Organising Craft Fairs

 

"First Thoughts"

 

Introduction

 

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be a series of short articles about how to organise a craft fair. I know that there are many people out there (often already attending fairs as stall holders) that decide to have a go themselves. I think this is a good thing as it helps promote the world of crafting. However, not all that start out succeed as there is a lot more to it than first meets the eye. The visiting public (and stall holders) only see the final result of what can take months to put together. It is something you must go into with your eyes open!

 

I would like to point out right at the start that these are my personal thoughts and comments based on my own experiences of organising fairs. In telling you about them the hope is that you will be able to make more informed decisions about your own event and thus maybe avoid some of the pitfalls. However, I certainly don't know everything ...please see these articles as impartial guides that are provided in good faith.  

 

For the record, I organised fairs for a couple of years a few years ago (hope that makes sense!) and found it to be hard work and exhausting. But, at the same time there was always a tremendous sense of achievement when it came together on the day and I could stand proudly surveying what I achieved.

 

I thought it best to start these articles at the beginning really ...at the point where you have thought to yourself "I could do that, I fancy having a go, I think I'll find out how". The point when you start asking questions on forums and of crafting friends. This article attempts to address some of those initial questions and concerns.

 

Consider This

 

Here's a few ideas to get you thinking about some of the things you should be considering right at the outset (in no particular order) ...

  • Have you decided on a venue?
  • Have you contacted the venue to see how much it will cost you to hire it?
  • Are they happy to host a craft fair?
  • Do they have Public Liability Insurance?
  • What requirements do they have of you as the organiser?
  • Do they insist on you having liability insurance?
  • How many £Millions of insurance cover do they expect you to have?
  • Do they provide catering?
  • Do you have to pay extra for that service?
  • How much?
  • Can you provide your own catering?
  • What are their food hygiene (and Health & Safety) requirements of you?
  • How many tables can the venue hold?
  • Do they provide them?
  • Will they set them up?
  • I think I’ll leave it there! 

Sorry to start with such a daunting list, but I'm trying to illustrate the kind of things you will have to manage when organising your fair ...I'm afraid it's not for the faint hearted! All the above can be found out without committing to a booking …so what are you waiting for? If you still want to do it print the list off or right it down and get phoning and emailing …start gathering information. 

 

I would now like to look at a few of the above points in a bit more detail. The ones I have chosen are the more popular ones that I have been asked about in the past and currently see asked on forums.

 

Where Shall I Have It?

 

Will your intended venue have a good flow of people past it's front door on the day you intend to hold a fair there? It's pointless holding a fair on a Sunday if the venue is in the middle of a load of closed shops! There won't be any customers there for you!

 

You need to choose a venue carefully. It not only needs to house your crafter’s stalls in light, airy and comfortable surroundings, but also needs to be positioned to attract maximum visitors on the day. Near a busy shopping outlet is good if in a town centre as there will already be people passing as they go to the shops …you just need to entice them in. And don’t forget a car park …your crafters will need somewhere (nearby!) to park and unload/load …and your customers may well be arriving by car as well. As a general rule of thumb, the further away you put your event (especially when it’s new) from people the fewer visitors you will get. You have to be well established and have a good reputation to be able to be in the middle of nowhere and still draw a crowd.  

 

How Many Stalls Should I Have?

 

How many stalls do you intend to have? (two or three crafter friends is NOT enough!) Will that many fit in the venue? Will the amount you intend to charge stall holders realistically cover ALL your costs? Recruiting stall holders is an important part of the process. Without them you have no show for the public to come and see! If you overcharge you won’t encourage crafters to join a ‘non-established’ event and if you undercharge you will make a loss …it’s a balancing act. You need to do your sums.

 

TIP - Add up ALL your expenses, add the amount you would like to make yourself (be realistic, but unless it’s a charity event why should you do it for nothing?) and then divide this amount by the number of stalls you can fit in. This figure is what you must charge each stall holder in order to achieve your profit. This calculation assumes you are not charging the public to come in. A quick side note here …each time you give a friend a discount on their stall it eats into your profit! 

 

How Do I Advertise The Event? 

 

Advertising is very, very important, almost critical. If you think about it, you have maybe 4, 5, 6 hours on one day during which you want to get as many people as possible through the door. There are lot’s of ways to advertise the event effectively and I intend to cover these in more detail in a separate article. The main rule of thumb is PROMOTE IT EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE YOU CAN. A website is good, but remember that people read this from all over the world, the vast majority being far too far away to come to your event! Think closer to the event …is there a local paper? An advert in that just before the event can reap bigger rewards.

 

TIP – If your event has some kind of ‘storey’ to it (charity event, Easter event etc) you could try being a bit cheeky and telling it to the local paper. They are often looking to fill pages and may run your storey for you …a free advert! I had this done once …the storey was that I was re-starting a much missed craft event in the town (I picked this up from the venue owners) …priceless!

 

What About Insurance?

 

This is probably the most asked question. Mainly because it’s such a daunting and complex issue. I am no legal expert and I strongly advise you to seek professional advice on this matter. Having said that, the following is my understanding of the situation. This may have changed since I stopped organising fairs. You must check it out. 

 

Some venues insist on organisers having liability insurance as part of the hire agreement, and some don't. They will almost certainly have liability insurance of their own and will be leaving it up to you to cover yourself as the organiser, it's your responsibility, even if they don’t insist on it. Don't expect them to come to your rescue if a claim is made against you by a member of the public or a stall holder. It would be you as the organiser that would be liable for a claim relating directly to your organised event, not the venue owners! Their insurance will cover them for any possible claim for injury/damage caused by their negligence. That same kind of claim could be made against you as the organiser. I personally wouldn't even think about holding a public event without insurance. You are inviting the public in, not your friends and family!

 

Should I Do Catering?

 

Providing light catering is an excellent way to increase your takings and provide a reason for visitors to stay a bit longer! It also provides a supply of refreshments for the stall holders. However, bear in mind that it is a time consuming job running the 'cafe' so you will need help. Don't go overboard with what you stock or you will end up eating/drinking lots of it yourself and making no money! Steer clear of making sandwiches as you are then getting into the heavy duty regulations surrounding food preparation. Keep things simple, especially at first. Maybe just tea, coffee and biscuits etc. Don’t forget though …if space is tight the cafe will take up valuable stall space! 

 

TIP – Only sell what you can use yourself at home. That way the stock that doesn’t sell won’t be wasted.

 

Summary 

 

The above is an introduction to organising a craft fair. I have only covered the basics for each topic. My intention is to pick up on some of the above topics and provide a more detailed article on them.

 

If you have any suggestions for articles please let me know.

 

If you have any feedback regarding this article please don't hesitate to contact me. You can email from HERE.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Best wishes.

John.