Our first big Craft Fair at Peterborough’s Queesngate!
Make use of as much space as possible!
Join us and revisit our first ever experience at a larger Craft Fair. One hosted locally by Treasured Events, which appeared at Peterborough’s very own Queensgate. We will take a look at how we planned it, how we set the stall up, how we made sales and what we learned on the day. All rounded off by what we should have done, or will do, or might do in the future. Oh, did we mention we made our own stand too!
A big step for our little business
Taking part in some kind of event was always on our radar. Probably part of some distant thoughts or dreams that go back years ago! And lets be honest, there were and always will be a bit of hesitation when stepping into something new. Its a natural process, and if there is anyone who is quite happy to hide in the corner and watch, its me. With that being said, it wasn’t too long before we got our first opportunity to sell our wares.
We had completed a few smaller events before, more like, community centres, and smaller gatherings, this gave us some of the most important information at well, one of the most important times. At the beginning. It gave us first hand experience on how much space you have, how to communicate with customers, potential buyers and what to do in the quieter bits inbetween.
But this, this was one we could not miss out on. The opportunity to set up a stand over two days at Peterborough Queensgate. It was our first major public facing event to-date.
Spoiler alert: It was worth it! So if you are a fellow creative, artist, maker-creator looking to test the waters, this post will take you behind the scenes, from setup stress to our biggest takeaways! And if you are looking for tips, we will have some right here!
Why we chose Queensgate for our first big event
We offer smaller items too!
Signage is as important as the work itself.
Smaller events were perfect to get an idea of how to present what we offer in a professional and exciting way. Think live tigers, juggling ferrets. No, none of that. Only the best manner which we can achieve on a limited budget with the skillset we either possess or try hard to achieve.
Queensgate and Treasured Events offered us a few big selling points;
Indoor Space (no worrying about canvas flying through the wind)
A central, high-traffic location
Multiple days to build momentum
A supportive organiser who knew their stuff and how to advertise effectivly through many avenues.
Plus, it was closer to home. It felt as it was our local, our reigon and it felt good to connect to a local community.
The setup: Nerves, Coffee and tables
First thing, nerves, its a fact of life, use it, get it done and get underway with plenty of time beforehand. You will soon come to realise that all those nerves and worries are completely unneccessary and a good organsier will easily put your mind to rest. They want exactly the same you - everything to be as easy flowing, easy to do and having a blast doing it. You will soon make some fantastic friends.
Do your research with how you will display your wares. Way before the event. We used Google, Pinterest and word of mouth (by visiting other fairs and asking questions). Print it all out, and start a list of things to buy. Table, Table cloth, displays, crates, faux plants, lights etc. For us as artists, vertical space matters.
Upwards: We built a collapsable stand to go behind us, giving us more ‘wall space’ to display framed works.
Prices and Signs: Some of work is priced higher than others, I make sure I cater to as many wallets as possible. Smaller prints for less. Original art pieces that cost more. I show most of my prices, but want people to ask about the higher range items.
Backups saves the day: We invested in a 27,000mAh portable battery for our lights and phones. Tape, Scissors, Bags, extra stock. All the little things that you may forget.
Less is more: Try not to overload, but make the aesthetics pop, guide the viewer around your table. Some higher up, like our A3 prints, some lower similar to the magnetic bookmarks.
The Event
The actual event was a blast! Again! Everything runs smooth as you can imagine. Make sure to say hello, to have extra stock prepared and have conversations with other stallholders. After a few events you will get a feel for who wants to speak and who wants to just browse. They are all fine, and everyone has their own way.
For me, personally, it has helped me massivly with any shyness I ever had - the positive chats and general interest are enough to make you forget about anything. One small note, spend time sorting through your table, even pretend, I have found that people are much more relaxed if you look busy, not arms crossed, miserable and not approachable.
Equipment wise, make sure you have a card reader and a float, you will need change for any cash sales!
N.B. This was written a while ago and has been updated to include the fact we have completed many more events.
Hello, I’m Chris
For the past few years Chris has pursued one of his hobbies to make more art. Starting this blog, he finds himself growing a community of like-minded creatives who want to spend less time in front of a screen.
Follow for more tips, how-to’s and inspiration!
