So if you read Finding Craft Fairs.... you’ve made yourself a nice big list of Craft Fairs and Shows, but how do you know which ones are good? Well you don’t. No one can tell you either, as each trader has a different opinion of which shows work for them. What makes a show good depends a lot on luck and whether or not YOUR customers turned up that day. But there are a few hints and tips that can be generally applied when trying to choose what to go to and what to avoid.
PART 2 - Choosing Craft Fairs and Shows
- Set yourself a budget and don't go over it unless experience tells you it’s worth the risk. Work out how much you can afford to pay for your pitch per day and stick to it. Some events don’t charge a flat fee for a pitch, preferring to ask for a set percentage of your days takings instead. This can be a good way of doing things as you can be sure that what you pay relates to what how much you took, but you need to be sure your prices allow for this. Also, watch out for the shows that charge a flat booking fee and take a percentage of your sales – this can work out very expensive!
- Know your market – it’s no good going to a farmers show just because it’s local and cheap, when you only sell girlie stuff and the only people there will be farmers with mud and wellies up to their arm pits.
- Ask the organiser questions: Has this Fair been run before? Was is successful? Are the previous year’s traders rebooking? How many other traders selling your area of craft will there be? (this one is particularly important if you are a jeweller) How is the event being advertised? What is the average foot fall through the door? Are the punters being charged to get in? And if so, how much? (think hard on this one – if the admission charge is hefty, or anything at all in the wrong venue, punters will not come)
- Know the area the event is in. Seaside towns are notoriously rubbish for the Craft Market, as punters are looking to spend no more than 20p. Affluent rural settings can be good, but only if the local community supports local events. Inner city shows seem to be dependant on the venue being right.
- Know your venue. If the venue is well known in its own right, well known for the kind of event you are taking part in and easy to get to, chances are the Show will be a good one. At the same time, if your venue is in a great area, surrounded by locals who can’t wait to spend their money, but impossible to find, to event will not go well.
- How big is the venue and how many traders will there be? A huge venue with five traders in it will see nobody selling anything even if the place is overrun with punters due to lack of choice. Likewise a tiny venue with traders squeezed in up to the roof will see the same result, as customers cannot see anything for there being too much look at.
- What do other traders think of the Fair you are looking at? Remember to get opinions of traders who sell things on a par with you. If you sell girlie or luxury things, don’t talk to the guy selling hand carved tractors.
- Think about the time of year. "Craft Fairs" don’t seem to do so well in the summer, but they are more than worth it in the run up to Christmas. In the Spring and Summer, look into village days, agricultural shows, garden fetes and craft exhibtions. These sort of events seem to attract impulse buyers with money far better at this time of year – the craft fairs only seem to attract "lookers and pokers".
- How long is it ‘til the event? This one is especially relevant in the run up to Christmas. If you find a fair or are approached by an organiser who has space at an event that is less than 2 weeks away, think carefully. It could just be that they have had a cancellation and are trying to fill the space. But more often than not, it is a indication that the event is badly organised and being pulled together at the last minute. Good fairs are always booked up months in advance.
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