Subscribe Feed (RSS)How to Have a Successful Pet Expo or Fair
January 21st, 2010 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.Pet expos and fairs are a great way to get your products and name out to the public and to make some extra cash, too! However, like many things in life that are valuable, they aren’t easy. It takes planning, hard work and lots of budgeting to get all the profit you can from an event. The keys to success are preparation, location, and booth design.
The importance of preparation for an event can never be overstated. For most expos, all they tell you is where your 10’ x 10’ space is located when to show up. Then the rest is up to you. From the start, you need to find out what materials you need in your booth to effectively sell your products. If it’s outdoors you should consider getting a tent. Also, look into getting a banner with your store name. Many people attend these things and your booth needs to stand out in the crowd. Another important aspect is to have attractive displays for your products.
If it doesn’t look nice, people probably won’t buy it, at least not for your asking price. Don’t forget essentials like plastic bags and a cash box or register. Once you have all your materials, do a practice set up to decide how everything will be arranged. It’s also important to practice setting up so that the process can go as quickly as possible on show day. You don’t want to still be setting up when customers start walking through. Another way to prepare is to have back ups for everything. It seems to be some sort of law that things will break at the worst possible time. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by not having any extras of things like displays or extra tent parts. Aside from back-up materials, you also need a back-up plan. Be ready for things to change at the drop of a hat, because they often do.
If, for instance, it starts to rain, be ready to cover your inventory or rearrange your booth. On the issue of weather, when you’re outdoors you need to be prepared for rain and wind. Having a tent and tarp can solve much of the rain problem, but the wind can be far worse. Be sure to weigh down your tent with sand bags at the bottom and water jugs at the top of the four posts. Be prepared to weigh everything down if needs be. It will seem a bit daunting at first, but once you are ready and get rolling, you’re sure to have tons of fun and make money for your business.
Just like in real estate, the most important factor to a successful event is location, location, location. There are literally thousands of shows for your to choose from each year, so take your time and research to find which ones are going to have the most targeted traffic. The producers of the event are of course going to say it’s the greatest one that ever existed, so you need to talk to other vendors to get a real picture. Go to some events and make observations about what kind of competition you’ll be facing, and how to market your products. Also, is the location worth the price you’re paying? Ask others if they feel it’s worth it and if they’ve made any profit. As long as you’re not talking to a competitor, you’d be surprised how much vendors open up to you.
Designing a successful booth can be as much an art as a science. I can tell you right now that you’re going to learn most in this area from experience. Try different set ups and see which one works best for your sales. However, there are a few basic ideas that seem to work for everyone. Set your sale items or your top sellers out in full view of passing people. Whether it’s a display that advertises your products or actually sells them, do whatever to catch people’s eyes. Remember that you’re competing for their attention. It might also work for your to make bright signs telling people about whatever sale or special promotion you’re doing for the event. Customers come to these things expecting something special, so give them what they’re looking for.
Grant Carroll proud father of four dogs and co-owner of littlepamperedpets.com www.littlepamperedpets.com with littlepamperedpets.com Dog Clothes and Dog Clothing
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