Craft show jitters

[npl]

I've got a craft show on Sunday. I did this one last year, and it wasn't a success, but it's a good venue to be seen in the local community, and if nothing else it's advertising.
But, I've got serious jitters about putting on a good show.
Can anyone share their tips or advice for craft shows?
In case it's relevant, I do fabric gifts (bags, flannel baby sets, fleece blankets, embroidered towels, etc)
TIA!

[barefootbabies]

I've got no advice for you, I am planning to do my first craft show this fall, but I just wanted to say good luck! I'll probably be back bugging you for tips in a few months

[npl]

Happy to share!

[Woolly Meredith]

I've done a few shows/fairs. In fact, we will be vendors at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival this weekend (May2-3 2009), our second time at this fair. I have also done a fair at a local Waldorff school which was pretty lame, and industry trade shows which have been very good.

Here are a few tips that I try to keep in mind (in no particular order):

1. Be friendly & approachable when you are in/around your booth- and stay positive even if the show isn't going well.

2. Make it easy for customers to shop your booth. Have signs that tell about your company/products and price all of your items clearly

3. Look for used fixtures for inexpensive but professional looking displays. We bought dress form mannequins for $35 ea. at a local store liquidater & "dump tables" for $30 ea. they came from department stores so they look nice, for cheap. In todays economy you should have no trouble finding great used fixtures.

4. After each show take time to figure out what worked, what didn't and make changes. I make notes and review them while preparing for the next show.

5. Get to know the other vendors around you. I have learned so much from other vendors. People are generally really happy to talk about their experiences at other shows, give you tips for selling and displays, traveling, etc. It is equally important to be generous with your information as well.

6. Always attend any/all shows as a customer before becoming a vendor.

7. We accept credit cards at the MD show and I really think this helps our sales. We do this by utilizing Paypal's virtual terminal service. I bought a manual swipe credit card machine and enter the numbers when I get home. The service costs $30 for the month but in my opinion, it's well worth it. Since we only use it in MD we only pay for one months service and cancel it after the show.

8. have fun!

[npl]

Thanks for such detailed advice!
I'm working on the signage - dh designed two larger signs that are being professionally printed, and we made up a simple brochure that describes my products and services, that we are printing at home. Display is trickier, because I don't have much space, and the products are big, but mostly different (lots of baby blanket sets, all different prints, bulky fleece blankets in different prints/colours) and it's the "almost unique" aspect of my work that differentiates me, so I want to show the variety. And the bags are a challenge in themselves! I was hoping to borrow a coat tree for them, but I haven't been able to, yet, and transport is an issue, too (one car family, so we have to put everyone in it to drop me off, and for dh to help carry stuff, which means not much room in the car for my stuff and 3 kids!). I guess when I finally finish making up the last few items (I'm running behind, it's been a crazy month) I should do a mock-up on our folding table to see what works best (and take a photo so I can copy what I did when I get to the show!).
Thanks again!

[CawMama]

You're going to do a great job! The fact that you care so much proves that!

[Woolly Meredith]

I have used Staples to print 11"*17" signs that they print on glossy paper and mount onto foam core. They aren't very expensive, $13 I think and they look really nice. You can get larger sizes too - up to poster size I think.

I had my trade show banner printed at halfpricebanners.com. It was a big banner, 8'*4' I think, delivered for less than $100. Oh, and they were super fast too - I had it in less than a week.

[npl]

Thanks Carrin for the moral support.
Woolly Meredith - thanks for the heads-up on Staples. Fortunately, dh knows the printer we are working with, and has seen the signs he's made for other things. The two signs I'm getting are coming with grommets in the top corners, so we can hang them from something (not sure what).
I don't anticipate doing so many craft shows, because I'd really rather do custom orders, but the reality is that I think if I want to make a profit eventually, I'll have to keep doing them. Of course, finding the right kind of show is difficult. All the ones I've done so far have been very small, and I've heard about them through our community, which is great for geting myself known locally, but not so great for reaching a wider customer base.
I'm not sure how to find more places to show at, and I must admit to finding the preparations very stressful. And the more stressed and tired I get, the more difficult I find it to produce top-quality work.

[E.V. Lowi]

Best wishes to you with the show- good luck!

[Nemesis]

http://woodmouse.typepad.com/woodmou...mments/page/2/

"Craft Vendor Booth Mistakes"

[npl]

Thanks for the support everyone. Nemesis the article was very useful.
The show went well. I went into it with the attitude that it was good advertising, and sales were a bonus. I handed out loads of brochures and cards, sold a couple of things, and took a couple of firm custom orders, with some tentative and some merely speculative. Lots of people came up to me and said "I didn't know you did this" which shows that it was good for getting my business recognized. I am already getting follow-up inquiries. A couple of people commented on my display, which is really helpful. One customer from last year bought more of an item before the show even started.
I no longer feel like it isn't working - I'm hopeful again that I might eventually turn a profit, and the huge amount of work required to put on a show is actually worth it.