Create Craft
Craft Fair Nightmares: How to tell if a craft fair is right for you.
Massive Disclaimer Alert!!!
A show that is fantastic for one viewer may be terrible for another. And a show that is terrible to one person might be fantastic to another. Choosing a craft fair involves choosing the one that is best FOR YOU.
The sole purpose of this article is to identify fairs that may have very low attendance or very low average spending and, as a result, will be unfavourable to everyone. Even if some of these events raise these “red flags,” you might still do well there. You might perform admirably. However, you should approach them as a gamble.
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The two types of craft fair
According to conventional thinking, you should get in touch with the organisers and inquire about the number of visitors or the type of advertising they use. You could also find out what previous participants’ artists and craftspeople think about the event.
There are two basic types of craft fairs, as well as a few unique instances that we’ll discuss at the end, so before you do anything, you need to be clear on the type of event this is. These two kinds of fairs are pretty distinct from one another, are probably going to draw quite different types of clients, require various forms of promotion, and also require various approaches from you.
To conduct appropriate research and make appropriate plans, you must be clear about the one you are applying for.
Passing trade events and destination events are the two primary categories of events.
Let’s see how they differ from one another.
Passing Trade Events
As the name implies, Passing Trade Events rely mostly on individuals who are already passing the venue, recognise that an event is going on, and enter to take a look.
These clients haven’t travelled particularly far to attend the event. They were engaged in another activity when they saw the event and made the decision to drop by.
This is significant since it’s crucial to keep in mind that not everyone who passes by an event will choose to enter. They might not be interested in purchasing handmade goods. Maybe they don’t have any money on them. They might have been in a hurry to see a buddy and thought the event looked fascinating, but they were running late and chose not to enter.
Not all passing trade fairs take place in town centres.
They may be present at manor houses, livestock exhibitions, winter wonderland events, etc. Basically, any event where guests arrive for a purpose other than to shop. Even art festivals that draw crowds exclusively for performances would fall under this heading, in my opinion.
Destination Events
Destination events are those where the majority of the attendees travel especially far to attend. Customers may have chosen to visit the exhibition since there are usually gorgeous items and they might be able to start their holiday buying because it only happens once or twice a year.
They may have a specified budget they are willing to spend at the show and have specifically come with the aim to buy. Before choosing where to spend the money they have allocated, they might have a look at the entire exhibition.
You would think that destination events are automatically a better type of event to sell at because the majority of the attendees came particularly to purchase, but that’s not always the case. Both can be effective provided they are well-organized and a suitable fit for the things you are selling.
For instance, passing trade fairs perform particularly well during Christmas time or on Bank Holiday weekends if they are situated in crowded town centres. However, they are harder to sell larger objects because customers don’t want to carry them about.
Destination events are excellent for gaining a following and might even help you sell larger items that clients may have been pondering ever since you last held the event.
Therefore, to ascertain whether the event is likely to be a success, you must first consider whether it is a Passing Traffic Event or a Destination Event, and then evaluate it in light of the factors that might increase the popularity of that type of event.
Here are some examples.
In general, passing trade events shouldn’t be held in town halls or small towns where few people are passing by. Generally speaking, they shouldn’t charge an entrance fee because they are counting on visitors to “pop in.”
For these events, a reputation is less crucial because passersby don’t need to be familiar with the event; nonetheless, it can be crucial that they are aware that it is a homemade event, particularly if it makes use of market stalls.
The location of the craft fair should be as open to the public as possible; it shouldn’t be on a side street or in the very rear of a building that is otherwise mostly unoccupied. Consider whether the stand charge is set at a level where you can still turn a profit selling smaller items because you are more likely to sell impulse purchases at a passing trade event than huge pieces.
Destination events need to entice people to make the effort to go, thus they should have very powerful and effective marketing strategies.
You might think about if the destination event you are applying to is well established or relatively new because this marketing becomes more effective the more times the event has been organised.
They should have an excellent website with plenty of visitor-friendly information, such as a precise date and time, travel instructions, and any admission costs. Additionally, they ought to be active on social media and have a mailing list that visitors may subscribe to (email is preferable to snail mail).
It’s a good idea to organise your stand and your offering for a passing trade or a destination event once you’ve applied for and been invited to an event.
Planning for Passing Trade Events
At passing trade events, you have a greater chance of selling smaller pieces. These clients are most likely brand-new to you. Even though they could genuinely adore your work, they might not be ready to make a purchase just yet. They might not have wanted to buy something they would have to carry about with them since they were bringing their kids out for the day or going to meet a friend for lunch.
With these clients, the trick is to either offer them something little (so they become a buyer of your product) or build a relationship with them for the future. Getting them on your email list so you can offer them more information about your items is the greatest approach to accomplish this. Email is preferable to postcards and flyers.is always preferable; how many business cards have you collected and never opened that you later discovered in the bottom of your bag?
With a sign that reads, “No time to look today? “, you can even position your email list as a convenience for them. Enter your email below and let us send you our online catalogue for you to browse at your convenience”
If you are selling at a passing trade event far from where you live and you won’t be doing the event regularly, it is especially important to gather email addresses so that you can expand your audience in these areas.
Since you won’t be there frequently, you’ll need to find another way for these clients to see your work.
Your best-selling items in the middle to lower end of your price range and items that aren’t physically too big are the greatest products to offer at a passing trade fair.
You should also think about how you will draw attention to your display. Large banners with photos of your products can work incredibly effectively because passing trade buyers are frequently busy and distracted and don’t make an attempt to visit every exhibit. Colour is also excellent for drawing attention.
Planning for Destination Events
Destination events are excellent for strengthening bonds with current clients.
Make sure to contact prior consumers who gave you their email addresses if you had previously attended the exhibition and acquired their information to let them know you would be returning with new items. You might even make them an exclusive discount or other kind of deal. Perhaps you can offer them complimentary admission tickets to the performance.
Even if you don’t have a record of who attended the show the last time, you can still target locals and prevent upsetting the rest of your list because the majority of mailing list providers allow you to choose the subscribers who are within a specified distance of a particular town. Additionally, you should think about how you are going to draw interest to your display. Large banners with photos of your products can work incredibly effectively because passing trade buyers are frequently busy and distracted and don’t make an attempt to visit every exhibit. Colour is also excellent for drawing attention.
You should keep in mind that during destination events, buyers frequently arrive with a predetermined budget and choose which vendors to spend it with, so you will be in competition with everyone else for their attention.
It will surely assist if the display is nice and inviting and invites visitors to pick things up. Put your most attention-grabbing items in the line of sight for clients coming from that way by considering the direction from which the majority of people will approach. Since these are likely folks who have already seen your work, you’ll also want to concentrate on your most recent creations.
This is also a wonderful time to display your largest and most expensive works because it is always simpler to sell these to repeat customers who are familiar with and appreciate your work. Even if you don’t sell them that day, it’s still a good idea for these buyers to be aware that they are an option.
Other Events
Some occasions combine traits from both passing commerce and destination occasions. Open Houses and Arts Trails could be the most popular of them.
Although they include a recreational or “day out” component, most visitors are willing to making purchases, and many do so specifically to get art for a newly furnished space or a new house.
There are different types of customers, so you should offer a variety of product price points for them. You should also gather as many email addresses as you can.
Naturally, all of this is only a guide to help you determine whether you think spending time and money at a specific art or craft show is worthwhile. Remember that your time is just as valuable as money. Which would you prefer if you had the option to spend a weekend developing a new product line that would sell incredibly well across all of your retailers, at events, and online?
The reality is that you can never completely predict how an event will unfold. Numerous events are taking place at the same location in both good and bad weather, as well as on the same date and during school holidays. Each of these has the potential to harm or benefit an event.
Even when these guidelines are broken, some events nonetheless go quite well. For the past few years, I have participated in a passing trade event that raises a red flag for all passing trade events. It is located outside of the town core in a building. The event is upstairs in a confusing building. There is a cost to enter. It has some incredibly cheap items, which would typically alarm me, but practically every time I’ve displayed there, my larger framed pieces have sold. It shouldn’t really work, yet it does.
Make good decisions and use common sense. Consider taking a chance on one or two unproven shows each year. Perhaps set a firm upper limit on your stand fee budget and avoid paying a cost that you couldn’t afford to lose. Keep in mind that your time and money are valuable, and even while showing customers your work in person is one of the most effective ways to establish a rapport, you can’t establish a rapport with people who aren’t present or aren’t interested in your work.