How Many Booths Should I Sign Up For?

[bostonbelle]

Just wondering how many you do in this season.... I've done 1 tiny one & another larger school one. I have the opportunity for a couple more & thinking whether to sign up. (I'm a newbie... can you tell?! )

 

[NooraK]

I've done two elementary school fall fests, and will be doing one holiday bazaar. A friend had nine or ten holiday bazaar type events on her schedule for the season (I think she's done three or four now).

I would consider the cost, and decide if it's something you want to invest in your business. Keep in mind, they're not usually great for sales, more for bookings and recruit leads (which will pay off in the long run). The biggest thing to remember is follow up. If you don't follow up within 24-48 hours, you've wasted your time. So it's best to block out time to do that as you book the event.

 

[Becca_in_MD]

I think you need to weigh how much money you want to spend and how much time you have available to do the events. I look at booths as booking and lead generators and not really for sales. Do you need the bookings? Can you dedicate yourself to following up with the leads within 24-48 hours? If so, then the time and money could be well spent if you book at least one show from each booth. Find out what kind of attendance they expect, how they're publicizing it, make sure there will be no other PC people there. Some recent threads on here talk about poorly planned events. They can be learning experiences for you.

 

[raebates]

I've got a couple scheduled. The one Saturday is a first-time for me. The one in December is one I've done several times. I know it will generate sales and leads.

 

[lesliec]

I've only done one ever. I got a lot of leads, but the few shows that held didn't turn into much. I did get one $800 catalog show out of it. I know a lot of people seem to do a lot of them, but honestly I walk out of every show with 2-5 shows booked (date on the calendar) and 2 or 3 "Maybe" leads. Even with cancellations I have about all I can handle right now. I guess I could see going for recruit leads, but we have so much going on right now....
Don't know if that answers your question. If you are in need of business and leads, then go for it, but try working your business full circle so you don't have to constantly do booths to get shows on your calendar.

 

[raebates]

I do a "family tree" for booths and events. I have a spreadsheet where I track the booked shows, sales from those shows, and then the bookings from those shows & their sales. It gives me a good idea of whether or not something is worth my time and effort. I had a booth last spring that, on the surface, looked like a successful event--three bookings in a new area. The problem is that none of the shows held. In all fairness, one host postponed because she was diagnosed with cancer so I don't count that against her. The others simply changed their minds, which is rare for my hosts. So, while the event wasn't expensive, it did cost me an evening of my time and quite a drive. I won't be doing that one again.On the other hand, I have an event that I regularly do at which I always get at least enough sales to submit as a show of my own and an average of 4 bookings that hold. Those shows have average sales @$475 and average 2 bookings each with average sales of right at $500 each. That's an average of $5,900 in sales generated from that event. Now that's worth my time.

 

[Krista Burson]

I do a "family tree" for booths and events. I have a spreadsheet where I track the booked shows, sales from those shows, and then the bookings from those shows & their sales. It gives me a good idea of whether or not something is worth my time and effort.

I had a booth last spring that, on the surface, looked like a successful event--three bookings in a new area. The problem is that none of the shows held. In all fairness, one host postponed because she was diagnosed with cancer so I don't count that against her. The others simply changed their minds, which is rare for my hosts. So, while the event wasn't expensive, it did cost me an evening of my time and quite a drive. I won't be doing that one again.

On the other hand, I have an event that I regularly do at which I always get at least enough sales to submit as a show of my own and an average of 4 bookings that hold. Those shows have average sales @$475 and average 2 bookings each with average sales of right at $500 each. That's an average of $5,900 in sales generated from that event. Now that's worth my time.

Rae - Would you mind sharing some tips that you do to get those kind of bookings at events? I'm struggling with getting people to fill out the DPS. Any suggestions from anyone would be great, as I have one after Thanksgiving, and one the weekend after that.

 

[raebates]

There's no secret. I talk with everyone. I ask everyone if they're interested in hosting. I follow up. This is one of the most successful events I do.