Published by ABCCraftEvents.com
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Published by ABCCraftEvents.com
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To print or save a .pdf copy of this publication, please click here Hi Friends! Have you ever encountered the problem of trying to be everything to everyone? If you have your own business, I know you have! The problem is that you end up trying to do too much and then find that you are not doing as good of job on anything as you would like. Well, I have gotten to that point with ABCCraftEvents.com. I have tried to offer the event guide in 3 different formats—online, e-books, and an annual printed book. Plus I have tried to do this Vendor’s Resource Guide, a monthly newsletter, a blog and maintain several different websites. My solution to this problem has been to try to simplify my business and concentrate on the areas where I can do the best job. So, for now, I am cutting back and putting all of my efforts into just two things— 1. The ACE Guide Online—national art & craft event guide. I want to greatly increase the number of shows that I cover throughout the year and also go back to providing much more detailed information about each show listed. I want you to be able to use the listings to find profitable shows at which to exhibit. 2. The ACE Vendor’s Resource Guide—I will be using this publication to replace my monthly newsletters and blog. This format will allow me to bring you a lot more information about new products and services that will help you with your business. If you have not visited www.TheACEGuide.com recently, please take the time to check it out soon. I know that some of you like to have a printed guide in addition to the online version. I will try to get links up soon for some of the various other publications that might be of interest to you. But, I encourage you to also subscribe to The ACE Guide—even if you just use it as a back-up to your printed guides. There are so many shows that do not set their dates in time to get in the annual printed publications. I am able to add these to The ACE Guide throughout the year. I hope you have some great Fall shows scheduled! If check out The ACE Guide for hundreds of new listings! Mary Reed
www.ABCCraftEvents.com or www.TheACEGuide.com or www.TheABCDirectory???? Confused by all of our websites and different names? This is another area that I am working to simplify and streamline. I also have several other variations of these website names, but now they will all get you to the same place—TheACEGuide.com For the last three years, I have worked to build the identity of The ACE Guide as a premier online resource for artists, crafters and food vendors. I originally used the “ABC” name because my business started as the online version of The ABC Art & Craft Event Directory. Now that The ACE Guide name is well established, I am trying to discontinue the “ABC” name.
Mobile Version of The ACE Guide Coming Soon! I just registered www.TheACEGuide.mobi and will have The ACE Guide available in this format just as soon as I can figure out the new technology! This new technology optimizes websites for viewing on PDA’s and other mobile devices—this will be great for accessing show info while on the road.
For years I have advised all artists and crafters to have business cards available at their booths. Now, I think a better option might be a color postcard. I just had the postcard pictured to the left printed by www.OvernightPrints.com and was very impressed with their service, quality and price. I ordered the cards online on a Thursday afternoon and they were delivered on Monday morning. The placing of my order was followed with several e-mails advising me of the status of printing and shipping. The quality was excellent and the price even better—4000 cards for around $150. The reason that I recommend that all vendors use a business card is that it gives you credibility. It gives your customers a way to contact you should they have a problem, question, or want to buy something else from you. But, the big drawback with a business card is that it is hard to design is such a way that your customers will remember you, your booth, or your products. With a postcard, you have about 3 times the space as you have on a business card –and you can print on the front & back. There is plenty of room for photos & descriptions of your products. The goal is to design your card so that customers will remember you and your booth when they look at it months from now.
Great Source for Planning Calendars Being self-employed usually means that you have a lot of “job titles.” You probably head up the sales department, design department, production department, accounting, etc. With so many jobs and responsibilities, it is easy to get side-tracked and not get the things that are most important done. Finding the “perfect planner/calendar system” is sort of an obsession of mine. I am still looking, but I did find some good calendar templates online the other day at CalendarsThatWork.com The have some really nice formats that you can print for free and also a paid program that offers a whole lot more features. I just tried the free ones, but was quite impressed Whatever system that you use, the one thing that I learned from several Franklin Planner Seminars is to just use ONE calendar—trying to keep several different ones just never works.
Business Basics Some notes from a new E-Book called“How to Double Your Sales at Art & Craft Events” by Mary Reed“Avoid costly mistakes by starting slowly and test marketing.” Now that you have decided what you want to do and how you are going to accomplish it, how do you find the money to make it happen? Well, my advice is to start slowly and with as little money as possible. It is much better to test your ideas before you make big investments. For example, if you need an expensive piece of equipment to offer monograms on the clothing items you sell, try either renting the equipment or paying to have someone do your first orders for you. The point is to test the concept at some shows to see if the products will sell before you invest. “Don’t neglect the business side of things.” A good source for business information and financing is the Small Business Administration. Most people are familiar with the SCORE program where retired business people provide consulting services to small business owners. The SBA also has local Small Business Development Centers that offer great business seminars, classes, and consulting. To find a center near you go to: www.sba.gov/sbdc/ “Increase sales by making it easy for people to buy.” Accepting credit cards will increase your sales. You have to make it easy for people to buy. So, the more payment options you offer the better. There are a lot of different options for credit cart processing and merchant accounts. I am definitely not an expert on this topic, so I will just offer some very basic info here. The first thing that you need to consider is how you want to process your credit card charges. If you are selling high dollar items, you will want to have a means to get immediate approval at the craft show before the customer leaves with their purchase. This means you will need a mobile terminal, wireless laptop, or system that can be processed via a cell phone call. If you have lower cost items and are willing to take an occasional loss when a charge is declined, you could process your charges after the show from your computer or terminal at home. When you are ready to set up your own Merchant Account to accept credit cards, start by gathering as much information as possible. You will want to compare monthly fees, transaction fees, and percentages charged. You will also want to compare rules and regulations for processing—some companies may not allow you to take phone or online orders. Several good places to start checking are: ¨ Your local bank ¨ Processing companies that specialize in working with artists & crafters like 1st National Processing or Trade Show Merchant Service ¨ Online processing services like QuickBooks
Supplies and Services Art & Craft Supplies • Business Equipment • Products & Services for Better Selling We want to say a special thanks to all of the companies and event sponsors that have advertised with www.TheACEGuide.com—they make it possible for us to produce this publication. When you contact them, please tell them that you saw their ad in The ACE Vendor’s Resource Guide!
Exhibitor Supplies, Services & Equipment
1st National Processing Michael Di Giovanni 40 Underhill Blvd Ste 2G Syosset NY 11791
Online source for color postcards, business cards and more.
Plum River Marketing bwalters@plumrivermktg.com 800-646-6572 Custom design and full color printing - brochures, sell sheets, postcards, business cards, hangtags Trade Show Merchant Service 165 E. High Street Ste. 102 Moorpark CA 93021 Toll-Free: (866)263-9691 Fax: (805)991-0625 info@TradeShowMerchantService.com www.TradeShowMerchantService.com Credit card processing service & equipment
Woodland Marketing Jeff Miller 555 Jensen Dr Medford WI 54451 (715)748-4044 (800)762-1796 Fax: (800)326-0447 Affordable, portable display fixtures and shelving
Craft Supples
Whimsy Diddles Wholesale Pete & Liz Connet 111 Pemberton-Browns Mills Rd Browns Mills NJ 08015 (609)893-9011 www.wholesalecentral.com/whimsydiddles A variety of crafts, supplies, this & that—great items for gift baskets as well!
Event Promoters
Publications & Trade Associations
National BBQ News PO Box 981 Douglas GA 31534 (800)385-0002 BBQ Events updated monthly with recipes, reviews, & more.
National Craft Association Barbara Arena 1945 East Ridge Rd, Suite 5178, Rochester NY 14622-2467 (800)715-9594 Fax: (800)318-9410
Trade Shows The two largest art & craft industry trade associations in the U.S. have recently merged. ACCI and HIA are now CHA—the Craft & Hobby Association. They will continue to produce two huge trade shows each year. Each event includes a trade show with thousands of wholesale art & craft supply vendors plus an extensive line-up of educational seminars and demonstrations. Craft & Hobby Association 319 E 54th St. Elmwood Park NJ 07407 Phone: (201)794-1133 Fax: (201)797-0657 info@craftandhobby.org www.craftandhobby.org Or www.chashow.org
CHA 2007—Anaheim CA January 28—31, 2007 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim CA
CHA Summer Show July 2007 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago (Rosemont) IL
The Winter show changes locations annually, but the Summer show is always in Chicago. Attend, if you can—they are unbelievable!
A Few Tips For Better Selling... When you are selling at an art & craft show, you just have a few seconds to make an impression on your customers and get them to stop at your booth. If they don’t stop, they can’t buy. To get the most people to stop, you need to make sure every part of your booth attracts attention—your products, your display, even you! Since you have such a small space to make a big impact, pay particular attention to little details. I was reminded about the importance of details on a recent trip to Disney World. When you enter Disney World—whether it’s one of the theme parks or the hotels, everything fits the theme. Everyday things like benches, drain covers, light switches, etc. are dressed up or disguised to fit the theme. Even the employees have special costumes and special greetings. This attention to detail is what gives Disney its magic and contributes so much to its success. Sometimes, someone not associated with your business can easily see things that you miss because you are too close to the situation. You can get some very valuable information by having a friend, relative, or even a fellow crafter look over your booth and watch you talk with customers. They will probably notice things that will surprise you—maybe distracting habits you have, how your display looks from a distance, what items are visible—or invisible. Sometimes just a few little changes can make a big difference. Another very important sales tip is to be sure to have prices clearly marked on all your items. Most shoppers only go by your booth once, especially at a large busy show. If you happen to be busy and they can’t find a price, they will probably keep going. Having items in a variety of price ranges will help increase your profits. Your larger more expensive items may stop traffic, but offering products in different price ranges will allow more customers to buy. And finally, be sure to “communicate the story” behind your work. This is what gives handmade crafts and original artwork their special value. This can be done by demonstrating your work, providing a notebook of pictures that shows your products being created or used, creating a hang tag that tells about you and/or your work, or producing a brochure that tells about you and what you do. Or, you can just talk with your customers, tell them about yourself and why you do what you do… what it means to you… why it s special. Your customers need to see and feel that your product is unique—not something that they can buy somewhere else.
ABCCraftEvents.com publishes this Vendor’s Resource Guide as a service to the Artists, Crafters, Food Vendors, Entertainers and others who exhibit, sell, or perform at art & craft events. Watch your e-mail for notices of updated editions! Published by: ABCCraftEvents.com PO Box 130 • Walland, TN 37886 Phone: (865)983-1374 Toll-Free: (800)678-3566 Fax: (865)681-9246 E-Mail: Mary@TheACEGuide.com www.ABCCraftEvents.com & www.TheACEGuide.com Copyright © ABCCraftEvents.com 2006—2007, All Rights Reserved This publication may not be copied or reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. To print or save a .pdf copy of this publication, please click here
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Contact us at: (865)924-8478 • Info@TheACEGuide.com • PO Box 130, Walland TN 37886 Copyright © 2007 ABCCraftEvents.com, Mary L. Reed. All Rights Reserved.
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