a lot of conversations going when I was knitting – more than when I was waxing my little tables.
- do a risk assessment – some local councils will require this. For example I had the idea of waxing my little tables that I’d only just finished painting but then found that the smell was potentially prohibited in public
- if you’re selling food items ensure you have a food and hygiene certificate from your local council
- check whether the venue insurance covers you if anything on your stand causes damage to the public
- consider using heavy duty calico cloth to cover your table – it’s a nice colour, doesn’t show any dust and can be easily folded and holds the fold
- if you have a load of stuff behind your stand have the calico go down to the floor on one side of the table
- take business cards, pen, pricing labels, receipt book and also your business cards for your main business (I actually got a marketing client by talking to them when I was there to sell little tables and a j0urnalist who wanted to write about me for a major women’s magazine..)
- do some of your own promo locally – don’t leave it all to the venue or to people seeing the posters outside the venue
- have something to wrap your items in – I used massive bin liners for my tables but people were delighted to have something to protect them and carry them home in.
Anything you’d add ? Let us know in the comments section below.