Craft Shows: Pay and Stay

If you pay for a table at a craft show, it only makes sense to show up. Sure things come up, but you should always try your best to make it. You should also try your best to stay for the entire show.

Over the weekend we attended an outdoor craft show. Our instructions stated we were allowed to set up on Friday night, and stay as late as we wanted to Saturday evening. The schedule of events showed activities clear up to 10pm at night, so we knew we would be there until at least dark.

The tables next to us were obviously new at craft shows. Not only did they not show up until Saturday, but a few left in the afternoon. Sure the sales slowed down a bit, but we knew it would pick up later on that day. The schedule was given to all vendors ahead of time, so we all knew it was coming.

What baffled me the most was what one vendor said to me as she packed up at 2pm. When asked if she was leaving already, she stated "yeah, we have another show tonight".

What??

Now why would you pay for a table at two different places? Not only did they not set up Friday, but they left early Saturday too. They missed out on all those sales in the evening, even though they paid for the table. Right now I'm sure they are thinking they won't return to this show because of lack of sales. Of course they didn't make enough sales if they were only there half the show!

If you want to make the most of your craft show, you MUST be there for the entire show. Don't show up late and don't leave early. Outdoor events are going to have slow periods depending on the type of event and what's scheduled.

Also, don't overbook yourself. You can only be in one place at one time. Paying for two different events on the same day is just throwing profits away.

Bottom line is, if you pay for a table, stay there!


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Anita DeFrank & Kara Kelso, authors of Direct Sales Success, specialize in coaching direct sales representatives to reach their goal of becoming successful in their field. For additional help at offline events, visit http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/offline-events.html

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