Skip to main content

Preparation: Packing Up Before the Show

Lesson 18 from: Secrets of Selling at Craft Fairs: How to Get In, Make Sales, and Grow Your Business

Nicole Stevenson

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2000+ more >

Lesson Info

18. Preparation: Packing Up Before the Show

Lessons

Class Trailer

DAY 1

1

Craft Shows Should be a Part of Your Business

13:22
2

Introduction: How to Have a Successful Craft Show Experience

20:42
3

Why You Should Be Doing Craft Shows

20:23
4

Is Your Business Ready for a Craft Show?

25:33
5

Now is the Time for Craft Shows

05:24
6

Get Your Product Ready

30:22
7

Branding Your Business

19:52

Lesson Info

Preparation: Packing Up Before the Show

Now we're gonna talk about preparation and packing up before the show so uh this is my husband he does not know that he's in by slide show but he won't be watching this so I'm not worried he is as my producer aaron said like the into my yang s o I am like I have five hundred to do lists of bubble ola and like my husband doesn't have a calendar like he doesn't have any social media he doesn't have a computer he is just so not like that we used to teach cooking he's a chef so used to teach cooking classes together when he was gonna teach us first class I was like okay, so here's what I dio for for my firm I have this I have this I have this I have this and I handle that for our class together he taught a class on his own I'm like where's your you know your craft show packing list for your class where's your timeline for your class where is all this stuff and he was like I've got it all up here I've got it all appear well guess what we got there and he had totally forgotten the filling fo...

r the raviolis he had forgotten something else and after that he was a okay I'm totally mikell this next time that's not how he talks but yeah, I'm so lucky that my husband doesn't care about craft shows, because he would be really upset right now if he saw this and, like, heard me talking about how he was an example of what not to dio, but then he eventually he eventually did it. So so we've talked a little bit about that about my craft show packing list of the ultimate packing list. Yours is going, teo, very depending on your business, your your stuff, but mine is like my style, so chances are if it's not on there, it's going to spark something that you that you need, uh, you want to think about what you pack for a weekend trip, because you're going to be there all day, possibly possibly two days of this craft show, and you're not going to be ableto leave and go get aspirin when you have a headache, you know, you're not going to be a ble tio run out and get another ruling rack because you forgot yours. I like to keep kind of a run, a running tab of, like, my routines every day. So, like in the morning, I take my vitamins, and then I do this, and then I do that, and I just do it for a couple days, and then I am writing that stuff down, so I go old school sometimes but then I also use ever note which is like a note a note writing happened it keeps all your list together so if like you're on your phone your computer whatever you can access it uh and then I group like items together so that makes it easier to find things and easier to keep track of stuff so let's look at my list I wish I would have had this when I was starting out I mean it took me a long time to come up with all of these lists and things that you know that that helped me but things like having a trash bag is one thing on there I never thought of that literally every single thing that you could possibly think of our need for a cop show yeah you don't you don't realize it like at the end of the show the producers that gives an outdoor show they pick up all the trash cans and take up and you don't want to be that jerky litter person so are you know a broom and a dustpan you know tio clean up your booth of it's messy we're goingto go through just a couple parts of this list now this list is extensive but s o I was just talking about aspirin but this is my personal kit so this obviously this has a lot of stuff in here but I have benadryl I'm my medicine I have tissue paper that doubles as toilet paper airborne in case I'm feeling sick that morning of I need a little boost of energy deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, moisturizer ments I mean it it goes on uh I don't know if you've ever been to a show where there's no toilet paper that's happened to me or you go in there is no soap in the soap dispenser I have antibacterial gel and a small, tiny little bottle of soap and all of that stuff fits in here and I wasn't a showing somebody got stung by a bee and I had bennett on so like I was able to be that nice person so it's sometimes it's not only for you and then we're also going to talk about yes, we will get into power tools in a second, but, um we're also going to speak about this and you can put this in any kind this is this is these air fasteners, so I this is going to really very depending on your booth set up, but I have, you know, s hooks to hang things from your tent paperclips don't ever leave the house without safety pins, preshow or no craft show nails uh, measuring tape and this is very good for booth disputes with your neighbour who's like your two inches into my space so that's really helpful zip ties windy situation your zip in your display stuff to the lazy or ten year zipping things together. Bun jeez, these guys, I mean so many uses. I just love these guys table with windy. You're cooking your tablecloth together. Twine closed pens. I think I have some wire in there too. It's just going to depend on you know what you need for your booth. Obviously, I like to be super prepares. This is what this is, what I would have. And you know what? Sometimes, it's, not you that needs it sometimes it's your neighbor and you can be that nice person that I've had people save me before with zip ties or people that have brought extra they like empty gallons of water that you tidy or tent leg and then you filling up with water when you get to the show and that's a tent wait, so I mean there's? Yeah, the other thing I'd like to have is a vendor packet way was asked vendors to print out their map and bring it with them, but most people don't. You can have this on your phone, too, but I was like to have a hard copy of stuff with me in here, I just have no copy of permits on dh map of the show and booth list I used to have a lot of people like come to my booth and they'd be shopping and then they'd want to know where another booth wass like oh do you know where that you know stacy's booth is rebecca's were little by little I don't know well then you can help help people out and it's helpful for you parking map like map of the area knowing you know where food is it's after if you're not going home just being prepared and then this is most people don't do this but this is a contact sheet so I have my contacts like I would have my assistant on there I would have this show producers on there if I didn't have their phone number I would have their email and then my schedule you know especially if I have an assistant like okay at one o'clock I need you to check stock you know I want to talk I need you to replenish you know that's when we looked to see if we need to replenish you need to be doing drops of large bills every hour and then I always have tools with me so drill this one doesn't have a bitten it and the battery's dead so if this were really craft show you should have it charged in with a drill bit in it uh screwdriver I like to have needle nose pliers wire clippers I carry small hammer and uh also flathead screwdriver pushpins um, and then the last thing is a hand cracker dolly, which is right here, and I really like this one because it's super compact that's called a magna carta, and I'm not advertising for magna carta right now at all. I'm not affiliated with them, but yeah, these are awesome and in these wheels pulled in and, uh, this folds up like that and they have a really high weight capacity and just the way it's set up it's like, so eat it's just really easy you just keep it in your car all the time too. This will will save you. So okay, I think we're done with our packing stuff here right now, and I'm just going to go over a few packing tips with you. You want to be sure it fits before you buy it and I always do a trial run. I'd like to keep the measurements of my trunk and the open spaces in my car in my phone, especially if you're like me and you like having like vintage vintage stuff like maybe you're a flea market and you find something you want to get your booth display, you want to make sure it fits in your car before before you buy it, and then I am really big on considering wait and collapse ability you wantto be compact. I don't have a very big place to store things, so I needed to not only be functional and compact and on brand and all that stuff in my booth, but I need to be able to have it go small when it goes home and it's being stored long term and we just saw are clear, ben, and I'm also a big fan of city blocks. So that way, if you do have, you know, when you do have your assistant, if you have your assistant it's a clear ben you should already sheer, he can already see what's inside. Here, I can see that's tools. Everything is in a clear bag, quick, I need some aspirin boob, june, june, june. You don't know, you're not trying to search like which one of these things is aspirin, eh? You know the bags, maybe adorable, but the clear bag is going to save you time.

Class Materials

Free Downloads

Craft Show Secrets Syllabus.pdf

Bonus with Purchase

Craft Show Readiness Checklist
Craft Show Timeline Checklist
Profit and Loss Worksheet With Examples
Packing Checklist
Craft Show List
Benefits and Goals Worksheet
Branding Worksheet
Post Craft Show Checklist
Craft Show Application Checklist
Brand Mood Board Exercise

Ratings and Reviews

user-1b0a09
 

It was an awesome experience. I learned so much from Nicole. She is entertaining and so knowledgeable that I feel I left the show with soooooo much info. I loved being in the studio audience, I met so many great people, crafters and new friends I feel we all became one big support for each other. I am putting to good use everything I learned. I look forward to coming back to Creative Live for another learning experience. Craft Show Secrets taught me all the ins/outs of craft shows ...I'm excited for my next craft show. Time to Create!!!

Lisa Jones
 

Great Class! Full of practical information + tools about how to REALLY succeed doing shows. I have attended many a craft show and found an enormous amount of useful tips. I especially loved the bonus material! Thank you Nicole and Creative Live for keeping it real + FUN!!

a Creativelive Student
 

I've been growing my business successfully online for the last six years, but hadn't shown my work in person for a decade. As a refresher, I took Nicole's craft show class to be sure that I made the most of the time I would have in front of my customers. Because of the preparedness and mindset that I gained from Nicole's teaching, my show was a huge success. My interactions with the customers, producers, and other vendors were genuine and joyful, building a stronger foundation for future business and relationships. This course took the worry and stress off my shoulders so I could enjoy the opportunity that I had. Thanks, Nicole! Tamara Kraft Pithitude

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES