31 Days - Day 11: Ground Rules

If you are alone in your craft booth and even more importantly, if you have partners (You can go HERE to learn about considering a partner) you should set some ground rules about the operating of your craft booth. Obviously, you probably don't have to have formal contract if you are by yourself, but I know for myself, if I am by myself, I often still have a child or Mr. Right helping me out in the booth.  There need to be some basic rules.

Some things you might want to consider when you are running a craft booth are:
Who will:

• Set Up
• Collect money
• Answer questions from customers
• Stock products
• Straighten the booth out
• Load up at the end

A few other things to consider when planning for the craft show are:

• How will you split the cost of the booth?
• How will you handle lunch breaks?
• Will you drink or eat in the booth?
• Will you stand or sit in the booth?
• Where will you stand?  

One thing I do have an opinion about where you stand in the booth.  This really dictates how you set up the booth.  There are really two different styles of booths for set up.  One is the kind where you have a table that everyone sits behind.

Source: Carosello

The other way you can set up your booth is to have more of a U-shaped booth, where customers can come into the booth to browse your booth, and you stand in a corner, or stand in the front (but in the booth).

The black cabinet in the front right was a place to stand to take money and  bag up goods.  It may be hard to see, but you could go in a C through the booth and the crafter stood at the cabinet in front.

Both ways are have both positives and negatives to them.  Just decide ahead of time where you will sit or stand ahead of time.  I urge you to not hide behind the booth.  Of course, don't stand over people, but don't hide either.  It's easy to look unapproachable when you have a partner, when both sit in the corner and chat. Be sure that one of your ground rules is to greet your customers and be approachable.

For a complete list of the 31 Day Until A Craft Show series and links to each post go Here to Day 31.