Booth Set-up In or Out?

[Tess]

With all the different opinions lately I thought I would poll it. Personally for me (and I have tested the theory), Peeps around here WILL NOT walk into a booth. Especially if they are unfamiliar with the biz. This applies for me both indoors and out. Even with the comfort of shade they will not come in.

[kdmorgan]

I have never had a show but I know, as a consumer, I don't feel comfortable going in a booth. Also, If it's too crowded, I skip it all together. HTH

[BizzyBs]

Tested here too and customers won't come in...they act as if I'm going to bite...(but really wouldn't unless provoked LOL) . Seriously though, it's funny...you put the tables in and all the customers want to do is check out the products right next to the isle or don't stop at all...move it so that they do not have to come in and they stop and sniff. I've done this all over the place, as I have moved a lot...it's the same everywhere I've been.

[LynnS]

I have some things that can be looked at outside.Mostly my candles though and they sniff them.I do have a few things inside but people go to the candles.The way with this set up at the show I did this past week-end.The show coming up I look for people to come into my booth.They did last year.I think the booths are the same size but for some reason I can display the one coming up much better.I have no idea WHY?I kinda make it in a square.Bookcase at each end to the side,2 tables both just behind bookcase and me with a small table in the middle.So they do walk in.Just don't know why I cannot do it at the other show.I really think it isn't 10x10.I use my pop up at the show coming up.

This year was the worst for people sniffing.I have people smell all of them and usually buy.This year they smelled one and walked off.The person next to me wondered why I did not get up alot.60% just went on.I waited and if they went to sniff another I would go over and talk.Just wasn't that way.Then I have others who got 4-6 candles.It was bad.Now why couldn't those sniffers just tried a couple more.Others liked what they smelled.It was like they were not interested in candles anyway.

My friend got a candle and some tarts.She was shocked.She put a tart on the warmer and left for a few hours.She came home and she said OH MY GOODNESS my whole house smelled awesome.She said the tart lasted almost 2 days.I had no idea they last that long. All for 50 cents too.Ashame no one else wanted to try my candles or tarts.

This week-end is going to be cold and rainy so do not expect a big crowd.HEY maybe they will be in the candle buying mood.Warmth.

LynnS

[lindsaycb]

Its funny, I set mine up inside & I have people lined up to come in and shop. At one point, I had fifteen in my booth this past weekend and each one made a purchase. It was nuts. People would just wait to see which each other person found before them & search things out. Someone would yelp,....ooo, try this lotion, smell this...and everyones ears perked up.

& I was just there to help. Rarely was I behind my table. I never sat down (as I didn't bring a chair), but also didn't push myself on them unless they were drooling on one scent or another.

I find booths setup out to be too easy to just glance & keep walking. If there inside, I want to search out a treasure

[KristinesShower]

I get a ton of people into my space because of the colorfulness of the bathbombs - it draws them in like crazy & nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.

Also if I am ever doing an outside show and it is hot, raining, etc - people usually take shelter for a little bit and the longer they are "inside" the longer I can get them to look and maybe buy.

I like to set it up like a shop and invite them to come in or not - I don't push it.

edited to add -> I also like to do sugar scrub demos and wouldn't have any room if we did it the other way. That is when they all come into the booth and crowd around because I talk so loud, make a big deal about it and repeat everything the customer says lol (I'm a little bit of a ham when it comes to attention lol)

Wow, now I miss shows - dammit you guys!!

[MichelleOH]

I do an outside set up. I have tested both ways and the 'outside' method is better for me. i think some people are a little intimated to 'walk in' if they are the only one there at that time.!

[ScentsandMore]

First show I ever did I set it up so they could walk in. Did not do well at all. I had another lady from the show tell me that she had been doing shows for 15 years and that set-up never worked in our area. The next show I did I changed the set-up and did much better on sales. What I do now is set the table back a couple feet from the line and then stack crates up on each side of the table in the front for extra space.

[barncat]

Been doing craft shows for 15 years, 5 of the last have been professioanlly. If you don't have an inviting booth..they won't come in. If you do not have a good selection...they will not come in. And just becasue they come in..does not guarantee they will buy. By going to the outside you are wasting VALUABLE space. It's all about design, if you can't design, they probably aren't interested. THere are lots of poeple who go to shows that do not buy, or attract non-buyers. Those sare the ones you want to stay away from. I had a festival that I did that would attrct 60,000 people on a thursday and othere crafter didn't even make their rent. I merchandised correctly and took up 3 booths so I would not get lost in the crowd. It's just all in how you present yourself.

That's my opinion but do how you feel you want to set up your booth. I never set up a boothe the same way twice...never. Same basic setup but everything changes somehow, maybe reverse tables or hutches or something like that.

[Vicky_CO]

Well I try for a corner booth because if you have vendors on both sides of you a 10x10 spot is just not big enough to do much for an out side set up. But I like to set up where they can walk through my booth. They walk through at an angle that is my best set up. But if I have vendors on both side I am realy limited but I try to make it seem open enough where people feel comfortable about walking in.

[Crowded House]

edited to add -> I also like to do sugar scrub demos and wouldn't have any room if we did it the other way. That is when they all come into the booth and crowd around because I talk so loud, make a big deal about it and repeat everything the customer says lol (I'm a little bit of a ham when it comes to attention lol)

I had the misfortune of being next to a woman at a show a couple of years ago who was a rep for Country Bunny. She would physically grab people and do a scrub on them.

This wouldn't have been so bad but at least half of the people she grabbed were elderly men who were just trying to watch a guy burn woodcuts at a table across the aisle from us. Poor old folks practically had to fight this woman off. :rolleyes2

[Bev]

I did a craft fair last year where I was between two other vendors in a 10X10 space (can we say "claustrophobia?!"). I set up my space so the customers would come into my booth. Otherwise, there would have been too much wasted space if I had my tables facing out. This setup worked well for me. I agree with Barncat in that I believe you have to have an inviting booth space regardless of which setup you use in order to draw the customers in.

[mizbizzyb]

Because I am applying for a show that request an inside set up - and DH and scratching our heads on ideas....Would anyone mind sharing pics of their inside set up so we can get ideas...thx

[Sherl]

Setup and display are everything. I do not even enter a booth where the stuff is just laid on a table, even if there are a few risers for height. It has to be inviting. Also, if you are sitting in a chair and even worse reading, forget me coming in as well.You look board, you look like even you are not excited about your stuff, so why should I be. I don't bring a chair, I can sit when the day is done. I like to enter booths with energy.. the person that has it is happy, energetic and fun. I have bought products I didn't need just because I enjoyed the person that had the booth. There are a lot of candle and soap people out there every weekend. You have to really work to make yours different. Go to shows every chance you get to see what booths draw people in, listen to comments people make, check out the competition.. what are they doing right and how can you use that in what you do. If you do the jelly jars and every show there are 4 other candle people with jelly jars.. might be time to rethink your product line. Otherwise you have to compete on price.

As far as the in/out.. there is a limit as to how far in people will come. I had a shelf on the back wall and people were very reluctant to come in that far. Rearranged to have my product along both sides and it made a difference in the amount of people spending time in my booth.

[RobinInOR]

Mostly "out" - a straight line of tables. Outside it's 1/2 way in to the tent, though, because of sun issues.

At my holiday show it's "In", though, a U shape. I do that because I'm right across from the music, and it gives the hallway a bit more room. Doesn't stop shoppers from what I can see . That gave me 10 feet of table frontage - in this show the space is only 8 feet wide, and I needed the extra display area.

Next year at market I'm going to try my tables at an angle, going from the outside edge on one side, to the middle on another. Sort of a 45 degree angle.

[Accents]

mizb, I've got pics in the candle gallery. There are some others in there too.

I haven't done enough shows to say what seems to be best for me yet. The show I posted pics of had plenty of people coming in, though.

[Georgia]

My pics are in the biz section. I have tons of people come into my booth, but this time I also set a 4' table across the front. I did have a few people stop on the basis of that and then decide they saw something inside that interested them. The other thing I noticed was very few people looked at the pillars on the crate at the very end of the table in the back of the booth. Saturday, when I set up, those were some of my most creative pillars. The judge took a second look, but almost no one else did. Sunday I moved those pillars to a different spot and sold 3 of them. I think there is some truth to there being a limit of how far in people are willing to go.

I'm with barncat, my set up changes all the time...sometimes within the same show if it isn't working....but always an inside set up. I'm spending money for that real estate, I'm not wasting a foot of it!

[k&g]

I appreciate this post so much right now as we are getting ready for what I think will be a very claustraphobic setting - 10x10 booths set up right next to each other. We've done this before on a much smaller scale vendor wise and we loved our neighbors and were able to spread out a little. We also had to set up the booth 3 different ways during the 2-1/2 days to get people to come in. This was our first show - had too much product out and just couldn't get the setup right.

Problem is now we have a lot of different items for people to look at and setting up w/them just looking at the table in the front of the tent is not going to allow them to see everything. I'm afraid they also won't come in. I'm thinking now we should have rented two spaces!!

The one thing we've done before when having a 'front end' setup is 2 small tables at the front, one tall 5 shelf setup on the end for bath stuff and hung 3-tier wire vegetable baskets (which we've spray painted our colors) on the tent rails for our votives. We kept 1 of each scent available on the table with samples of each container and had a spreadsheet of the stock in the boxes behind us with the boxes numbered. When someone wanted a particular scent in a particular container we looked at the spreadsheet and went to the corresponding numbered box and pulled out the candle. It actually worked great. Boxes had to sit up on back table which I wasn't crazy about - but the system worked.

More people stopped and bought because we were set up in the front and didn't have a massive amount of candles for them to look at.

I'm stressing about this very thing for this next show in October.

Sorry so winded!

[RobinInOR]

Another thing that a jeweler friend does is put her tent at an angle to the flow. Instead of flat on, turn your tent 45 degrees. That gives you 2 "edges" out on the flow of traffic - you can put tables in a V shape along those edges, and still have it as "outside" tables..

[jwahlton]

That's a cool idea Robin

[VerticallyEnhanced]

I am kind of inside out too because of the sun. I have to keep them under the tents. I do them about 3/4 way into the tent and do a straight line of tables with room for me to walk behind it for storage. I used to do a 10x10 booth and was just to cramped. I now do 10x20 and it is SO worth the extra money. I was so squished in my old booth and also would lose some sales becuase it was so crowded people just could not get in.