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[A705]Arts & Craft Shows

by Kara Kelso, Kar

We all know how profitable a craft show can be. Offline events are perfect for getting the word out about your business and making new contacts. What could be better than hundreds of shoppers walking right up to you and saying hello?

The most difficult part of a craft show is actually locating them before all the tables are booked. If you have never attended an event before, be prepared to spend several shows stuffed in the very back at a last minute table. Many of us start out like this, but as soon as you get on "the lists", your table location WILL be better.

The following idea for locating events is brand new, and given to us by a "neighbor" at our last craft show. While chatting with her, she pulls out a book and asked if we had this. It was titled "Iowa Calendar of Events", and was FULL of events for all over the state. Granted there were many events that do not accept vendors (theater dates, car shows, etc), but the list of shows that did accept vendors was amazing. All events were listed by date, complete with location and contact information. Perfect!

While this information might have been great for us being in Iowa, you might ask what good does it do for the rest of you in different states. I'll tell you - this booklet was free from our travel information website. All we had to do is go online and request a free copy. Iowa has a very limited amount of sights to see, yet we still have a travel website. This to me says other states have the same kind of information on website or with local offices.

There's a few ways to find out if your state has information like this:

- Check your state website
Often times the travel and event information will be right on your government website.

- Search online
Use terms like "travel" or "tourism" with your state to see if there's a specific website.

- Local offices
If all else fails, contact your state government offices to see if anything in print is offered.

Even in a small state like Iowa, we were able to find a list that will keep us booked every month for the entire craft fair season. Once you have your information, the easy part is contacting those on the list. Easy!

1.) Choose the right craft ? This part is easier said than done. If you have to make a craft for $10 each, and you can only sell it for $12 at a craft show, you probably aren't going to be happy with the overall profit at the end of the day. It is important for you to choose a craft that has a low start up cost and a higher sale price ? this is basic business 101. Something that only costs you $3 to make and you can sell for $10 is going to give your bottom line a huge boost.

2.) Set your price right ? This is just as crucial as choosing the right craft. In order to set your price right, you need to know EXACTLY how much the craft costs you to make. This includes all of the costs associated with making and selling the craft: transportation to and from craft shows, driving to get the supplies, the supply costs and even a little bit of a labor cost, too. Once you have your costs fixed, then you can set the retail price, and provide yourself a decent return on the investment. You probably don't need to make a fortune of your crafts, but it would be nice to see a healthy profit at the end of the day.

3.) Lower supply costs ? Do whatever you can to keep the supply costs as low as possible. This is where you are going to incur the most expense when making your crafts. If you think about it, if you can drop the cost of making your craft by $1, just by making smarter supply choices, each time you sell a craft, that dollar now goes into your pocket.

4.) Choose your craft shows wisely ? If you have to pay $500 for a weekend craft show, keep in mind you need to include that in the overall ?cost? of your craft. If only 1,000 people come through the doors of that craft show, you likely aren't going to make enough money to recover the cost of the show. That might be an extreme example, however it illustrates the point. Take some time to choose the event that is going to get you the most bang for your buck. It will likely take some time to weed out the craft shows that aren't working for you, but before long you will only be going to the shows where you know there is a strong demand for your craft.

Those are just four things to think about to start profiting from craft shows. The right craft at the right price at the right craft show ? with low supply costs ? is going to help you bring home a heftier pay day at the end of the weekend. Good luck!

Copyright 2006 Natalie Goyette

Article Source : Marketing And Sales Information

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Both Kara Kelso & Natalie Goyette are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Kara Kelso has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Birthday Party and Cooking Tips. . Kara Kelso's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.

Natalie Goyette has sinced written about articles on various topics from All Rights Reserved Copyright, Crafts and Crafts. Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in her best selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site: