Opinions on this type of show...

[ah-soy]

I used to do craft shows years ago, but haven't for a several years and am toying with an upcoming one at my neighborhood high school which still has space. It is well run by 3 sisters, has been around for a long time and is well known and attended (so they tell me). Specifics:

• Weekend before Thanksgiving; 2 day Sat. & Sun. show with set up Friday night (a plus)...
  
• Entry fee is $75 per 10X10 booth to be donated to the high school parent boosters (very good, both my kids graduated from this school )
  
• they provide the 'tax' umbrella with their business liscense so I don't need to worry about money, credit card processing, sales tax etc... just have everything tagged with my crafter number and price (a good thing I think)
  
• large city in a great location (good of course)!

sounded great but when I read the contract I found that the organizers:

• retain 13% of my sales (I realize they must make a living too so am OK with that)
  
• in addition I must work for them (or find someone else to do so) 8 hours of the entire show OR pay an additional $75 so they can hire someone else to work in my place. Time out of my booth when I can't 'schmooze' my victims (I mean customers) and makes the cost double.

I suppose this is the way many professional shows are run but am just looking for those who have done these types and what you feel the pros and cons are...

I either have to quit making stuff or find a place to get rid of it 'cause I really don't have enough friends and family to 'gift' it too and I seem to be addicted to making stuff. Maybe I should just set up on a street corner, hang a shingle and keep a stun gun handy!

[HelenW]

in addition I must work for them (or find someone else to do so) 8 hours of the entire show OR pay an additional $75 so they can hire someone else to work in my place. Time out of my booth when I can't 'schmooze' my victims (I mean customers) and makes the cost double.

Just so I understand, you also have to attend to your own booth during the weekend AND work 8 hours for them, or pay $ 75.00 to hire someone else, during the weekend???So your cost for the weekend could be $ 150.00 PLUS 13% of your sales?? If you are working your own booth and talking people into sales, and then they will go onto the next vendor, purchase something and then go to a cash register and pay for ALL their purchases then? Is that what you mean?

[sockmonkey]

Surely they don't mean you have to work for them at the show. If they are a booster organization they probably mean you work 8 hours at some other event, like selling concessions at a ballgame or something. If everyone who bought a booth had to work 8 hours at the craft show, what would they all be doing?

[RobinInOR]

Are they set up with a centralized checkout? The setup sounds similar to that - you don't really work your own booth. Everything is tagged with prices so they know exactly how much you've sold so they can take their cut.

[HeavenScentU]

Yup! I am with Robin on the setup of the craft show. I have done these and you have to make sure you add the percentage in your price. I did one for a local museum, but I just dropped my stuff off and they put my stuff where they thought it would look best. They ran out of room from what I was told and put all my candles on the floor. I was so upset and everyone that I told to go and support the museum went and were also in disbelief that my items were on the floor. No one elses stuff, just mine. I complained to all the ladies at the museum and come to find out another candlemaker that had her stuff there was the one that put my items on the floor and kinda hid them under the tables. This happened last year and I still have customers tell me how bad they felt that my beautiful candles were on the floor. This year I was invited to do it again, but I said no....I told the ladies it was too bad they really could have made alot of money for the museum if my products would have been at least sitting on a table..Sorry I had to rant about this but it still is so hurtful.

[ah-soy]

The show is set up with a central checkout so I don't have to handle any payments.

I would have to work a total of 8 hours at the show (for the organizers), 4hrs Sat. and 4hrs Sunday either as a cashier, floor runner, door guard etc...

which of course takes me out of my booth those 8 hours. The ladies running the show are not the booster club, but they donate the booth fees to the booster club. The organizers take 13% of my total sales, so I would of course build that into my prices BUT

I think I've already talked myself out of this show since I don't have anyone to work for me. I really need to be in my booth to 'splain' stuff to people and don't want to pay the extra $75 for a worker.

It just seen like a lot of money and work for sales that might not happen.

[Scented]

Well we do one show like this, but no booth fee and give 30% of our sales to a very worthy cause. We do bump our prices. We did volunteer some time last year. I don't know about this year, volunteering the time that is, but we're not charged for labor if no one helps.

I guess the charged $75 more bothers me, but giving eight hours isn't too bad is it? However, why force a person to give the time. Instead maybe they should open it up to allow you to be at your booth to sell.