Hello In Stitches family,
Summer’s right around the corner, and that means it’s vendor event season. At In Stitches, we’ve spent our fair share of weekends under tents and behind tables, so we put together a quick guide to help you make the most of summer events—the ABCs of Summer Vendor Events.
A place in the shade
Most summer vendor events are outside, so investing in a canopy like this one is a MUST! It will keep you and products cool and dry. But make sure that you have some sort of weights to keep the canopy on the ground when the wind blows. In fact, most events require you to have weights. We’ve seen sand bags, gallon milk jugs filled with water, along with weights you can buy.
How to set up without Being too tired
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of stuff that you need for a Vendor Event and you often can’t park near where your booth is, so a foldable wagon like this one is a GREAT way to get all you need from your car to your booth without being too tired.
You Can be ready for anything
We love a rolling tool box like this one for all of our essentials that we need for every vendor event. Here’s what we’d keep in it at all times: tape, zip ties, bungee cords, trash bags, business cards, scissors, special tools we needed. At every event, if we ever thought, “Man, I wish we had…” then we’d put it in our tool box.
Folding tables aren’t just for Dinner
Sometimes the event will provide tables, but sometimes they don’t so having a good folding table is essential. It’s nice to use as a separation between you and the public, or to display what you’re selling. We really like this kind that folds in the middle because it is easier to travel with.
Show Everyone who you are
You want people to know who you are and be able to find you easily so a personalized tablecloth and banner are a perfect way to do that. We use vinyl or sublimation to make the tablecloth. And the banners are made to take whatever is thrown at them! Let us know which one you’d like!
First, get their info
Getting potential customer’s info is super important at Vendor Events. Whether you have a newsletter, or just ask for their info, make sure to get that info!
Have a Good amount of what you’re selling
Let’s face it, people often buy things in the moment that they might not go home and buy so having a lot of what you’re selling is IMPORTANT. For us at Vendor Events, we would make personalized t shirts and hoodies right there on the spot which meant that we needed a lot of t shirts and hoodies. We loved these wire cube storage boxes for storing our inventory so we could easily find it and see what we were running low on.
Here are some Handy ways to get paid
Let’s face it, it’s no longer a cash based world! More than not, your sales will be through credit and debit cards so having a way to collect those payments is, well, really, really important. We use Square to accept credit and debit cards and having a terminal like this was so convenient! It’s an investment but one that’s worth it.
Don’t forget to have some cash on hand as well, just in case. $125 small bills and change was usually enough for us.
Interested people, take a card…or sticker
Business cards are still a thing but what about a sticker? It could have your logo on the front and a QR code on the back that leads them to your website or Facebook page. People love to put stickers on their water bottles, so why not have something that will remind them of you! Remember to keep both in your toolbox. And if you want some stickers, let us know! We would love to help you!
Just give them the candy and no one gets hurt
Having a bowl of candy at your booth gets people in to chat with you but what if you go just a little bit further with a candy machine with a chance to win something free. Let me explain. You get a candy machine like this one, fill it full of “try agains” with just a couple of “you wins!” and people pay 25 cents for a chance to win. If you throw in a little candy in each one, even better! Anything to stand out because standing out gets more eyes on what you’re selling.
Kill it!
Go in with the attitude that you are going to kill it and keep that going along the way! Summer Vendor events can be long, hot, and tiring, but it’s a great way to get your product out there for everyone to see!
Do you need some help with tablecloths, banners, stickers, or even gear for your next Summer Vendor Event? Just let us know! We can help you with that.