It was a tough crowd last Saturday, mostly because there was so little of a crowd. All the vendors had a rough time of it and several packed up early without so much as an interested look, let alone a sale. I feel fortunate for the few sales I was able to make even if I didn't begin to recoup my costs. Despite that, I still feel positive about my experience. My display garnered lots of compliments and I know I'm headed in the right direction.
I was planning to keep a notebook handy for a list of things I'd do differently next time. During the day, not much came to me in that respect. But in retrospect, I have a better idea of what I might do differently next time.
1. Be more organized - It wasn't bad, but I can always do better. I've already packed all the items I will always need for shows and never need for anything else and they're ready to go again. Also, I've strategically packed in order of things I'll need (i.e.: tablecloths on top, then displays, then decor and signs, etc.).
2. Make deadlines for preparations - Print jobs should be ordered no later than the 3 week mark. Displays and packaging should be squared away at the 2 week mark. Once all of the above are in my possession, packing should be completed at the 1 week mark (pieces packed separately later). Work on pieces should cease no later than 24 hours before set up time. That gives me a full day to pack up pieces, tools and materials or last minute additions.
3. Portable storage for tools and materials - I can't sit still for an entire day without having something in my hands to work on. But, I wound up taking a couple of open containers (essentially drawers from my organizers at home) in order to have all my materials and tools on hand. I need organizers that will travel with lids, handles and maybe even wheels. The more compact and portable, the better. A hand truck or wagon might not be a bad investment.
4. Talk to other vendors openly - I chatted with the two vendors on either side of my table all day. However, I wish I had asked more questions of all the vendors present. I did get a little information about how to find other shows. But, I wish I had wandered around the floor more. Next time, I'd like to ask more questions. How did you hear about the show? What other shows do you do? Where else do you sell your work? Have you done this show before? If so, how did last year compare and what should I expect?
5. Do a trial run of the display before packing - I did a lot of fidgeting to get things to look how I wanted. It didn't take us long to set up. But it would have been nice to be able to tell Steffany (my friend and partner for the day) exactly what I wanted or even to have a picture or diagram. That would have freed me up to do other things and she probably would have felt more useful. She needed specific instructions and I didn't have them for her. So, she just put everything out and I came behind her and rearranged to suit my needs.
6. Have better storage for pieces - It's a good thing nothing is too fragile. All my pieces were gently piled into a Tupperware container large enough to hold everything. It would have been nice to transport and display earrings on their cards. It would have been nice to have the necklaces separate from the lamp/fan pulls. Dual duty for storage at home a must!
7. Check for things at home that I can use - I know I covered this in my last entry on the displays, but there's more. I took our camp table to use as a workspace behind the display table that I rented along with my booth space. Before I do another show, I think I'm just going to buy another one of those camp tables. It turned out that it was taller and more suitable for my display table than the one I rented.
8. Play to your style, not an assumed audience - I made 12 pairs of Swarovski Christmas tree earrings thinking I'd play towards what I thought was the demographic. Priced at $15 each, I thought they'd really move if nothing else did. Perhaps I was wrong, or attendance was just that bad or I didn't have them displayed well enough. They were on a miniature Christmas tree as "ornaments" and may have gotten lost a bit. I'll never really know what the problem was because once those are gone, I won't be making more.
9. Taller chairs - If I'm going to sit and work while at a show, I need a chair tall enough to clear the displays on the table and I need to sit near the backside of the table to be able to easily converse with passers by. I didn't have much problem, but was also competing with the DJ playing music from the stage 10 feet from us. Something about the height of a director's chair might be better than the low sitting camp chairs I took and would still fold away for easy transportation.
10. Develop a dialog for browsers - I don't like to be bothered while I'm shopping and I like to leave my customers the same peace. However, while someone takes a few minutes to look over my table, I should have something to say. Silence is awkward in those situations, especially if someone picks up a particular piece for a closer look. I should be able to discuss it with them unprompted and answer questions before they're asked. I don't want it to sound rehearsed or pushy. I also don't want them to hear the same thing if they come back around later. But I should be able to talk confidently about my pieces.
Well, I'm done until 2010 as far as shows. I just don't have enough free weekends through the end of the year to think about doing another one just yet. While I search out my next event or stage one in my home, I'll ponder over these things and others to hopefully make my next show a success.
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