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Craft Fairs And Beyond
Crafts Fairs offer tremendous exposure for
your group by getting people from all over your
community to come out and get to know about
your group. Some of these shoppers may not
have ever heard of you otherwise. This is your
real chance to get free publicity and community
involvement on a grand scale at a profit.
There are two ways to make a profit from Crafts Fairs. Your group can either simply
1.) provide the space free and then charge from 10% to 25% of each vendors profits with no other costs or you can
2.) charge a set fee and then charge for extras like rental space, tables, decorations, promotion, etc.
3.) become an exhibitor at a preexisting event.
Be sure to schedule your craft fair when it does not conflict with others in your area. The most popular time of the year for these fairs is in the fall during Thanksgiving and in preparation for Christmas. Consider placing your fair during the spring or early summer as an alternative.
Planning should begin at least 6 months prior to your scheduled event. Once your chair and committee are picked, the first job is to begin contacting crafts makers to invite them to participate with your group. Look around and attend other commercial craft shows that are held in your city or state. Call the Chamber Of Commerce in each of the surrounding larger cities. They will have the phone numbers and contacts of the professional organizers that puts these events on.
Contact these organizers and ask for a list of traveling crafter's, since many of the individuals make their living from participating in various shows. The crafter's will welcome the opportunity to sell their wares at another event as their schedule permits.
If you get from one to two dozen crafter's at your first fair, don't be discouraged. Word of mouth among other craftsmen will spread, especially if you treat them like they are your honored guests during the first year. Make sure you network with these same crafter's to get additional names of their crafter friends and acquaintances for invitations to your event next year.
Ask local and national hardware stores like Home
Depot, Lowe's, True Value or others to put up their
own booth at your event geared to sales of crafts
or woodworking tools. This will give you extra
publicity by linking your crafts fair with names
people recognize. Ask them to be your official
sponsor along with a few radio and TV stations
that can give you publicity for free. Ask the radio
station to hook up a live booth at your event.
These activities will generate excitement,
recognition, and attract larger crowds.
These hardware stores can also host several "How To" seminars geared towards displaying crafts, creating crafts, and tool use. Have your radio stations announce to its audience to "come meet the crafts experts at the upcoming XYZ Organization's Spring Crafts Fair, at...(time), on....(date),
in....(place). Attend your favorite FREE crafts seminar."
Don't forget to have a couple of booths for your organization as well. Have a food court and sell cokes snacks, and homemade treats. Have a celebrity food maker or chef with some candy or special quick treat dishes to prepare on-site. Look for these food experts on your local television station Early Morning Show.
Also, have a free gift drawing that everyone who attends can put their name, address, phone, and e- mail address on. Keep these names and put them into your general database so you can alert attendees for next years crafts fair. Also, put a check box on the form so that participants can check to receive your monthly newsletter. This alone is worth having the crafts fair since you can ask for donations at special times during the year when they receive their newsletter.
Have several drawings throughout your fair to keep excitement at its optimum. Again, offer local stores the ability to donate your door prizes with the agreement that you will give them an advertisement during the drawing. Great prizes like cordless drill sets, sanders, etc.
Give "mystery grab bags" that contain glues, paint brushes, and other craft accessories for some of the booths to give out. Each person coming into your fair should be given a Booth Listing Sheet showing the booths, craft seminar site and times, and a map. Mention that there are "mystery booths" that will give each 1/2 hour a "mystery grab bag" for those that have solved a scavenger hunt that you have set up.
This scavenger hunt should be a list of questions that participants have to go around to the various crafts booths and figure out and to then have completed before arriving at the final shop and asking the final question that will get them their "mystery grab bag" prize. Have 2 to 3 different scavenger hunt scenarios mixed up on the Booth Listing Sheet. This will create fun at your crafts fair and people will remember to come back next year.
The best times are remembered long after they occur. Make this one memorable by offering excitement, activity, and value. Your craft fair will be anticipated by everyone long before 12 months rolls around.
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