Tips & Talk 104 – A Discussion on Large versus Small Craft Shows

Hi there,

it's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk

Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions

and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small

business. If you'd like to submit a topic,

DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped.

Before I get into the show today,

I have a message for you.

If you're just now starting to think of starting a handmade

product business,

at this point,

you may be thinking about your business name and logo.

That's what would be natural and what most people would do,

but hold on a second.

It's not the best initial step.

There are other important things to do first to make sure

you're set up for success and ensure your product easily attracts

buyers. Sometimes it's just a little tweak.

That's the difference between a thriving and failing business.

Before you spend a lot of time and money,

make sure to validate your product and ensure it's positioned and

priced so you'll see results right from the beginning.

That way you can start your business with confidence.

I can help you with that.

Go to gift biz unwrap.com/start

for all the details.

We are so lucky in our industry of handmade to have

what feels like endless options for face-to-face selling options that come

in all styles and formats too.

Craft shows,

county fairs,

church bazaars,

local handmade creator markets,

artisan exhibitions,

upscale jury shows,

special themed events,

all different versions offering you so many choices.

Coast to coast when considering which shows to do some decisions

are easy because of your product,

your snack mix is a natural fit for a farmer's market,

or if you're a fine artist,

our juried art show makes perfect sense and will attract the

right customers.

Even going outside of your obvious fit can prove fruitful.

Many of my handmade coaching students have gone to shows that

seem to have been a mismatch but have been highly successful

perhaps because it seems so random and therefore attracts attention free

of competitors.

Testing is always the only way to know if a show

will work for you,

but there are things to consider to slant the odds in

your favor.

Today, I wanna talk about the size of a show and

how that can affect your success.

You may initially think that larger shows will bring greater results,

but that's not always the case.

Both large and small shows are worth considering.

I recently got back from a show that over the years

has dramatically shrunken size,

but my sales were just as good if not better than

some of the shows that were four times the size in

the past.

Let's talk about each of these types of shows to help

you analyze and plan your show participation moving forward.

Small shows first,

if you're doing your very first show,

small is definitely the way to go.

It'll be less overwhelming and costly and will allow you to

find and perfect your show style.

A starter booth display will work just fine as you test

and plan and then upgrade from there.

Small shows also give you time to learn your most comfortable

customer interaction style.

I've done quite a few episodes now on how to manage

communication at your booth,

and I'll add those to the show notes page here for

this episode.

But smaller shows aren't just for newbies.

There are lots of advantages that bode well for businesses of

all sizes.

If this show is in your local community,

you don't have any travel time and can sleep in your

own bed at night,

which is a huge plus at local shows,

you'll also most likely know a lot of the browsers,

which brings ease to conversations and potentially new awareness of your

business to some of your friends or distant acquaintances.

The sense of community and supporting local will play in your

favor too with sales and email signups.

Smaller shows like farmer's markets usually have a regular schedule the

first Saturday of each month,

for example,

or even weekly during the season.

Being seen regularly at a setup like this builds trust,

and of course the opportunity for repeat purchases,

so even though it's smaller in terms of attendance and draw

the quality of customers and weekly sales from the same people

is high product dependent.

Of course,

another advantage is easy in and out parking,

no long walks to the venue or dealing with parking garages.

This accessibility prompts more last minute decisions on behalf of attendees

who can pop in and out quickly.

An ease of access can also prompt repeat visits on both

Saturday and Sunday because it's a social setting to hang out

in as well.

I talk about this more in next week's tips and talk

show. Smaller shows can attract large or small crowds.

Relatively speaking.

You can have a huge convention hall and no traffic as

easily as you can.

Have a craft show that's a couple of blocks long that's

packed with people doesn't correlate.

In other words,

a small show can bring in a large crowd and vice

versa. It depends on a lot of things including weather,

but don't be dismayed if the number of people walking a

show is low when there are fewer people.

It gives you and your booth visitors more time to talk.

It's less rushed and does have the potential to bring in

just as many dollars as a busy show because you have

more time to interact and that leads to bigger ticket orders.

A smaller show may also mean you're the only one there

selling the product in your particular category.

Less lesser note competition can be a big plus for obvious

reasons. Let's move on to the larger shows now.

They're typically put on in a city or a county and

have more structure to them by necessity.

In my area,

we have the one of a kind show in the Chicago

Merchandise Mart that occurs twice a year,

and by contrast,

the Cain County Flea Market,

which is a monthly event from March through December.

One is more formal and the other is super casual.

Both attract large crowds and need an organized parking system.

It's definitely an investment of time and energy to attend one

of these shows,

which is part of the appeal.

It's pretty much a full day of activity and entertainment at

these shows.

There's a lot of opportunity to get visibility you wouldn't have

otherwise. People drive from all around pulling from as far as

50 miles in any direction.

Having new people find you and learn about your company is

huge. Many times you're able to keep your booth location from

show to show so people who wanna purchase again can easily

find you.

Even with so many vendors,

there's also more competition at large shows,

but this can be a good thing.

Someone who's looking for new earrings won't necessarily buy just one

pair. Having your products stand side by side with others can

actually bring you in more sales with the superior product quality

I know you have and a unique design style and display,

you have the opportunity to stand out and since you've listened

to this podcast,

you know how to interact with people to make them feel

special and enjoy their time with you.

That all leads to sales with or without competition.

People also spend more time at large shows.

There's entertainment,

sitting areas,

bathrooms, because there's always that need when you spend a lot

of time at a show,

and this offers a couple of things.

First, someone who's already visited your booth may pass by several

times over the course of the day.

While they may have liked but not purchased from you the

first time,

they might a second or the third.

It also gives someone time to think about your products for

a bit and still take action while they're at the show.

They fell in love with your leather bags,

but it's more than they wanted to spend,

so they walked away and decided they were gonna think about

it, but they can't get it out of their their mind

and eventually decide it's now or never,

and they return to purchase.

The chances of them seeking you out after they leave a

show are dramatically reduced even if they have a card with

your website on it.

Larger shows where people spend a lot more time allows this

to happen.

There are definite advantages and disadvantages to both large and small

shows. How much publicity does a show get to attract people

or even let them know it's happening?

What is your cost to attend?

How does it attract customers who would normally buy your items?

These are all things to consider when making a show plan.

Ideally, as I mentioned earlier,

if you're starting out a small local show is the way

to go.

Once you have a couple of shows under your belt,

expand out and try others.

You'll find some smaller shows,

produce better results than others,

and the same with comparing one larger show against another experiment.

Analyze afterwards and you're sure to land on the right mix

for you.

That's a wrap.

I'm a get to the point kind of girl,

and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek

sessions. Now it's your turn.

Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.

Share your handmade products with us.