How to Prepare for an Art Fair
Many people think getting a stall ready for an art fair or an art pop-up booth is just about showing up with your products.
But if you want to make sure your efforts are as efficient as possible to maximise returns, here are some things you should keep in mind before you even commit.
1. Do your research. Know the location, the type of customers who will frequent that location. Is it in line with the kind of designs and products you offer?
2. Make sure your offerings and setup is cohesive with your brand image.
3. Promote your booth before the art market. You want to maximise your time at your booth making sales, not just marketing. Ideally you can start getting the message out a month in advance via your email list to keep them updated and send out email reminders nearer to the date, about 1-2 weeks in advance. The same goes for social media, start promoting the event about 1-2 weeks before the actual day so you can hype up the event and share more about your products.
4. If possible, visit the location ahead of time to get a good feel of what else you might need to bring and how much time you might need to prep. Most event spaces will only open up for set up at a certain time so make sure you check that and get there asap if you more time to set up your booth.
5. Prepare printed price lists, especially if you offer commissions and clearly state your rates and commission policy. Don’t leave people wondering how much your goods and services cost, if the customer is shy they might not even dare enquire for the rate and you’ve already lost a sale before it even began.
6. Bring a variety of products and enough of each design. While I hope everyone reading this gets to completely sell out their stock, there is the possibility of not having enough stock and that can be a disappointing experience for the people who come to support you.
7. Make some REALLY nice name cards and give them out whenever you can. This will remind customers of you long after they have left your booth and hopefully inspire them to make a second purchase.
8. Prepare an elevator pitch for your brand and each of your products. There shouldn’t be any awkward silences when a customer enquires about your work. Prepare a sales pitch in advance, memorize it and sell with confidence.
9. Be approachable but not pushy. You need to find that sweet spot between being friendly and attentive so you engage customers while also not scaring them off. You also can’t sell if you just sit there watching videos on your phone and ignoring those walking by. Eventually you learn to distinguish between people who are only passing through / browsing and the people who are interested in your work. Learn to make eye contact with people walking by your booth, strike up a conversation with those who show signs of curiosity and naturally break the ice. Then give people the space to admire your goods and let them make a decision without pushing them into it.
10. Stories sell. Give people a reason to purchase your artwork if they show an interest in it. Some customers need an extra nudge to make that purchase. Feel free to share about your design inspiration or the story behind the product. Most people who visit art fairs are already interested in art, and a lot of them are interested in talking to the artists about their design process or inspiration. Use this chance to your advantage because this also shows people there is a real person just like you and me behind the brand. It makes you relatable to your customers.
11. Bring enough change. Most purchases are made on impulse and you don’t want to deter your customer from purchasing due to a lack of change. While cashless options are the norm these days, some of your customers might also be tourists who may not have cashless options.
Grab a copy of your FREE art fair prep guide on my website!
