As an artist it is key to find admirers of your work and clients to pay the bills. These days social media helps with many hurdles of connecting with your viewers and buyers but face to face conversation has no competition. Considering all these things I decided to participate as a vendor in the Annual Lilac Festival in Calgary. It is hyped to be the biggest street festival in spring and it turned out to be true indeed.
I will go through the basic steps of how I got involved and the efforts we put into it.
Book your spot : Participation deadline is the key to getting a stall at these festivals. I booked my spot in the month of April. I had about a month and half to prepare and make this event a success.
Inventory & product display : This was probably the hardest part to decide what images I’d like to print and display at the booth. As you know I post regularly on social media so clues from the likes and comments on images worked a bit, however I chose to opt for landscape images for most of the display. I had a lot of help from my hubby and we also added few cityscapes just to be safe. Prints on Luster paper, Hahnemühle fine art paper and Matte paper were the favorites. We also chose to add few greeting cards, calendars, postcards and bookmarks. I would suggest planning this months ahead if you can for timely creation or ordering of items.
Updating your brand : If you have a logo, website and strong social media presence already it would be very helpful to get more response. In case you are starting out like me, work on the branding for all your products and overall presence. It helps to bring uniform look to your booth as well as creates authenticity and strong visual appeal and standardized message with your branding. Photoshop for logo creation or if you have the skills Adobe Illustrator would help too. Website I chose initially was WordPress but I had to switch to Squarespace for additional features they offered all in one spot. Creating flyers or brochures with offers and plans for different clientele helps as well.
Create inventory & pricing : This is probably a very important step to get success. If you have all the market analysis and some research on data what sells and top products you may sell on a given day keep tabs on the cost of creating and the cost of selling the item. If there is a line-up you may miss how much stock you have and what is already gone. Create a digital inventory of your merchandise and offer cost variations based on your customer’s interest. Payment methods have come a long way since cash, so offer your customers some alternatives to pay for the sale using digital methods of credit, debit or PayPal.
Display shelves, overall look for your booth: Welcoming is the key but also spacious and open area is how you may want to design your booth. Products that can be visible from afar and then smaller items to inspect upon closer contact is a better idea. It invites the customers to check out your merchandise for a distance without the uncomfortable rush by gesture if they feel pressured to communicate. Have price tags visible or eliminate them all-together so there is a chance for small talk.
Day of the event: You may be very nervous on the day of your event, use the energy from those butterflies to bring out the best in you. One day will not define your business prospects but you can end up with some happy faces with engagement and quality products. Remember to breathe and take it all one step at a time. These festivals are for building connections and showing the world what you have to offer.
Expectations, hopes and reality: Crowd, weather and merchandise or conditions of the stalls around you will probably help the day go by faster or drag if your visitors are skipping away from a distance. If the stalls next to yours is selling food, giving freebies or entertaining products some clientele will stop by for a chat or to say hello. Keep options to rejuvenate and hydrate throughout the day.
The aftermath & business outcome: At the end of an exhibition you will probably be very exhausted, ask few friends to help wind down the booth or have a plan to put everything back together without any damage. Depending on your sales you may be very excited to come back next year or you may be ready to hit the pillow feeling disappointed. But take this as a learning challenge and come back more prepared next time. Business is ever-changing and more challenging theses days as online stores compete with small local sellers. You may not win them all but a few loyal clientele can take you to big heights with word-of-mouth and positive feedback or review options, so don’t be afraid to ask.