Taste of Home Cooking School: Have You Been? Share Your Tips!

[niclowther]

I have the opportunity to participate in a Taste of Home Cooking School in May, and I would love to hear what everyone does at the events.

Do you have food samples? Do you give out recipe cards? catalogs? Do you have drawings?

What tips do you have for me? I will definetly not be doing this by myself b/c I heard there will be a lot of people.

If you've done one, please chime in! Thanks.

 

[LDelgado35]

The Pampered Chef booth is very popular at these events so you'll constantly have a lot of people in front of your booth.

I have done quite a few Taste of Home events with great success. I do a drawing which can be for anything that you want. I've done gift certificates and cookbooks for my drawing. Others helping me have done free Cooking shows.

I give out old catalogs because I rarely get someone that calls me from the event. If someone seems very interested, I may give them a current catalog, but will generally note it on their drawing slip so I can follow up with them. I don't give out recipe cards either. It's one less thing that I need to worry about.

If you have some cash and carry items, people really like that. Popular items have been Mix N Chop, Apple Wedger, Mini-serving spatula, any of the white Silicone Scrapers and Season's Best. Stick with small items because people don't want to carry around anything big.

I don't do food samples and have never had anyone complain.

Small clipboards for people to write help a lot. You can get them at OfficeMax for about $2. I also put the date on the drawing slip so people don't keep asking what the date is or put the wrong date.

Please feel free to contact me with more specific questions.

 

[Jennie4PC]

I have also done these. I do hand out recipe cards, they are more then likely to keep a recipe card then your buisness card, I also hand out old catalogs and mini catalogs. Make sure to call everyone who marked yes on thier slips. I have always done this booth by myself and I have been able to handle it.

 

[niclowther]

Did you guys sell a lot of cash and carry? Did you get any orders? Anyone book that day?

 

[Jennie4PC]

I never do cash and carry because it voids the warranty. I also never get any orders, I have booked a few shows that day but my main bookings are after the show.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I would pass out recipe cards with your info stamped on them

Do a drawing for something (most of the time I don't just sit out drawing slips, I GIVE them to those who are genuinely interested in PC. That way I don't have a million slips of people to call who only entered for the free product.)

I wouldn't mess with food, I have done that in the past and it's just a PITA and brings people to your booth JUST for the food. They take up space for those who REALLY want to get to your booth and can't, because of all the free food stalkers. LOL

If you do cash and carry, just do small items: mini serving spats, quickut knives, SB's and be sure to keep them behind your booth so that people don't mistake them for freebies. (ask me how I know that!! )

 

[PaulaP]

I have done 2 of these. Handed out recipes cards, participated in the give aways but not really generated any great business from it. I don't think I will participate in the next one in our community. The cost has far outweighed the benefits. Booth and advertisement cost was $250.

 

[raebates]

That's actually kind of cheap, Paula. I haven't participated in our local one because it was $350.

 

[Jennie4PC]

Mie is 250 here also. I have been doing it since 05 and I love it.

 

[LDelgado35]

It has varied from show to show whether or not I got any orders that day. With the cash and carry, I generally sell at least $100 worth of product. I don't necessary stock up on anything, just take what I might have on hand.

I've gotten several catalog shows the day of the TOH event, but it's really hard to book any shows there since you really are bombarded by people the whole time and don't have much chance to talk to anyone for any length of time.

You definitely have to follow up with the leads to make sure it is worth your time and money. Even just getting 1 or 2 shows should get you your money back.

 

[nene960]

I am doing a booth at a Taste of Home on April 28th. I am doing it with a consultant of mine to help ease the cost of $275 (you could pay all the way up to 1350-ridiculous). We are going to have food but we are only going to do cream cheese with the pineapple rum sauce and pretzel sticks with ginger wisabi sauce. We are going to use mini catalogs and give big catalogs to anyone who needs one. We have to provide a $25 item for a general door prize so we bought a collapsible bowl. We haven't decided what we are doing for a prize at our table...probably free cooking show. They said they are expecting 700 people!!! We will do recipe cards because i have a TON of them. I am really looking forward to it!

 

[lvanderw]

Do you use the PC recipe cards or do you print your own recipe cards? I have a ton of the PC cards but there isn't really a good place to put your information on them. I have a fair this week-end and was trying to determine what I should do. Thanks.

 

[niclowther]

I made mine on vistaprint.com using the postcards- put recipe on front and contact info on back.

 

[cfort]

I'm doing the Taste of Homes cooking show on May 7th. I'm splitting it with 3 other consultants because the cost where I'm from is 595. We're giving away a pizza kit (large round stone, pizza cutter, and pizza crust mix) as well as 4 all expenses paid cooking shows (1 for each of us). We're doing the show give-a-ways so that we each are guaranteed at least 1 show booked. 1000 tickets were sold. We had to turn in 1000 goodie bag stuffers. We gave recipe cards with our info on them as well as a coupon for 10% off host's total on shows booked and held by Aug. 31st and sales reaching at least 450. Hopefully that will generate some extra bookings. I'm cautiouslly optimistic.