If you agree that nothing could be better than being outside, making
new friends, and making some money as your own boss then you are ready
to become a festival vendor.
Becoming a festival vendor can be easy or difficult; it really depends
on the festival you want to sell your wares at. Below are some useful
tips on how to get your foot in the festival door. There are many
different ways to start out as a festival vendor. If you can’t get in
the first time around, then check out some of these additional hints to
help you figure out a way.
Join Fairs And Festival Events
If
you’ve been to a few festivals, flea markets, or craft show and want in
on the action then you’ll have to get busy – early. That’s right, most
of the festival vendors you see at your local festivals have signed up
for their spot up to a year in advance. Some festivals are more
competitive than others. If you have some prior experience being a
festival vendor, but you’d like to join a well-known or traveling
festival than you know how hard it can be to get a coveted space to
sell your wares.
Need to Pay Anything to become Festival Vendor?
The
first thing to do no matter what festival you want to be a festival
vendor at is to find out who is in charge. Try to speak directly with
them about signing up. If you are lucky you will just need to pay up
front to reserve your spot and then show up on the first day of the
festival. Sometimes you won’t have to sign up until the day of the
festival, but most will require you to put down a deposit ahead of
time. This means that even if you are signing up for a hot festival a
year in advance you still might need to lay down a hefty deposit now.
This also means that if you can’t make it at the last minute it you
will probably lose your entire deposit. Unfortunately, this is just how
things go in the festival circuit and if you want to become a festival
vendor you will have to shell out some cash before you’ve made a penny.
Things to know in Fairs and Festival Events
If you
have chosen to become a festival vendor at a more competitive show and
there are no available spots left, then you can try a few things. You
can always ask to share a space with an established vendor. This is an
especially good move for a festival vendor that has a small set up or
someone just starting out. If the booth fees are high, another festival
vendor might be happy to let you set up inside their booth. Ask whoever
is in charge or approach a friendly festival vendor yourself. You can
also see if there are any cancellations that day or the day before.
This can be a real pain since you have no guarantee, but things happen
and this could get you in. Negotiating with another festival vendor to
hold their spot for them if they need to be away for a day or two is
another way to get in on a temporary basis. If you want to be a
festival vendor, then you are surely a creative type, so use those
skills and figure out a way to get in there.
How to perform well in Festival Events?
The
more experience you have as a festival vendor, the easier it becomes to
get a space or a better one. Like almost anything in life, who you know
matters. Being connected with the organizers and other festival vendors
can help you out a lot when it comes to getting a prime space at a
festival. This does not mean you need to try to get the management’s
attention every chance you can. In fact what it means, is try to be a
festival vendor who is easy to get along with and pays attention to the
people running the show. It may sounds simple, but you will see many
festival vendors put up quite a fuss when it comes to their space or a
variety of things. Be the kind of festival vendor that people want at
their festival. People will take note of this and this it will help
ensure you a place at the festival or make sure that the your favorite
space is vacant when you arrive.