What would you like to see at a family craft & food festival

[Guest]

Wonderful! Maybe one of the local charities in Banchory would be up for doing this. Thank you for this suggestion!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Bats

By 'keeping them there longer', do you mean buying stuff or just by being there?

If you want them buying stuff, you need to entice them with free trials, food tasting etc. Combine the two and maybe have a live cookery demo of something simple that can then be passed round with recipe cards. All produce could be available to buy from the food bit of the fair.

Another thing to keep people there are seats, especially if placed near the live music (and if it's good live music!) Hay bales with cheap material over the top is fine, or some chairs from the local village hall if available.

My top thing is to ensure prices are not stupid. Nothing puts people off more than cost!

Good luck!

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No, customers buying stuff is up to the exhibitors. Completely up to them if they wish to do offers or trials. We’d just like to keep them longer to make it more of a “day out” rather then a stop along the way.

[waiting4disney]

DS loved the badge making when we went to an event. Think it was onky 50p. He drew a picture and they have a badge/magbet making kit.

[Bats]

Originally Posted by Mrs_O

No, customers buying stuff is up to the exhibitors. Completely up to them if they wish to do offers or trials. We’d just like to keep them longer to make it more of a “day out” rather then a stop along the way.

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No, customers buying stuff stems from the work you put in advertising and enticing them to stay. It's not just the exhibitors job I'm afraid.

I organise events and I know it's my job to not only get the people there, but to make everything attractive enough for them to stay and buy more. The longer people stay, the more likely they are to buy stuff, but you've got to make it all attractive to them. I don't mean by ways of decoration etc, but enticing them in with tit bits of info released on social media in the weeks running up to it. Pique the interest of different groups - so one day highlight the stalls that would be great for sweet toothed people, then savoury, then the knitters/crochet gangs, then card makers - the list goes on.
Encourage your exhibitors to have samples and special offers only available at your fair - demos are always good as you can space them out during the day and advertise them too.

But to leave it up to the exhibitors to 'sell stuff' is not going to help you in my opinion. The organiser has lots of hats to wear on event day.
Good luck!

p.s. Photos of the stalls work really well - ask the stall holders for pictures they've taken at other events and make collages with them for social media.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Bats

No, customers buying stuff stems from the work you put in advertising and enticing them to stay. It's not just the exhibitors job I'm afraid.

I organise events and I know it's my job to not only get the people there, but to make everything attractive enough for them to stay and buy more. The longer people stay, the more likely they are to buy stuff, but you've got to make it all attractive to them. I don't mean by ways of decoration etc, but enticing them in with tit bits of info released on social media in the weeks running up to it. Pique the interest of different groups - so one day highlight the stalls that would be great for sweet toothed people, then savoury, then the knitters/crochet gangs, then card makers - the list goes on.
Encourage your exhibitors to have samples and special offers only available at your fair - demos are always good as you can space them out during the day and advertise them too.

But to leave it up to the exhibitors to 'sell stuff' is not going to help you in my opinion. The organiser has lots of hats to wear on event day.
Good luck!

p.s. Photos of the stalls work really well - ask the stall holders for pictures they've taken at other events and make collages with them for social media.

See more...

Unfortunately it has never gone down well when I’ve tried to tell our crafters how to sell their products. I put every effort into getting people through the door and getting them to stay for as long as possible. And I definitely use social media to tell our followers who will have stands at our events. But I don’t think I’m going to go as far as to tell the exhibitors what to do I’m afraid. I would definitely point out if something looked awful or was unsafe. But our exhibitors are excellent at really showing off their stuff.

We obviously decide where the stands go and who goes where.
Trying to keep people at our events will obviously help our exhibitors but I don’t think I can ask them to give anything away.

[vhm672]

OP what advantage is your company going to get from it being a day out. It may help people give you ideas, as if it isn't people spending money I am not sure what you are trying to achieve.

[floridasgirl]

How about a children's entertainer at various intervals throughout the day or a circus skills?
Bouncy castle?
Cookery classes? We made butter in a jar at one we went to, was good fun

[Pumpkin Pie]

Originally Posted by Mrs_O

Unfortunately it has never gone down well when I’ve tried to tell our crafters how to sell their products. I put every effort into getting people through the door and getting them to stay for as long as possible. And I definitely use social media to tell our followers who will have stands at our events. But I don’t think I’m going to go as far as to tell the exhibitors what to do I’m afraid. I would definitely point out if something looked awful or was unsafe. But our exhibitors are excellent at really showing off their stuff.

We obviously decide where the stands go and who goes where.
Trying to keep people at our events will obviously help our exhibitors but I don’t think I can ask them to give anything away.

See more...

Glad I don’t live nearby - I can see I would be spending my money at that fair!

[Gull]

The music and food would keep me there after visiting the craft stalls, as long as there’s seats like others have said 😊 The craft demos sound good too ! I think it sounds fine as it is to be honest.

[Feebee2]

Just to say if you had an exotic zoo keeper I'd run a mile that generally means snakes!
But to be more constructive people displaying owls and the public having photo ops always seem to go down well.