Transcripts
1. 00 intro: Hello. My name is Dean I freelance graphic designer and photographer based in Germany. Besides photo shoots and graphic design jobs, I sell fine art prints and several other Rhode Island based on my design online in broken water stores and on arts and crafts shoes. In eight years setting on these shows, I find a lot of experience on how to prepare yourself, how to present yourself and your product and how to analyze your science. After in this 1st 3 I would like to share my thoughts on how to find a show. When you get ready for the project, associate it with this class is your very own to do on to Pakistan by star documents I attached to this cause you can use it as a thought experiment or to prepare actually show. Just make sure you leave you finalists on your thoughts in the common section so that we can have each other out. One last thing you might have noticed that English is not my first language, so it might happen that search for world a little bit longer, that I pronounce it differently than you used to Please bear with me, and if you have any problems understanding we don't have a tight toe. Ask in the comments section and I will be glad to help you. So without further ado, let's get started.
2. 01 research: Arts and Crafts shoes have become a fundamental part of business for small labels, artists and craftsman to gain customers wholesale business partners and create income. Being successful on these shows might make the crucial difference for your level and can get you on the next level of success and recognition. First of all, let's start with probably the most important question, and that is where they Croft shows are for you, and witchcraft shows are right for you and your products. Grocers have become all the rage in the last couple of years, and off course. That makes it easier to participate and find a show in your area. On the other hand, it got a lot harder to stand out, and vendors are quite a lot more professional. Now it dies. If you are not sure where the craft shows are the right way of selling for you, I would recommend to simply try it. If you're interested in a special show, just go and have a look. You don't have to participate as a vendor. At first. You can simply go as a bio, are local. Maybe there's a chance to meet the promoter organizer and introduce yourself. And there's, of course, always the chance to ask other artists and vendors how their experiences are. Just make sure not to stand in the white when they're selling things, because that's why they're there. And if you're, you know, disturbing them, they maybe not as willing to give you informations. You can find list of shows in your area, or simply Googling crafter and your state or county. But there are also specialized websites for the US that such hours festival net dot com, Sunshine artists, dot coms, supplication don't walk and so on and so on. I've included a list of those with this class, and you can download it and have a look at them. For the UK, it's websites like UK Croft. First of Come on for Germany, the magazine handmade Could toe offers a very good summary of most shows on the website. Of course, I can cover all states and nations, but I hope I could give you a general idea of what to look for if you are in at Cecelia. It's also may be a good idea to search for local ads. History teams in their forums, even though it's harder to get a place and high end shows. Since they mostly are Jarrett, I recommend a bigger show for your first tries on with bigger shows. I mean those that have a fee at approximately $100. In my experience, very small and local shows, especially those that are combined with flea markets or farmers markets and the take place in, say, like schools, churches or community centers. They can have problems getting enough customers and simply don't have the budget to advertise that much. There's also a very different crowd at those shows, because usually they don't want to spend much money on the high end shows. People come especially to buy stuff, and they are ready to spend more. Starting out with bigger shows also means it's deeper learning curve. You can watch experience renders at work, get their advice and have a look at their market stands and displays. Even if you don't sell that much on your first show, take it as a chance to gain some inspiration and information know how and contacts, of course,
3. 02 equipment: When you have decided to take part in a show, the next step will be to equip yourself. If it's an outer market and no tents are provided, make sure to bring your own. There's a whole range of tens for me under $100 to up to 1000. As a beginner, you will probably go for a cheaper one, like $100 or less on. You can get them at your local hardware store or Amazon or other online vendors. Just make sure that is waterproof and maybe take one that you can see all the sides that has side panels that can be really useful when it's windy or rainy, because sometimes the rain not only comes from a buff, but from the sides, and it's really helpful to be able to close those sides. Don't forget to pack your products accordingly. I'm usually no fan of too much plastic for out of packing, but when you're dealing with delicate products, especially ardent paper goods, you should take care to make them waterproof. Also, Pakistan paperweights so that your goods don't get blown away by wind on. Take care to use some waits for your tender. Also, we usually use pretty buckets filled with gravel to tie down the tent, but I have seen other winners simply use filled water bottles, and it works just fine. You definitely need tables, and most commonly used on shows are folding tables. They are pretty sturdy. They don't use much sprays in your car, and mostly they are adjustable and height, which allows a lot of different setups for different kinds of shows. They've pretty versatile. If you want to purchase these, I would highly recommend it. They are obtainable almost everywhere from Amazon to your local hardware store, and they cost about $2025 per piece. An alternative to those is to buy simple table legs that can be easily taken, often screwed on again. You've probably seen some of thes at I, Kia or other furniture shops on. You can use them this different tabletops, and they are a little bit more individual than the folding tables. You also need something to sit on during the show on. Although I like to stand behind my table and find it more engaging than a sitting vendor, there are times when you simply need a little sit down folding chairs like director's chairs. A very practical on. I've seen also a lot off bar stools, but I personally use a small bench that always take along to store my packing materials under. Whenever I need a little break, I put aside the paperbacks and sit down that why I don't need to park an extra chair. I need less spice behind the table. Of course, it's up to you. Which solution you would love to take along. Make sure you're comfortable behind the table because it shows to customers when deciding which lambs to TAIK. You, of course, have to consider the venue of the season and the opening hours off the show. If you show takes place outdoors, there's also the possibility that their snow direct electricity. In that case, you should research some led spot systems that are battery driven. I know that you probably want to get your booth as light as possible, but I don't recommend using huge and very bright fights instead. But I go for four or five smaller sports and use them to highlight your best sense. I think if you're light as guides for your customers, eyes a personal use ever. Variation of Lambs My mind lights are two photo lambs from my studio. They are adjustable in height, come with telescopes, stands and have a matte black finish that I really like. And it fits my slightly vintage statics perfectly. There are tons of similar lambs out there, and the lamb shown here on exactly the models I board, but I wanted to give you an idea of what I use additional. Now. Always, Taek is old and better to Islam. That adds a little vintage touch to my booth in a little charm, and I always take some black eye Keilar spotlights with me, especially around Christmas. I also used some fairy lights that are better, were driven and that I can put into mice and jars, and it always adds a little festive touch, and you can be creative with your lighting. Think about it beforehand, but also take something that you can live up whenever you need it. The overall goal of your lighting is to find that balance between making everything clearly visible. Andi still add very homely and cozy atmosphere
4. 03 stock up: next, let's dip into some general advice on what to pack and how much to take along. One much quoted rule of thumb birds to Pakis much s you think you need and then double that amount. That's of course, a bit of saturated by. There's a lot of truth in it, it seriously annoying that were sold out and really successful items out of stock. Off course. You can always have customers pre order or go online, but my experience shares that people want to buy the products they fell in love with there and then so pack as much as humanly possible. And don't forget to write down, which I don't he took and how many. It seems like a tedious task, and it sometimes can be to count all your products and write down your numbers. But it's well worth the effort, since it enables you to analyze your sights when you're right in the middle of a show. It's incredibly hard to make notes and keep track of your science. It happens every so often that there's a whole 10 minutes people just looking at your staff and then all of a sudden, five customers want to buy your products at once, so keep a simple tally sheet for product groups. Fill out doing the show on detailed inventory lists for afterwards. We recover this in detail the third class off the Siri's when it's about analyzing your sales and preparing for the next show. I wanted to give you a small heads up right away for your preparation face. One thing you will probably notice when analyzing your silence is that your online or brick and mortar bestsellers aren't necessarily those that sell best on Croft shoes. There are a lot of reasons for that and recently can talk about all of them. But you should definitely consider your audience and packed for seasonal needs. This may be the most difficult part of packing, since you never know who might show up. But try to get a feel for the venue. The people organizing the event and your fellow artists to assess your possible audience
5. 04 lists: next, let's talk about lists. They seriously our craftiest little help us and make your life that much easier, because as much as you prepare, let's not kid ourselves. The last couple of days before a show are usually a bit chaotic. Whether you have to organize a bigger car, entertain your baby sitting mother in law or take care off the day to day online business or even another day job. That's always quite a lot to do, and things tend to be for gotten, so make sure to write checklists beforehand. When you have the time and concentration, I usually have a to do any Tupac list, and I have included those as a Pdf files to this class Off course, you will have to write your own to cover all your needs, but it's meant to get you started and give you an idea off what you might need. I know for sure some of you might snicker and stuff on the list like tablecloths and chairs and things. Yeah, of course, I'll pick that. I don't have to write that down, but I once had a dear colleague of mine Forget all had titles at home and she had to wait for a husband to get them. Couldn't set up her booth. So that taught me to put everything on the list, because you can easily forget to pack a little stuff like spare light bulbs or something. And then all of a sudden, you Booth gets dark and, you know, prepared so better safe than sorry.
6. 05 accomodation: here in Germany. Many arts and crafts shoes last the whole weekend, and if you live in a small town like I do, you will have to travel a bit to the venue. Mostly, it's not worth the effort to go back home overnight, so it's crucial toe organize where you are going to stay, where they had sleeping at friends or family, booking down or search on platforms like Airbnb. You should definitely think about that way before the actual show so you can concentrate on selling your products. And while you're at it, don't forget to take the address with you and program your smartphone on navigation system so that you know how to get to your lodging. I often don't have a car with me because my family takes it home after the help me set up. So I always research the phone numbers of local taxi services and public transportation because after a long day at the show, it's really important that you don't get stressed by the right accommodation. So take care to organize that as early as possible.
7. 06 change: Let's be honest. There's always that one customer there pays a $1 item with $100 bill, especially at the beginning of a show that can really cause some headaches, so make sure to pack enough change. Of course, the decision which coins to take it depends on your pricing. For example, I have postcards priced at 1 80 eyepiece. So I have to take plenty of 20 cent coins if you price your product at 1 55 59 50 whatever . You don't need 20 cents, but of course, 50 cents. So just make sure your coins match your prices. Impact plenty off banknotes as well. You can collect the coins before and whenever you pay cash somewhere or you can get them. Is coin worlds at your bank? That's of course, pretty convenient, although it might cost this Morphey considering payment options. You should also have a look at different providers to sell or rent electronic payment gadgets. Choosing your provider, of course, depends on your technical requirements, like which smartphone you use, especially where there is an android apple of Windows phone. Because especially windows phones, they can be a bit tricky. I heard And, of course, what kind of course you would like to accept or whether you would like to use a standalone reader instead of one attached to your smartphone. No iPad. As you can see a person, you sum up, but there are several other providers of their like square 11 izettle or even paper on. You should definitely go with them to check whether your requirements fit their plants and also keep your eyes open for collaborations, off providers with etc. Or other hand my platforms because they sometimes offer special bargains. If you decide to use electronic payment options, make sure to promote it on your booth with big signs because it can really make a difference for customs. Keep in mind that they will always be the necessity to pie cash, for example, you cannot flow Internet or even know reception at all at the venue. I once had a short of wonderful old factory building from the 19th century. Let me show you a picture here and all that metal structure, and you can see here, mate, using your mobile phone. Impossible so our customers had to pay cash. You could also have technical issues or even have your phone stolen or loser. So prepare yourself for worst case scenario and don't depend on electronic payment alone. One last point you think about is to get yourself a good practical wallet. I used one that's originally designed for waitresses and servers. It has a big petition for coins and several departments to sort your bills. Plus, it comes with its not a fanny pack. It's like more like a small apron thingy that you can fix to your belt and that allows you to have the money close to you. I personally don't have any experiences with people stealing on markets, but it can happen. And so it's really good. If you have the money is close to you as possible. Are this prefer cash box or a lockbox? And that makes total sense, especially when you're not alone at your booth like I mostly am. So make up your mind which solution works best for you and organize your equipment on time
8. 07 test run: whether you're going with your own car, render transborder or ask friends for a vehicle, just make sure everything fits into the car and have a test run before the extra show. Before, we had our own car always rendered a one right before the show, and it was can for lottery, which Model B got and how much spice we had available. So there was always this sort of fear that I couldn't fit everything in, and I sometimes ended up with a box of stuff on my left or something. Of course, I wasn't driving, but it's still annoying. And you want to avoid that. Believe me now that we have our own car and I really know how much space is available I created to set up that I can rely on for every show where actually we have two setups, one with the kids seat and one without. We took pictures of both while we packed, so we know how to put in the box is even if we don't remember exactly. Sometimes I don't do show for a couple of months having a little one and all, and you don't want to amass up packing just because you put in the box the wrong way, so really helps having some pictures to fresh up your memory. And please don't forget to tie down everything safely because you serious you don't want to get hurt by flying boxes just because you had to hit the brake. Take care to have everything fixed, especially if you have a kid. As you can see, I mostly use clear boxes, and I really recommend them, since you can see what's in them and don't have to rummage through to find something you're looking for, especially when storing the number there table doing the show. It's half full when you can see through the sides of the boxes. I bought mine and I Kia and they come in a variety of sizes that can be easy stacked, which saves a lot of spice. But of course, there are a lot of other Brian's out there you can use seemed to Google a couple of them to find the size is unique
9. 08 conclusion: so that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this class. Got some new information. If you like, you can join me in the next course, and there are. We'll talk about why Still present your products so that they are most apparent customers. How to price your goods and how to create a general atmosphere on your show. That's both good for you and potential bias. Don't forget to write your to do and to practice so that you are prepared for any outcome show and please let me know if there's anything missing on my list. If you're selling food or charismatics of fresh in, there are a lot of other things to consider, and I would love this course, and it's common section to become some sort of a gathering place for information and contacts that you can come back to any time. So let's stick together and happy each other. Speaking of having a job out, I would love to think to people who let me use that poster, this class and union. They are the rightful top professed, and if you want to have a look at their photos free stuff by the websites and you can find the addresses in the credits. I wish you a right first or next show and hope to see you around. Sketch. Bye bye.
Stine Wiemann, Freelance Graphic Designer & Photographer
