In my last post, I shared some tips for researching whether a particular craft fair may be right for you. Once you create a short list of potential shows you’d like to participate in, you should do site visits!
Many creative business owners skip this step because it’s time consuming or because they want to get their business “out there” as quickly as possible. This is a mistake you want to avoid. Vending at a craft fair requires a lot of time and, often, a fair amount of money, so finding out if a show is the right fit for your business is a worthwhile investment.
Consider partnering with another vendor you trust and splitting up visits to several local craft fairs. Then you can share your insights with each other while only visiting half as many venues!
Start by examining the location
Walk or drive around the neighboring streets considering the following:
- How heavy is the foot traffic is in the area?
- Is signage visible to cars passing by?
- Do the organizers have a “street team” stationed at nearby parking lots or public transportation hubs distributing fliers or pointing potential customers to the craft fair? (This is particularly important if the craft fair is described as a “destination shopping” experience.)
- Does the neighborhood seems to fit the demographics of your target customer? (For example, if you sell printed baby onesies and the community is primarily made up of young singles, this venue may not be a good fit.)
Once you’ve surveyed the outside, it’s time to enter the craft fair space.
Next, judge the crowd
On the inside of the craft fair, ask yourself…
- Do people seem to be buying or just browsing?
- How long are people staying?
- Does the audience seem to be attending the craft fair as a whole by visiting multiple tables, or has a particular vendor done a great job of bringing her/his customers to just one booth?
Mingle among the crowd. Are people excited about what they’ve seen or complaining about the quality of the vendors, prices, or other issues?
Then, consider the other vendors
Once you’ve surveyed the location and the audience, check out the artisans at the craft fair. Would you be proud to set up a table next to these vendors, or does the quality of their work seem inferior or of a radically conflicting aesthetic?
If the craft fair is slow, chat with some of the vendors and ask for their impressions of this event and others in the area. (Be sure to step aside if a potential customer is approaching!) If the fair is busy, stop by tables of makers with a similar product or aesthetic to yours, or those selling items at similar price points, and pick up business cards. You can contact these artisans afterwards and ask the same questions.
Finally, decide if this craft fair is right for your business
While visiting a craft fair for a few hours of reconnaissance may be time consuming, you can save yourself hours of wasted time and money at a fair that is a poor fit for your business while connecting with fellow artisans who may form the backbone of your professional network! And, if you do find that craft fair to be the right fit, you’ll be even more prepared for what to bring with you and how to arrange your display.
Have you done a craft fair site visit before? What other tips can you share?
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Never sell at a first time craft fair and don’t put it on your visiting list. In my experience first time craft fairs never meet projected attendance.
Also consider the number of vendors and how your items would sell at the fair of this size.
You are correct at checking to see if the attendees are buying, browsing or even socializing. Often long running craft fairs can become a community social event and not a buying event. For example a band fund raiser can become a social event when parents of graduated band members or school alumni come back to socialize with the band moms and buy little or nothing. The event is well attended but sales are not in parity.
Consider how the fair is run. if advertised as handcrafted items only, are there commercial vendors?
Ask the vendor if they have done the fair before, if so why did they book it again? How does this year compare to the ones before.
Another thing to consider, is the fair being held on a holiday or holiday weekend. I would never do a craft fair on Halloween (which is on Saturday in 2015- a 2 day band booster fair is on Halloween and the Sunday after) . Also think of St Patrick’s day weekend- who is shopping on that day and how many? The point is, that if there are other non craft events happening chances are they will be drawing from the craft fair’s attendance.
When visiting a fair think about the other craft fairs happening in the area. Especially around the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping season. If many fairs are happening on the same day, it is important to know which one is the best on that weekend. If you are unable to book a great fair have a 3nd and third choice for that date.
When at the fairs, pick as many “upcoming shows”. a great resource for more investigation.
I do not agree with your first piece of advice, to not sell at first time craft fairs. I have participated in a few of those and have done quite well. Besides, there are some people that are starting a business by producing craft shows.
I agree with Carla. First time craft fayre organisers are often more enthusiastic and conscientious about promotion and advertising than someone who hosts fayres regularly. And think about it, all craft fayres had a first time. If we didn’t give them a chance in the first place there wouldn’t be any experienced event holders!!!