Craft Show Booth Improvements

It craft show season! I have myself booked at a few shows this year and each time I set up and take down I think of ideas to make it easier and quicker for the next show. I wanted to share my learning adventure with you so that you can take some of these ideas to apply to yourself if you like. It is all a matter of figuring out what works best for you.

This is me at my booth at my most recent craft show. I used two 6 foot folding tables and put them in an L-shape. (My favorite table is from Staples, it folds in half, has wheels to roll on, AND is lite!) The L-shape gives the crowd room to come up to see my items, but not get trapped in traffic, which happened when I used to set up in a U-shape. My booth buddy, Sara, found purple tableclothes at the dollar store and we used those as a base. Then we covered it with a few purple cloth table clothes that my mom and I had made for my wedding reception and then saved. (Can you guess what my favorite color is?)

To add height to the display I have a few white storage cubes from Micahels. (I was sure to purchase each with a 40% off coupon or comparable sale, because they can be on the pricey side). I store my items inside the drawers as I finish them and then when I get to my show I open the drawers at varied depths to display the items. I love the cubes so much! I originally purchased them as a storage solution for my craft room, but the room is not ready yet, so I use them at my shows for now.

This was the first time I displayed magnets, they are my newest item. For this show I used a display I already had at home, which was my antique milk jug from our family farm. For future shows my idea is to find metal trays that fit in my cube drawers. This will allow me to place the magnets on the tray and slide them into the drawers for transport. Then when I get to the show I just take out the tray and display it. With the current milk jug scenario each magnet is placed on the jug at the show and then taken off when we head home. They trays inside the cube would save me a lot of time if I continue to carry this item.

This white shelf is a wall hanging cabinet that is sold in the bathroom decor area at walmart and target. I use it at my shows upside down because the top of it makes a sturdy base. This is perfect for featured items and small display items. I have a drawer-less cube behind this and it faced me when I stood behind the booth. This gave me organized access to my bags, knuckle buster, receipt books, pens, and such.

In the middle of the display was our card feature. This time we went with purple bins. The bins allowed the customers to flip through the available cards in different categories. We had a bargain bin, Christmas, multipack sets, and miscellaneous. We used tiny clear easels to display a card from each category. We set these on white squares to give them some height as they sat behind the bins.

We used the flat space at one end of a table to set up our hand decorated picture frames. We also used Sara's Christmas Tree to display hand made ornaments.

I would love to hear from you what ideas you saw here that you like best? Also, what other solutions do you use for your craft show display that will save space and time?

Craft Show, notes to learn by

I set up a booth at the local craft show this past weekend and I wanted to share what I learned. I collected a few pointers that I will plan to go by next time I enter a show. You can take a look and see if it is something you may want to apply to your booth plans as well.

Preparation Tips:
*Keep the show date on your calendar and remind anyone else involved of the date on a regular basis. (Babysitters, booth sharers, helpers, friends, customers on your newsletter list).
*Set timelines and goals to reach by certain dates. (ie- I will have x-amount of x-product made by x-date)
*Set up and test your booth before hand so that you know how long it will take to set up and what form of help you might need (I needed to enlist my Dad to carry some heavy things for me)

Booth Tips:
*Be flexible with your booth arrangement. You may have to alter your plan if you space is slightly different then what you envisioned, or the position of the booths next to you might affect traffic flow
*Traffic Flow is key. My booth looked great and employed the "U" shape I have heard recommended... but, we found it to be a bit of a traffic trap. People would come in to get a closer look, and then other people would come in behind them and they would get blocked in and the people in the back could not see in. The space in my "U" was too small. People were getting trapped and other were not able to enter. I also didn't think about strollers needing extra space for their driver to maneuver them around. For my next booth I plan to go with an L shape so that traffic can enter and have space to loop in and through with plenty of space to accommodate strollers and people who like to get a hands on look.
*Buddy: Have a friend who can man the booth with you or at least stop by to help with set up, a middle of the day potty break, and clean up. My Dad came to help me set up and carry heavy tables with me. A couple of friends contributed items to the display and spent time with me during the day keeping me company, answering customers questions, and helping watch the booth.


*Have an area set aside where you can accept payments, package items, and customers can use as an area to stand or write checks and not feel in the way. One lady I saw at the show set up her booth so that customer could sit at small table she had in order to comfortably write out thier checks. They could also take her business cards from there. I thought it was a great idea.
*My favorite parts of my display were the white cubes that I purchased at Michaels. I stored some of my products inside the drawers for travel. Then at the show I just open up the drawers and drape the items out. When done I just pack them back into the drawers and we are ready to go
*Table skirts allow you to have space hidden from view for storage totes and trash bags.





Supplies:
*Don't forget tape! I had another booth who needed to barrow my tape and was so glad I had it!
*Bags, something cute for shoppers to walk away with. Throw your business cards in the bottom so customers take them with them!
*For the cupcakes we decided we needed to have napkins for next time, as well as cardboard trays for people who wanted to take more then one home with them. *Have a calculator on hand
*Signs to make it clear to shoppers what forms of payments you take, suggestions for uses of products, and pricing. Bring supplies for making signs or price tags on the spot if you see one has gotten damaged in transit, is missing, or was overlooked.
*I opted to wear my craft apron for a few reasons. I wanted it to set me apart as one of the crafters. I also used the pockets to hold things I needed quick access to: extra pens, business cards, and money pouch.

Plan Ahead:
*Price your items with easy to add amounts that don't require more change then you have on hand.
*Know ahead of time in your mind and share with your booth buddy what items you will accept haggled prices for and how low you will go. (My booth buddy was running the booth while I was taking a stroll to check out the other booths and a customer asked if I could take a lower amount for a blanket, we hadn't discussed it ahead of time so she asked the customer to stop by again before she left to ask me when I was back, but we didn't see her again).
*Customers will ask what show you will be at next. Be prepared with a hand out you can give them that lists the upcoming shows you will be displayed at.

Learn while you are there:
*Chat with other booth owners to learn from them. Ask what other shows they do and how long they have been selling.
*Take notes on booth set-ups and displays seem to be working and see if you can apply them to your booth
*Take business cards from your favorite booths so you can follow them online
*Listen to your customers. Pay attention to what they say and make mental notes of what items get the most questions or the most compliments. Next time you can change your set-up or add to a sign so that those questions are answered before they are asked. Items that receive the most compliments may do well in a featured spot or you may want to plan to have the most stock in that item.
*Remember what is working, eliminate what is not. (ie- My high heeled boots were NOT working! I ended up standing behind my display because if I sat down I disappeared because my chair was too low. Next time I have vowed to wear tennis shoes because no ones really sees my feet. I will also bring a high stool instead of the low chair.)



Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope you found some valuable tips here. Please post any advice you have or things you have learned from doing your own craft shows! It's great to learn from each other!

HeatherJane
www.heatherjanedesign.etsy.com