image via Sign Up Now on Etsy

My name is Laura & I’m the owner of Katydiddy on Etsy! One of the best ways to have a stress free Craft Fair experience is to be prepared so here are my top ten tips to help you get organized for your next Craft Fair!

1. Do your homework.  Before you even sign-up for a show, make sure your target market will be there.  If you sell folk art and the typical crowd at your next fair loves fine art, your sales will be less than stellar.
2. Make sure your contact information is on every single item you sell.  People remove packaging, so think of unique ways to place your shop information on the items whenever you can!
3. Set a spending budget.  I’ve seen many vendors end-up spending all their profits at a show at other tables.  It’s great to support your fellow crafters, just make sure you keep yourself in line.  Decide what you’ll spend beforehand and stick to it!  No dipping into your cash box once you’ve spent your budget!
4. A few days before the show, set-up your table.  Fuss over it, fill in any holes.  Then, when you have it exactly the way you like it, take a photo.  Print it out and bring it with you to the fair.  Set-up will be a breeze.
5. Pack food!  Selling your work is stressful and busy.  The food offered at craft fairs can get pricey and buying it will cut into your bottom line.  Pack some awesome food and bring it with you.  You’ll feel fresh and energetic the whole day with some healthy, comforting snacks in your belly.  And don’t forget to stay hydrated!
6. Create a craft fair emergency kit.  Buy a plastic pencil box and fill it with; pens, pencils, tape, glue, needle, thread, small scissors, aspirin, cold & stomach meds, bandages, and tissues.  When you are unpacking and find out something got damaged in transit, you’ll be able to make it as good as new.  These supplies also help with display emergencies.  You’ll be VERY glad you have tape with you on a windy day at an outside venue! And you really don’t want to deal with a horrible headache while trying to sell your goods!  (Trust me on this tip!  You are going to be the most popular person with other vendors once they figure out you have these supplies!)
7. Bring something to work on.  Of course, you should stand-up and interact with anyone who comes to your table, but between sales, bring something to work on.  Make sure it’s something you sell.  People are curious and love to see crafting in action.
8. Bring an order book.  The biggest worry most of my clients have is that they won’t have enough inventory.  Being able to take orders during the show will help you alleviate this stress.
9. Be creative and spend some money on your bags.  I buy nice, craft paper bags and put my logo on them.  I even add a pretty bow.  People who buy from you will be toting those bags around the craft fair and you can use them as free advertising!
10. Get a good night’s sleep.  I know it’s tempting to stay up all night before the show and make more inventory, but no one wants to buy from a zombie.  A good sleep will ensure that you are as bright and charming as your crafts!

Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Add them to the comments below.

Click HERE to Tweet: “10 Tips from a Craft Show Veteran #stealtheshow2012 via @MeaganVisser http://bit.ly/zUy7fz”

Laura Bray is a designer, writer and lifestyle expert.  She inspires creative women to live a life of balance & simplicity by sharing her modern twist on traditional home arts.  An artist with an MBA, she loves to help other artists and crafters make a living doing what they love by sharing business and marketing tips. Connect with her on Etsy & on her blog.

Laura is offering all MeaganVisser.com readers a 25% discount on everything in her shop, including her Craft Fair ebook.  To take advantage of this offer, visit her Etsy shop at www.katydiddy.etsy.com.  Use coupon code MAKEYOURMARK at checkout!

personal image

Once upon a time…

An artist received an invite to her first craft show at a Local Art Market, 48 hours before the event.  She panicked, she hadn’t even done a craft show yet so she had no displays, hardly any money for displays and no prices on her products.  This is not a fairytale, the panicked artist I mentioned, it was me!

Let the Shopping Begin

Where did I start, with thrifting of course.  I knew that I needed at least two displays, one tray, a mirror, signs, fabric for the table, and paint.  I set my budget at $25 and headed to Goodwill and the local Habitat for Humanity resale shop.

Remaining Consistent With Branding Through Signs and Displays

While looking I knew that I needed to keep my colors and signage consistent with my brand.  I chose one color to paint all of my displays so that buyers wouldn’t be overwhelmed.  I wanted them to be attracted to my gorgeous product, not distracted by my displays.  I also chose a plain white piece of fabric for my table and put a sheer white curtain with white polka dots over it to give it a touch of sass. When creating my signs I stuck to the same fonts as on my website and Etsy shop so that customers would recognize my branding online.

Sticking to a Budget

I successfully stuck to my $25 budget.  Sounds like an impossible task. Good news, I reveal it all in the breakdown below.

Thrifting Finds:

• $3.00- Wooden Frame Thingy with Screen already stapled on the back (my mouth dropped open when I saw this) for my earrings.
• $1.00- Window Frame for spoon pendant
• $1.00- Fabric for table
• $1.50- 70′s Wooden Appetizer Tray for biz cards and what not
• $1.50- Antique Round Mirror so ladies can try on my necklaces

DIY Necessities:

• $3- Sample Size of Paint
• $2- Screws with Loops for window frame
• $3- Wire for window frame
• FREE – Paper Paint Samples – easy peasy DIY from Aisle to Aloha here!

Stuff I owned and used:

• Tabletop Easel
• Guitar Stand ( wasn’t the best but it worked)
• Silver Spray Paint
• My famous sheer polka-dot curtain
• String
• Paint brush
• Sand Paper

Printed Materials

• $2- 20 sheets of heavy cardstock
• $3- Foam Board
• $3- Printing Costs

Grand TOTAL- $24.00

I hope this post opened your eyes to how you can rock a craft show without losing your brands identity and spending a whole lotta’ money.

Let me know what has worked for you at shows to display your items in a brand and budget friendly way.  See you in the comments!

Click HERE to Tweet – “Learn how @erinmgiles designed her craft show booth on the cheap! #stealtheshow2012 via @MeaganVisser http://bit.ly/sxAxy1″

Erin Giles is a Small Business Coach + Artist that empowers female entrepreneurs to Shine Online while maintaining peace, passion, and productivity. Connect with her on her Blog and on Twitter.

image by Lockette via Flickr

Imagine a line of interested buyers and eager shoppers at a humble little craft show booth. Each person wanting a business card to take home with them….maybe to place an order, maybe to learn more, maybe to share with a friend, only to hear, “no, sorry I forgot them.”

Yeah, that was me.

I had planned so carefully and worked so hard for my very first craft show that I forgot the obvious, business cards. I still cringe at the thought; admitting I’d left out something so important and realizing the loss of many potential buyers.

image by Sycamore Street Press via Pinterest

With that, and many other hard-earned lessons under my belt, I’d like to share an unconventional checklist of must-haves for any craft show:

• The Obvious.  See above. No really, with all the sketching and planning and last-minute finishing, it can be easy to forget the simple things because you think, “of course, I’ll remember those.” But then you don’t.  So I suggest way ahead of time creating a box of things you know you MUST have; business cards for one. But pens, tablecloth, signage, and cash all come to mind.

• Camera.  Good, bad, or ugly – you’ll want to record this moment in time. Whether the craft show is a triumph for your business or a learning experience, it’s something to keep and reflect on.

• Work in Process.  People like to see how you do just what it is that you do. Maybe you’re drawing, knitting, beading, or last-minute finish-upping in your booth. Showing your process invites people into your brand and adds value to your pieces.

• Flair.  Craft shows tend to be row after row of booth after booth. Your products may be the loveliest of them all, but with all the hustle and bustle, how can you draw people in? What pieces of flair can you bring to stand out from the rest? Maybe it’s your quirky display stand, super cool sign, or little tokens of appreciation…consider how you can make your booth shine.

• Buzz. Building from the pieces of flair, think about how you can create some buzz. How to get people talking about you, your booth. This might be from your works in process (um, glass blowing anyone?) or your mega-excited friend on board to help with the event but give them something to talk about.

• The unknown. Imagine worst case scenarios and then plan for them. Booth behind you got a neon orange back drop intruding on your space? Now what? Try to map out Plan B’s and C’s and D’s. Because well, you just never know.  (and yes, the neon orange backdrop really did happen…)

There you go, a few tips to get you well on your way to one tremendously successful craft show. Now, just don’t forget this list….

Do you have any other must-haves to add to this list? Share your wisdom in the comments below!

Click HERE to Tweet – “Don’t forget to bring _____ to your craft show! #stealtheshow2012 via @allisajacobs @MeaganVisser http://bit.ly/tViBgO”

Allisa is the dreamer and designer behind the Allisa Jacobs line of handbags and accessories. She loves the process of making from sketch to finish. She also enjoys sharing her entrepreneurial insights and wrote an e-book, Rise & Shine, to help others develop their creative small businesses. Connect with her on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter & her Blog.

{This is an installment in the Steal the Show 2012 series.}

I’m here to pass on some craft show tips. Our first craft show was a family adventure when Mikah was just 3 months old. We continued participating in events on a weekly basis til Mikah was about 1.5 years old. Here are some tips I’ve collected along the way to make the process fun and seamless for all involved.

I’ll preface this by saying, lists and calendars are my friend! I tend to lose my head among the chaos of running my own biz, so to make sure I cover all my bases, I’ll write it down. Please use a notebook because having a million pieces of paper and post-its will be just as chaotic… I know because I’ve been there.

1. Inventory Lists

How much do you want to make on the big day? Figure out your ideal income for that day and then figure out how much inventory you’ll need to make that number happen.

Now figure out how many man hours you’ll need to create the products and if you can reasonably allot those hours in your calendar.

I encourage you to push yourself and aim high. For our first show I was shooting for $10,000. We made just a small (SMALL) fraction of that amount, but having that ambition definitely helped us sell more than we would have if we showed up under-estimating our products and goals. Or worse, if we had no goals.

The objective here isn’t to hold onto a ‘real’ number and feel miserable if it isn’t achieved. You just want something to get you excited as a fun, but challenging, objective. If you’re selling with a partner, make a game out of your sales and bounce techniques off each other. By the next show you two will be pros!

Side note: While it is possible to sell alone, I recommend having a partner, even if they only show up midway through the show. This way bathroom breaks are easy, you’ll pass time easier, and you’ll be able to give feedback on what is (or is not) working.

2. Non-Inventory Supplies

Is this an outdoor show or an indoor? Will you need electricity, wifi, etc? Make sure you know the space you will be selling in and what amenities you’ll have provided, what you’ll have to purchase, and what you need to provide for yourself.

The night before a show we go through a checklist to make sure we have everything we need. DO include your inventory as part of your checklist because sometimes that gets forgotten!

As a family we had to pack a few extra items such as diapers, wipes, and snacks. Here is the list we’ve used for all of our shows. This is inclusive of indoor events, outdoor events, rainy weather, and babies. There are blank spaces at the end you can use to fill out your own specialty supplies.

3. Rehearsal

Putting yourself out there in front of people you’ve never met and asking them to buy something you’ve made yourself can be a little nerve-wracking for some. (A little?)

To help ease into this, rehearse! For our first show we set up our table in our living room and practiced setting up and breaking down. This not only saved us time the day of the show, but a lot of stress. It also helped us figure out a Tetris strategy for packing supplies in as compact a space as possible, which makes loading and unloading a car much less stressful.

If you’re on the shy side, try practicing smiling and saying hi to strangers for a week. You could also take notes the next time you are approached by a sales rep. Observe what they do to make you comfortable or not. Remember that it is possible to be proactive about a sale without being pushy, though sometimes a simple smile of acknowledgement is good enough.

4. Details

Now that the main fixtures of the show are in place (you, your products, timeline, and supplies), figure out what will really set you apart from the rest. Things like a test/sample area, live demonstration, and signage fall into this category.

Make sure you have a good combination of attention grabbing items as well as silent sales representatives (otherwise known as signage).
Attention grabbers include a great display, a color scheme, a routine for a demonstration, or a noticeable testing area.

Your signage is just as important as people will tend to walk away instead of asking a question. My favorite moments at a show have been when a crowd draws at our table and a customer who had been reading our signage will answer a question for another customer! We end up just smiling as our customers chat about benefits and gifting ideas for our products.

5. Relax

There are so many more details you could plan before a show, though the most important aspect of doing a craft show is, ready for it? To have fun.

Don’t get so caught up that it becomes doomsday rather than a TGICST (Thank Goodness Its Craft Show Time!).

Once you spend a week obsessing over every detail you can, take a few days off to decompress and let it all soak in. I find that this soaking in period is the best way to find peace of mind with my ambitions, the work I’ve done, and the work I plan to do.

Good luck!

Share your tips for preparing for a craft show in the comments below.

Click HERE to Tweet: “Use these 5 tips to get prepared for your craft shows this year! #stealtheshow2012 via @kittybabylove @MeaganVisser http://bit.ly/s1wgHQ”

Sara and her husband, Ben, began Kitty BB Love in 2008 after being unable to find any stable work that suited their family. By combining their creative talents, they were able to run their business together as a family, doing what they love. They are now in the process of creating a new line of Kitty crayons from soy! Check out their shop and website right here. Don’t forget to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

I love a good craft show. From Barrie’s lakeside Kempenfest in summer to early autumn’s Queen West Art Crawl, followed by the always excellent One Of A Kind Show in November, I manage to do much of my gift buying (and a good deal of impulse shopping too) outside of the mall. I am a show vendor’s dream: a customer who is ready to be wowed and who carries a pocket full of cash.

But pretty merchandising and exciting new products aren’t just enticing for shoppers. Craft shows sing a siren song to vendors as well, promising hordes of easy-spenders and the possibility of leaving at the end of the day with a suitcase stuffed with twenties. If only. I’ve been on both sides of the table and I can promise you one thing: it’s easier to spend money than it is to make money.

But don’t let that discourage you. Craft shows can be a terrific way for a small business to get in front of hundreds of would-be customers. Certainly there’s the potential to leave with a suitcase full of cash – it’s happened to me on a couple of glorious occasions – but coming out ahead depends on a magical combination of things you can control and things that you can’t. Here is my advice to tip the odds in your favour:

1. Go where your customers are

It sounds obvious, but you need to be where your customers are. Pet owners? Organically minded? Expectant moms or families with school-age children?  Find a show that targets your customer.

2. Be in good company

Review the list of confirmed exhibitors from the perspectives of vendor and shopper. I’m wary of seeing a lot of “filler” exhibitors like banks and life insurance agents. Worthy businesses but not the most exciting. Who are the show sponsors?  What about competitors or peers? You might think you’ve struck gold if you’re the only baby blanket vendor on the list, but competition is healthy – and good for business.

3. Profit Vs Profile

Of course you want to make money. But can you? The going rate for a six-foot table at a small-one-day craft show in Toronto is $250 to $300 – a number that should give you pause. Assuming an average profit margin, you will need to sell $500 to $600 to cover the booth fee.  How many units sold does that work out to, considering your average price point and on-hand inventory? If I’m selling $5 cards, that’s 100 sales.  What about other costs? Staffing, booth materials/construction should be factored into your calculations.  You are there to make money.

 4. Traffic, traffic, traffic

Your beautiful booth won’t translate into profit if there aren’t enough customers passing by it.  It is the show organizer’s job to bring in the shoppers, so be sure to ask about their marketing plan. Where, when and how do they advertise and promote their show?  What were the traffic counts last year? An experienced, well-run show will tell you how many people attended the show. Hearing “Oh, it was very busy” makes me nervous. “There was a line-up at opening” is no better. “2500 people over two days” is good information. Best is to visit the show as a shopper and gauge traffic and customer demographics before committing hundreds of dollars as an exhibitor

5. It’s a popularity contest

How many of last year’s exhibitors are returning this year? Is it a week before the show and the organizers are still soliciting vendor applications? Get an insider’s viewpoint by asking other exhibitors (both returning and not) about their experience and impressions of the show.

6. Be goal oriented

Around this time of year my inbox dings with vendor invitations for holiday shows put on by private schools, churches and community groups.  The goal for the organizers of these shows is to raise money for their organization, and they do this by selling vendor tables. Your sales success is irrelevant to the organizer because they’ve already made their money. On the other hand, juried shows are more difficult to get into but the organizers carefully curate the vendors to produce a show that is enticing for visitors and vendors. A show has to work for everyone:  organizer, vendors and visitors. Make sure your goals are met before committing to that booth fee.

What do you do to find the right show for you? Leave a comment below.

Click HERE to Tweet – “Learn how to find the right craft show for you with @honeybunchsays @MeaganVisser via #stealtheshow2012 http://bit.ly/uUWAf8″

Nicole is the owner of Honeybunch, an online gift shop. Since its beginning in 2004 Nicole has grown Honeybunch from a part-time hobby into a full-time business, leaving her previous career in publishing in 2006. She lives with her husband and two children in Toronto, Canada. Connect with her on Facebook & on Twitter.

Whether you’ve participated in several craft shows or none at all, there’s always something new to learn when it comes to making your way in the craft show scene. Maybe it’s a new way to market your business during the show, learning how to reach more customers, or perhaps even coming up with new ideas to help you stand out among the other booths. No matter what the case may be, make this year, 2012, the year to Make Your Mark!

This is a brand new blog series featuring some wonderful creative business owners that have experience with making their mark in the world of craft shows. We’ve got 9 posts for you, starting at the very beginning before the show even starts, & working your way down to the end after the show is over. That’s 2 full weeks of craft show how-to’s, ideas, inspiration, tips, & encouragement from those that know what they’re talking about. Don’t miss it!

We’ll be covering the basics…

• finding the right show
• getting preparing
• what to bring
• booth design
• interacting with customers
• marketing your products
• after show follow-up

Wanna know who you’ll be hearing all this great advice from? None other than some very successful creative business owners who want to share some of their experience & wisdom with you!

• Nicole Morell of Honeybunch
• Sara Chun of Kitty Baby Love
• Allisa Jacobs of Allisa Jacobs
• Erin Giles of Elegant Girl
• Julie Chen of Life Verse
• Stephanie Hinderer of Red Letter Paper Co.
• PJ Jonas of Goat Milk Stuff
• Danielle Spurge of The Merrieweather Council
• Laura Bray of Katydiddy

Stay tuned! Series starts tomorrow! Subscribe to MeaganVisser.com now via RSS or email over on the right so you don’t miss a single post in this series!

Listen, learn, & share!

Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts, experiences, & opinions. We want to hear from you! 

And, if you wanna link to this blog series on your blog or Facebook page…feel free to use the image to the left! Just copy the URL or save it to your computer!

Click HERE to Tweet – “Make Your Mark in the craft show scene in 2012. I am! via @MeaganVisser http://bit.ly/vBZoFi”