events – Coastal Carolina Soap Blog

Preparing for my Favorite Event

How’s your last week been? We solemnly and with a good deal of relief enjoyed our first week post-soccer season. In one respect, I was a little lost. The time came when I would normally have prepared my practice plan, and there was no practice for which to play. However, my younger daughter and I got to take a great – if not also occasionally creepy – walk while the older one was at dance. Halloween came and went with a late night, tons of fun with friends, and almost as much candy. In short, it was a good last week of fall break.

One of the major things I accomplished this past week was submitting the reservation for my spot for my absolute favorite show of the year. Caveat: I only do two events a year. One I call my favorite local show, the other is my absolute favorite event of all. My fave event is one I call, in short, the EPA Show. Its long name is the Annual EPA Holiday Bake and Craft Show, so you can see why I’d shorten it.

There are four things that make this event my favorite.

The people. Each year that I work this show gives me the opportunity to reconnect with people who have known me since I was five – the few who are left, anyway – and those who I’ve met in the years of doing this show. Some are fellow vendors, others are customers, and then there’s Romeo, the kick-butt line cook in the cafeteria who can bring a smile to my uncaffeinated lips as he slides an omelet to me.
The set-up. Tables already in place. A simple display. Reduced product line. All these go into making the schematics of setting up for this show quick and relatively easy. Granted, I have to get through the security necessary in a government building and schlep everything from the underground loading dock to my spot – all without coffee! – but it’s easier than most other events. Tear-down is even easier.
My selling team. This is the one event that my mom helps me vend. One of the girls usually comes along, too. Having help is always valuable, but having moments to sit back and watch them in action is delightful. My younger daughter (then 7) had her first turn behind the table last year, and she totally rocked it!
The booth fee. Free is always good, right? Well, it’s not entirely “free.” I have to account for my time and gas, but I don’t have to pay to be there.

This year’s show is just a hair over a month away, and I started the grinding prep work last week as I wrapped and labeled soaps that have been happily curing for months. I’ve got a few new products I’ll be bringing out for it, which I’ll be telling you about in the days and weeks ahead. It’s gonna be great! We can’t wait!

How to Get Me to Vend Your Event

You have a spectacular event. It’s well-planned, scheduled at just the right time of year, and you are expecting some crazy-good crowds, You have tripped over my website or heard of me through the show grapevine, and you send me an application in the mail. What will make me say, “Oh my gosh, I will simply perish if I can’t vend this event” and part with a chunk of my hard-earned money? Well, barring a scheduling conflict, here are some things I look for before I sign my name on the line and mail in my booth fee.

One, how long has this event been going on? I’m more likely to toss my hat in the ring for an established event that already has a following. I might consider a first-time event.

Two, What sort of advertising are you doing? If you’re so committed to your event to invest in billboards, TV ads, and radio spots, then I know this is a huge big deal to you. Your striving for success tells me I have a chance to be successful, too.

Three, What other vendors do you have? If you’re an artisan-only show, then I expect vendors to be well-juried to weed out multi-level marketing companies. I promise you, those sellers/representatives are not artisans selling artisan products. If you’re allowing commercial vendors, then what’s your ratio? As an artisan, I personally have no desire to compete against a commercial vendor selling inferior soaps made in some overseas sweatshop in upscale packaging for $3.00 a bar.

Along with that, how many other artisan soap vendors will be joining me? Some competition is great, and I enjoy meeting other soapers. Plus, we might sell different products that appeal to different customer bases, which is cool. However, four soapmakers out of around a hundred vendors, all selling about the same type of product, is a bit much, don’t you think? Yes, that has happened.

Four, what sort of crowds are you expecting? You could be planning a small, cozy event with maybe 200 attendees who will spend lots, or a humongous event with a projected 40,000 attendees who may or may not spend much at all. I have a good reason for asking. My first show was a 4-day event, 44 hours across those 4 days. The event coordinator said that on one day, there could be 20,000 coming through in a few hours’ time period. The “surge” I was expecting was a mere trickle. A veteran vendor said at the end of the night, “I estimate we had 10,000 all day.”

Five, How can I get more information about your event? I would look for things like a Facebook page, reviews of past events by other vendors who’ve done it, or a website. A current Twitter or Instagram feed shows me you tend to be active about keeping your followers up-to-date and are likely to post right before and during the event to draw interest and generate excitement.

Six, Is your booth fee realistic for the duration of the event? Two separate events, same month. One is essentially a one-day event; the other, 3-day weekend. The booth fee for the weekend is just $20 more than the booth fee for the one-day event. Considering other expenses, it’s important for me to determine if your event is cost-effective for my business. Some argue, “But it’s contact. It’s exposure.” Sure it is, but if nothing comes of that exposure, then I’ve wasted a good deal of time and money. I’d rather invest that same amount of time in building and strengthening relationships with my customers.

I love events, speaking to customers face-to-face, seeing their expressions when they smell particular soaps (a little Perfect Man, anyone?), and teaching them about the amazing benefits of artisan soaps. As my business has grown and I’ve matured as its owner, I have learned to be more picky about the events I do. No more selling myself short or cheap chasing after the almighty dollar.

What things do you look for in events you would do?

The Joy of Saying No, pt. 1

The Joy of Saying No, pt. 2

How NOT to Invite Someone to Be a Vendor

Although I do not participate in many shows and events anymore, I still receive letters and applications to my post office box from event coordinators inviting me to participate in their particular events. Occasionally, these come by email, but mostly, it’s snail mail. Perhaps it is an event in which I participated in the past, or maybe it’s an event in a rural county in which I participated in another event. (Sometimes the names are shared, which is fine.) All of these events have some sort of credibility – long standing, well-visited Facebook page, a good reputation, whatever.

It is really rare that I get invited to do an event from out of the blue, and especially an event to which I have no connection whatsoever. On Friday, it happened. It appeared as a tri-folded piece of printer paper taped shut that showed up at my home. Usually, the only business-related stuff that comes to my home are shipments and bank statements (before I went paperless); correspondence goes to my PO box, as that’s the address on my business cards, checks, website and all social media avenues.

The outside of the most unprofessional business mail I've ever received. — The outside of the most unprofessional business mail I’ve ever received.

Wow. Can you believe that? No stamp, no envelope, not even a return address. If they can’t even take care to place the piece of paper in an envelope or slap a stamp on that bugger, then what kind of care do they give to vendors, advertising, and the plethora of other details in being a part of an event?

And... Here's the inside. It's rather confusing. — And… Here’s the inside. It’s rather confusing.

Out of curiosity, I open this letter up and find this. Crossed-out date, no names, no websites, no email addresses, not even a Facebook page. It’s colorful, but sorely lacking in helpful information I would want to have before even bothering with a phone call, let alone committing to participate (on one week’s notice, at that). There is a phone number way down at the bottom of the page which I dialed with the intention of explaining how unprofessional I found their missive. Three times – THREE!!! – the call was cancelled. Finally I gave up and tossed the letter. Later I did a Google search on the sender as it was disclosed on the flyer, and the closest I got was a company down in Georgia that does custom car decals. That’s a far cry from a vendor coordinator offering me space at a huge annual seafood event.

Coming up soon… Ways to entice me to spend my hard-earned money on booth fees at your event.

What’s the worst solicitation you’ve ever seen to participate in a selling event?

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