Vendor Fair at Hospital: Is it Worth the Investment for Your Business?

ok - I need feedback. My place of employment (a hospital) is having a Vendor fair to raise money for United Way. They are offering a table for 2 days for $70.00. I was considering doing this unitl I was just told that they only want cash & carry. Since we don't stock an inventory per se, I almost think this would not be worth my while. What do you think? Is it worth buying some outlet items, just to get my name out there for referrals & recruits & business.

Your thought please

Will they also expect you to donate to United Way? What if you and another team member split the cost? Each of you get a day, or half a day each day. Then it would only cost $35 each.

I wouldn't worry about ordering product. I'd focus on picking up orders if anyone is interested....be sure to have a date for submitting the show so that they know when to expect their items. Also, focus on contacts. Booking cooking and catalog shows...offer them a party in a bag (Gift bag with themed plates, napkins and forks, etc).

I think it would be a nice way to get your name out, to fill your calendar, and grow your client base.

Look up other threads re: booths....lots of good ideas.

Best of luck!

I would do it. They said you HAVE to have cash and carry? What about small things like SB, and especially the sprinkles since you can get them on supply at discount. Small stuff like that. Then have a raffle for a free cooking show. At least if the small stuff doesn't sell you have prizes or host gifts for your parties. I would not get big stuff, let them order that. Or what about making a fundraiser party out of it and before the vendor fair tell your coworkers so they can order before that day and close the party that evening. People who are coming to support United Way anyway are more apt to purchase/order if they know it's going to the same cause they came to support. Just some ideas going through my head anyway LOL

Great idea Sandy!

You are all awesome and I so appreciate your suggestions. I will do this with a clustermate and hope for the best.
Thanks so much again.

I just had a similar opportunity last month. A Sorority called me to come & do a booth at one of their events. They give out scholarships to the local high school children here on the military base in Japan. They were doing their awarding of the scholarships and a big fundraiser at the same time. They had a group of men called "Men Who Cook" to come in and volunteer their time & food to feed the crowd. They sold over 200 tickets to people to come & eat. All the ticket prices went back into the scholarship fund. They wanted to have consultants come & work tables - no booth fee they just wanted us to donate something that they could give out to the guests and cooks as door prizes. I helped them gather more consultants to work tables & donate items. I decided to do it as a fundraiser show. I did a display board advertising that it was a fundraiser and explained to everyone that any purchases made, a % would go back to the AKA girls for their Scholarship fund. PC donates $3 per booked show back to the girls, I offered an additional $10 (after the show closes) to the AKA girls too. I collected a little over $250 in orders and booked 4 shows. It worked out really well! I went overboard on giveaways. I donated some dots bowls & dots cups that I had earned at some point & had never used as the door prize. A teacher won them & was super ecstatic that they could be used in her room. I also did a giveaway drawing at my table. I had received the 10" saute pan in my new consultant kit and then another one when my husband & I decided to get a set of cookware at 50% off. I had the one from my "set" still sitting with all my Pampered Chef door prize stuff, in the plastic & never used. I decided since this was technically a charity event that I'd give that away. I collected A LOT of door prize drawing slips which means LOTS of new contacts! It was worth it to me in the end. I cleaned out some items that I was not using and were taking up space in my Pampered Chef storage area, helped a charitable organization, booked 4 shows & made a lot of new contacts at the same time.

I agree if you have to do cash & carry to do the small stuff -or- do the brand new stuff that most people do not yet have! There's no point in you investing hundreds of dollars into this and then not having the "right" items for the crowd. I recently did a table at Market Day here on base. I thought that a set of bamboo spoons would really get me a lot of entries as a door prize. Man, was I wrong! Over 1/2 of the people who stopped to chat & I asked if they wanted to enter the drawing said that they already had all the bamboo cooking tools & didn't need anymore. I'll never do bamboo spoons as a giveaway again!!! We did a pinch bowl set at a table once and had people participating like crazy! It was when they were a "new" item. So I've now learned that you'll get more participation if it's something no one has yet ... to stick with the new items in the catalog, not the old items! I'm pretty sure it would be the same with cash & carry ... they would be more apt to buy the garlic press, garlic peeler, the new dipping seasonings, etc. I wouldn't do the new stoneware ... way too expensive (unless you just get 1 or 2 of each). Out here, pineapples are fairly cheap and super popular (since they have pineapple farms on the island) so those would go over REALLY well here too. Oh, maybe a couple of the 29 Minutes to Dinner Vol 2 also!

We are not allowed to use the military postal system to get items for cash & carry ... so we can't do those types of booths out here.