I will be attending my first show on August 20th. It will be at a festival in my hometown. 20,000 people will pass through.
I've looked on line and read books about displays, booth arrangements etc. Was hoping some might have a few tips for
a newbie. I've been making jewelry for over a year now and have learned quite a bit. My style is a bit eclectic and I use
creative stones and techniques. I'm not a $5 bracelet artisan. However, I have a lot to learn. Any tips in regards to
presenting my booth and self for this festival? I have all the essentials, cards, displays, banner.

Thanks for your help!

I'm not a jeweler so I can't tell you any tips on displays.
But I am a show veteran so I can give tips on doing the show.

Get there early to set up. Everybody will be driving in and some will probably have trailers and don't know how to back up, so they'll want to drive through. Usually festivals are a complete zoo during setup and teardown. There will be exhibitors there an hour before setup just so they will have a spot to unload.

Set up your canopy completely within your space. Then take your stock and place it inside and GO MOVE YOUR CAR TO THE ASSIGNED PARKING PLACE. Don't take each item out and set it up, and then get another item out of the car. Your car is 20 feet long and your space is probably 10 feet long. Your next door neighbor needs to set up too.

Once you're set up and have your display the way you want it, then you can look around and see who else is there.

The absolute best piece of advice I can give any new exhibitor is STAND UP! STAND UP! STAND UP! Don't sit there "demonstrating", because to be frank, unless you're throwing pottery, or making a broom, nobody cares or is impressed. I have a tall director's chair in my booth for the slow times, and it's more of a butt rest than a sitting place. You want to be at eye level with your customers at all times.

Always smile and greet everybody that enters your booth. Just a simple hello is fine.

Dress nicely. Have you ever heard the term "Dress for success"? And keep the sunglasses anyplace other than on your face. I personally don't like doing business with somebody I can't look in the eye.

Selling your work is 50% of this business. Your work won't sell itself, especially in today's economy. So you have to have that edge over the exhibitor in the next booth who's wearing grungy clothes, sitting in a lawn chair wearing sunglasses.

Stay until the end of the show, even if sales are horrible. You signed a contract... so honor it. It's not going to kill you to stay.

And the absolute most important part of doing shows, and the major reason I've been doing them for over 30 years is HAVE FUN! If I didn't enjoy the shows, I would've gone back to a 'real job' decades ago.

Chris,

You are so right. Everything you have suggested is absolutely true. I haven't been an artist as long as you have, but 12 years is enough to know that being kind to the customer, helping her get the right piece (I'm a jewelry artist) that really looks nice on the person (and not just to sell the piece), and looking clean and nicely dressed is the key to sell my work. Most of the time they come back and say "I get so many compliments on the piece, I need to get me another one!"

I always try to find outfits that will give me enough neck space to wear my necklaces and jewelry and show how nice it looks with a summer dress or jeans with a t-shirt, since the first thing people say to me when they see my work is "but this is too fancy, where am I going to where that to?" I tell them....to the movies, to dinner, to go out with your friends! You don't need any fancy dress to wear these pieces. It never fails....I sell at least one of the sets I'm wearing at each show.

I don't invest tons of money in clothes, but I try to find summer dresses and nice tops to actually sell my work! Make up and hair is a must for me, too.

I do wear COMFORTABLE SHOES...because, as you said, I spend most of the time standing up and talking to people. Gosh...I've seen artist that look like homeless, seriously. I don't even feel like getting in their booth when I see the way they look.

Thanks, Chris. It's funny because I had this conversation with one of my fellow artist and we discussed everything you said in here and totally agreed.

Happy sales!

Hang items at multiple eye levels.

Make it easy for people to get in and out of your booth, but also make it easy for yourself to keep an eye on everything. Maybe even tack some things down, as jewelry seems to be a target at times.

Don't get discouraged if you don't make a killing at your first show. Look at it as a learning experience. If it is not your turn this time, it will be the next.

Stay positive!

Good luck!

The show you are talking about may be over now but sorry l haven't joined the forum then to add my voice. However one very important tip is to move around to see what others are doing especially those booths that attracts many many people.