 | 04/15 2007 Newsletter |
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Questions Vendors Should Ask of New Events
Upcoming Show Schedule Table Handouts
Site Newsletter - Release Date: 04/15 2007
While researching and choosing new events to try this year, be sure to research the following, usually by calling the promoter and asking directly if not posted here or on their site.
Questions to research for your possible new events:
# of years running?
Attendance? Been going up or down? Admission Fee? Up/down? Customer Parking?
How much do most vendors make? - No one can price booths w/o having an idea of this..
# vendors this year, # last, % returning, % of re-apps declined?
# of vendors last year in YOUR category, avg sales, # that were/are returning?
Advertising, budget, signs, mailing list, handouts to vendors?
Jury strictness, requirements, % that pass? Response Date
What is venue like? Spot location types? Lighting & electricity? Haul distance?
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Upcoming Show Schedule table handouts, a good idea? How effective do you find them?
An artist brought up most of this with me on the phone the other day and I though it was worth sharing. He wanted to print his show list here for handout and we got to talking about the 2 ways to look at upcoming show lists:
Notification to your customers and possible customers where to find you to buy more
&
Notification to your competition as to where they can take sales away from you
It seems to me that there are fewer handouts on tables than yesteryear when I remember most booths had show flyers or an upcoming show list of some sort. I hear there are a few promoters that ban them displayed in booths, I'm guessing very ritzy, glamorous shows, but they are so few that they can not be the cause of the overall decline in use.
So do folks today find them less effective than they once were, more of a threat than a help, too much work to produce and upkeep, or have folks simple come to the conclusion that handouts do not work?
What is your most common question after a sale? For me the toss-up would be between ”Where will you be next?” or “Are you doing any other shows in the area?” Usually by lunch, my dad and I have our list of a few upcoming area ones on the tip our tongue, ready to be spat out spastically to inquirers - my parents don't publish a list so that other vendor's can't follow them.
You can also have a upcoming show list and show flyers and REORDER FORM packet that you place in every sale bag. This alleviates having it in the open for other vendors to take but neglects all the 'near sales' you had that day and might have picked up a show list of yours.
Customers might not even want anything yet, but know they like your style. However they may need a gift or if they did purchase, they may want more once they start to get compliments or want a matching one, or one for their daughter, etc. etc.
EVERY handout handed out helps everyone at the advertised shows and the industry.
The most likely customer is a past customer – let them know where you will be next!
Will handouts really bring more competition to your 'good' shows? They will, but this business is about competition, you should be dealing with competition ALREADY in other ways such as having a unique product line that is distinctively yours yet evolves faster than others can copy. Despite bringing a little competition, handouts will bring even more in sales from customers that came to see you and buy from you!
Decades ago, when my parents were starting out in the business, they would end me around to collect the upcoming show lists and event flyers from all the other vendors tables. We don't have handouts for me to see others taking ours today, but I'm sure that at every show, some vendors are going around collecting them to learn of new shows. They aren't gonna do all the shows they learn of, they only need a few more in their area to fill their a few empty weekends per year. Should this disgust and discourage you though? I think not. Let others do as they will, you just keep on trucking...
-Louy
Artist Comment: I have added a few events that I know about and that I am attending. When I do add an event, I make sure all the information is listed. It would help me to get promoters to list here if they could see what is available to them here. This year it would announce them additional applicants and next year they can add it themselves as a promoter once they know.
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Promoter Add On:
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If you have picked a UserName, you have a Website URL! You can have your listing upgraded here if you mention us on your application and/or website. The best part is, you can link directly to your personal page URL. Example:
More info about event and photos at: http://www.CraftLister.com/RidgewoodCoop/
If You don't want to use your personal page URL, the following is plenty:
For More Art & Craft Shows Listings, visit: http://wventLister.com/
Upgrade your listing today! Doing so sooner gets you more value since for the same price, your event listing will be highlighted sooner and for longer!
As well as our free listings work, upgraded listings do undeniably work better since they get many times more views by artists and crafters and many more applicants from our users overall! The proof is tracked and shown online. EventLister.com monitors many stats on itself and usage shows that Highlighted and Featured listings get more user attention!
Here is the page online with graphs: http://www.craftlister.com/help/listing_performance.php
The basic differences between the listing types:
Free / Basic Listing – Everyone has access to all your event info for a few months before it and full members have access to it always as soon as it is posted. Included in emails for few months before without phone.
Paid Listing – (can still be free if U mention US in trade) Everyone has access to all your event info always as soon as it is upgraded to Paid Status. Included in emails for entire time with name and phone.
Highlighted Listing – Everyone has access to all your event info always as soon as it is upgraded. Search results show event listing with a yellow highlighted box around it and more info than others. Included in emails for entire time with name and phone with a yellow background highlighted area.
Featured Listing – Everyone has access to all your event info always as soon as it is upgraded. Search results show event listing with a yellow highlighted box around it and more info than others, name font is about twice as large as others and a photo is shown in search results . Included in emails for entire time with name and phone with a yellow background highlighted area.
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