Great topic, I hope some of the experienced folks can share some ideas. I haven't done this yet, but I have been getting closer to trying some events like you.
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i don't have a brand and have never done this. that said, i would probably build or buy a nice display shelf, maybe 4-sided if i felt i needed it, and some shirt racks, again either bought or built. that's just me. nothing wrong with a table, i'd have one, too, though i would probably put a table cloth on it of some kind. if you can snag a business card holder, those come in handy. i don't know what kind of display i would use for the accessories, it would depend on what i was selling and how creative my budget allowed me to be. you probably want to take a digital camera. you have a gazebo, so a roof of some kind is provided. do you plan on giving receipts? i probably wouldn't go that far with it, though.
i used to set up at flea markets all the time, and those are about the basics that i can think of off hand, so, imo, you pretty much have the essentials covered as far as i can tell. my only thing is that if i had my own brand, i would want as nice as a display as i could find as imo that encourages people to have confidence in your product if it's nicely presented.
oh, and some bags to put the shirts in.
i used to set up at flea markets all the time, and those are about the basics that i can think of off hand, so, imo, you pretty much have the essentials covered as far as i can tell. my only thing is that if i had my own brand, i would want as nice as a display as i could find as imo that encourages people to have confidence in your product if it's nicely presented.
oh, and some bags to put the shirts in.
Back when I actually listened to other people and wasn't completely lazy, I was told that you should never sit down while dealing at a convention, fair, flea market, etc. Good luck actually trying to do that. The stool is a great compromise!
Where to get said girl is entirely left to the reader to decide!
Unless there is good security going around, it's very important to bring a friend to watch the table while you run to the bathroom.A jar of candy also helps, though you want it to be something more than a bag of starlight mints. You can still do mints, a lot of people love those soft peppermint puffs (like after-dinner mints but with red stripes and individually wrapped). Depending on weather, chocolate turns into a disaster (and gets on your products). Melts on your shirts, not in their mouths.
Friends I can chase away but I can't stand it when the general public decides the entrance to your booth is suddenly The View: Convention Edition and even start pulling up chairs if they can find them, completely blocking your sales.
If you are lucky, someone organizing the event will chase them off for loitering or being a fire hazard. Otherwise it's up to you to do it.I always worry about liability if you accidentally break (or someone says you broke) their wipers... seeing as how your company details are conveniently stuck to the car. Might be safer to stick a magnetic business card to the driver's side door. I've found most people are reluctant to leave an email address due to fears of being spammed. You're more likely to get information if you have a "enter to win a free t-shirt by (the end of the day/weekend/event), leave as much contact detail as possible in case you're not here!"
Small bills are always better. You can always give someone $20 change in $5s but you can't give someone $7 if you only have $20s left. I generally don't keep any change bigger than a $10.
A test run setup in your backyard is a must! Make a checklist of things that you might forget. I have a "sweater box" sized container (it's a 9L Really Useful Box that you can get at any of the 3 major office supply stores) with what is basically an Emergency Office Supplies Kit. Pens, markers, pencils, sharpeners, different kinds of tape, stapler, x-acto knife and cutting mat, sticky notes, scissors, paper clips (that can be unbent and used for various things), jewelers' screwdrivers and a mini regular screwdriver, and if you have room, paper or cardstock in multiple colors (my box is full enough now that i have the smaller 4L box for the paper and cutting mat). I'm sure I've forgotten something obviously important. You never know what kind of bizarre "emergency" (the rain got my signs!) you'll run into.
Don't feel bad if it feels like nobody in the world is remotely interested in what you're doing. You never know what might happen halfway through the day. But if you really do feel like you're invisible, try to figure out if you're doing something wrong. But don't stress over it too much, because you just never know what people will do at these kinds of events.
I agree you don't have to be overly nice or a hover vendor, many people don't like that, but it's often pretty obvious which people you need to talk to and which ones you don't.
And I use stools too, there's no way I can physically stand for more than 20 min or so, so I always have a stool. The office stuff is good too, I am forever making a sign or something so markers and paper are helpful. I've accumulated 7 years worth of stuff in my trailer so at this point I've got everything I need and a lot of stuff I don't!
The folding tables that fold in half are a lot easier to pack in your vehicle and carry into your set up spot.
Also, you'll want a dolly of some sort, you don't always get to park right next to your spot, I've carted my things blocks and blocks before, so a dolly is a must.
Oh and I'd bring your cell phone charger if you have acess to electricity, on a slow day playing on your phone passes the time but drains the battery!
And true don't get offended if people don't buy your stuff. Honestly shows are down profit-wise consideribly in the last year or two, so don't be discouraged.
And I use stools too, there's no way I can physically stand for more than 20 min or so, so I always have a stool. The office stuff is good too, I am forever making a sign or something so markers and paper are helpful. I've accumulated 7 years worth of stuff in my trailer so at this point I've got everything I need and a lot of stuff I don't!
The folding tables that fold in half are a lot easier to pack in your vehicle and carry into your set up spot.
Also, you'll want a dolly of some sort, you don't always get to park right next to your spot, I've carted my things blocks and blocks before, so a dolly is a must.
Oh and I'd bring your cell phone charger if you have acess to electricity, on a slow day playing on your phone passes the time but drains the battery!
And true don't get offended if people don't buy your stuff. Honestly shows are down profit-wise consideribly in the last year or two, so don't be discouraged.
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