21 tips for craft fair success

I used to attend and organise craft fairs in and around Lancashire, UK and I picked up loads of tips and ideas over that time, so with the run up to Christmas I thought I would share some hints and tips on participating in a fair (craft/zine etc)

Firstly, it is just as much your responsibility, as the organisers to share the event, multiple times over social media platforms, in your newsletter etc, the more people who share it, the more visitors will come. Take photos of getting ready for the event, share your behind the scenes, what you are making etc, share these on socials to build up the anticipation.

Be a good stall holder and communicate clearly your needs when booking, so if you need electricity or want a wall etc, ask when you book. Don't leave it till the week before to ask.

Turn up with plenty of time to set up, time it at home if you haven't done it before.

There are loads of ways to set up your stall, have a few practices at home so you can find out how you like things to look and its always worth looking around for ideas to help you have a great display. Pinterest is an excellent source of inspiration, just search stall set up, craft stall set up, zine stall etc

I always take a table cover, this can be a double duvet cover (perfect size), a tablecloth, a sheet etc, make sure its ironed and rolled so it looks crisp and fresh. Check that the table covering doesn't outshine your products, you want them to stand out. Tuck the excess bits of fabric in at the front of the stall around the legs, so visitors can't trip over them. Take safety pins to attach your name sign/bunting to the tablecloth. Pack your tablecloth last, so it is the first thing available to put on your stall.

Take a cushion for your bottom, hard chairs are no fun to sit on!

Wear layers, some places are really hot and others draughty

Money - have a box with change in, coins and notes, make sure you have plenty, lots of people like to pay with £20 notes

Have a way of paying with cards, a card machine, paypal etc as lots of people pay with bank cards.

Have 2 price lists of your items, one for the public and one for yourself, so you can see how much things are without having to lean over the stall.

A drink and a snack, I take water and a flask for a hot drink, sometimes it is too busy to leave your stall and often there isn't a place at the fair to buy a cuppa.

Cards/ leaflets with your name on and a contact number and website if you have one, so many orders come after the fair from people who take your details. If you want to be fancy, you can make a QR code for people to scan.

Carrier bags, even though we all want to cut down on plastic bags some people will want a bag, you can use paper bags for smaller items too.

A calculator if you are not great a maths or use the one on your phone

If you have space and go by car, a trolley or small stand is perfect for putting all the office bits (bags, card reader, money box, gift wrap etc) on and this can be behind your stall. I have the NISSAFORS trolley from Ikea and it is perfect, great height and is slim so doesn't take up much room behind your stall.

I always price things on a round number or to the nearest 50p, this way it is easier for me and my small useless maths brain to add up

If you are going to be brave and use 99’s then a psychological tip is someone will be more willing to pay £9.99 than £10.00, they think they are getting a bargain and your only losing out on a penny.

Try and add height to your table, if its eye level its better, make good use of your table space by using bookshelves, rails etc again look at Pinterest for ideas, I made a zine stand from cardboard for my last event and it worked really well.

Make sure you write a list of the things you need to take so you can cross them off as you pack, its almost certain if you don’t you will forget something. It also handy to take a pen, paper, pins, tape etc, keep these in a separate box so when you are setting up, you have everything handy in one place.

At the event, smile, be engaging, it might feel weird and awkward and there is a fine line in being pushy and weird and being friendly, and you have to judge each customers demeanor (maybe they are shy and want to just browse) but if you can make contact, do it in a nice way, after they have been at your stall a short while, don't pounce as soon as they arrive, you could say something like "hi, are you enjoying the fair?" or "ohh I like your earrings" to break the ice, be genuinely interested in what the person is saying back to you, I find once a connection is established, it leads to sales.

I find having something they can interact with on the stall is helpful too, it depends what you are selling of course, but things like free samples, oracle cards (if this fits in with your business) things to smell, things to try (lotions, oils etc) can really help people to connect with you.

My biggest advice is, from an energetic perspective, get your energy right before you go, keep checking in with yourself through the day and most of all, look at fairs as marketing events, not sales events, it takes away the energy of desperation (you know that feeling when no one is buying and you start counting the money, how much it has cost for the stall etc) fairs can be brilliant for marketing, for connection and new opportunities, when you go with that mindset, your sales seem to flow in beautifully.

Has this been helpful?

let me know in the comments if you have anything else you would add.