Are you participating in any craft show this year?

Most of my friends from the frenzy thread selling jewelry. These tips follows not only if you are selling jewelry but I think it's good also if you sell any kind of craft.
I want to share with you some of the tips.

Jewelry craft shows are everywhere. If you are a jewelry artist- entrepreneur, this is a very important time of the year when you can make it or break it.

There are several options. Flea market, small church and fund raising events, indoor arts and craft shows and then mega scale big arts and craft shows are there to choose from.. Some times these shows are juried,

 meaning you have to send them pictures of your product or link of your on line web site and the judges will decide if your product is right for the show.

Some times there are jewelry craft shows that are less relaxed with commercial vendors allowed to sell things that are not necessarily hand made.

Which shows are right for you? How would decide and then get ready to do a good job, impress your buyers with great products and service? How would you display your products and price them? What are the tips that you must remember for optimum profits?

 

What is the style of the jewelry craft show that you are thinking of participating?:

What is the style of the show? Is it country style, or traditional, modern, or mixed with commercial vendors or is it a highly artistic type ?

Does the style match with you and your product? What is the fee of the booth and what does it include? Is electricity provided? Would the customers have to pay admission fees too? What price range worked best?

These questions should be answered by the promoter and past vendors.

Where is the jewelry craft show going to be that you are thinking of joining?

Where is it going to be? Is that too far from your home? Do you have to fly or drive for three hours? Do you have to rent a motel? Is it out side? In that case if you have to bring a tent and all the other things are you prepared for that? Is the show outside or inside? Be clear to ask regarding parking options and the rules that you have to follow.

Who are the potential customers coming to this jewelry craft show?
ho are coming? Are they mostly affluent people looking for high end sophisticate jewelry, or are they teenagers from a nearby college campus expecting a different style and price structure? Is it

 a juried show or do you have to compete with mass produced commercial, cheaper stuff?

How is this jewelry craft show going to be?

How is the show going to be? Would it be out in the open field, or around the downtown streets where you have to put up your 10'x10'booth on concrete? How will you bring electricity or are you thinking of buying a generator? How do earlier vendors like this show?

How was the traffic last year? How long is this show going on - for how many years?

These questions must be answered by the promoter.

When is this jewelry craft show that you are thinking of joining going to be?

When is it happening? In the wee hour of the weekend or does it stay up until midnight?

Remember you have to be there at least a couple of hours before it opens to regular customers. Or, are there any rules regarding that you must know?. How may the weather affect the show, your sale and your energy level at that time of the year?

Are there other shows happening simultaneously at the same vicinity? That will affect the traffic in your show too. Such information about jewelry craft show ideas are easily available if you do the research.

Many professional vendors are successful in high traffic shows, even if they were more stressful. These jewelry craft shows are hard to get in some times, and the booth fees are more expensive.

But research shows that in the end the artist-vendors were more satisfied and made better profit.

Then again, if you are new in this field you may try step by step starting with indoor shows, build up your clientele and inventory and gradually move to more competitive jewelry craft shows.

Philip Kadubec in his book Crafts and craft shows says that it is worth preparing yourself to compete for those juried competitive shows with great artists. . In the beginning you may just break in but eventually as you learn from your experiences and mistakes and get your clientele, it is far more profitable and gratifying than playing safe in smaller, less challenging fields.

Yet, you must know yourself best and go from there once you are clear with all these craft show ideas

 Ref
Sunshine Artist Magazine
Fair and Festivals.net