All the Things I Learned from Planning and Attending my First Vendor Event!

Setting up my wares at 7:30 in the morning. It was chilly.

I legit just got back from my first vendor event about two hours ago and want to share everything I learned along the way as I planned for the big day. There were a few hiccups along the way. But that's what the "Wobbles" of Wobbles&Whimsy stands for. Not everything is perfect. We're always learning and growing and that's all that matters! So here's what I learned as a first time vendor and what changes I would make next time around - if any.

Planning for the Big Day

I had seen a local vendor event advertised on Facebook, and without any experience prior, I just decided I was going to do it on a whim. I'm smart! I'm creative! Why not!?

So, I contacted the event coordinator and secured my place. I had only a month to plan and after signing up, I started to realize there was a lot involved. I wanted my stall to look professional and put together in a thoughtful way.

Here's a list of things I realized I needed (or wanted) to buy for the event.

• 10'x10' Canopy (Standard Size)

• Tables - Did I need one or two tables? Maybe three? How big would they be?

• Canopy Weights (Didn't realize this until much later and still didn't have enough weight)

• Packaging - How would my patrons leave with their products. I bought bags and packing paper for this.

• Displays - How would I display my products to grab attention?

• Pricing - I needed labels and signs so that people would know how much everything cost. I personally will walk away if something isn't priced so I wanted to ensure my customers could easily see what everything cost. I also needed to decide what I felt my products were worth based off my time and costs.

• Product Packaging - I make necklaces. I wanted to package them so they would hang nicely on hooks and so that the chains wouldn't tangle. I also have plates I'd like stands for.

• Stock - What products did I want to display and bring with me?

• Payments - How would I accept payments? Just Cash? Would I accept Credit Cards? If so, how?

• Starting Till - How much petty cash would I need to start with? I didn't want to bring too much or too little. How would I protect my cash?

• Travelling - How would I transport all my displays, canopy, tables, and products?

• Food - I didn't think about this until the last minute... I honestly forgot I'd have to eat at some point during the 8 hours I'd be setting up and vending...

• Collecting E-mails - I wanted to collect e-mails for people who would be interested in my products so that they could stay easily updated on what I'm doing.

• Cost - How much was all this going to cost me to get started? Honestly... More than you'd think.

• Vendor Insurance - Did I need it? How much would it cost?

Necklace Packaging I made with my Silhouette Cutter.

As you can see, I ended up with a lot to think about as I planned for the Big Day over a period of a month. I had 4 weeks to prepare. I got to work right away ordering things I would need, researching prices/sizes/weights/etc. I wanted to ensure everything would arrive on time. I'd hate to have the Big Day arrive and have no tables!

I looked for things in bulk at low prices like packing paper and bags. I created my own packaging using a Silhouette Cutter to make necklace hangers and gold washi tape to secure the chains in place. I made signs using the pen tool on my Silhouette and found cute little pink dry erase easels at Dollar General to write on. I found bulk labels for price tags. I ordered a pink canopy and decided I wanted some branded materials to match so I used my Graphic Design Skills (that college certificate finally paying off) and designed a banner and business cards on Vistaprint. I put a little QR code on the cards so people could easily find my website. I bought a lockable till. I bought a pen to detect fake money. I bought a square reader for my phone to take card payments. I bought racks, stands, and other displays for my products.

Little Keychain Hanging Card I made with my Silhouette Cutter.

There was A LOT of buying to get started. But I wanted to present myself and my products in a professional and put together manner. I had a vision. I'd make it happen!

I spent the next 4 weeks creating like crazy. I needed more items to bring. I made magnets, jars, figures, necklaces. I had a few other things in mind, but time ran out. It turned out okay though as I almost didn't have enough room for everything I brought to the event!

As the day approached, I decided to do a practice setup, just to get an idea of how long it would take. The event coordinator gave us from 7-9 am to setup.

Practice Setup in my Backyard. The canopy was tricky to pop up.

The night before the Big Day, I packaged up all my products and loaded all my equipment into my car so it'd be ready in the morning. I have a Chevy Spark and it was just the perfect size for everything to fit!

The next morning I got up early, showered, ate breakfast, prepped some snacks, and waited nervously.

My partner drove with me to the location and I started setting up shop. Based on the area, I rearranged my setup to allow room on the sidewalk for people to still walk. I like my new setup better! I will definitely use that next time.

Actual Setup on the Big Day.

As the day went, I discovered I definitely did not have enough weights for my canopy! Yikes! It wasn't a windy day according to my weather app, but I sure did get a few good gusts that made me panic. At one point my necklaces were all over the ground... Only 2 got damaged. My partner brought me more weights after I called him in a panic - but it still wasn't enough. The money I made at this event is definitely going toward more canopy weights. I'm also going to make sure my displays are weighed down better as well. If a "little bit" of wind did this, I'd hate to see "a lot"!

I also had an issue with my banner falling down and sagging as the day went. I had taped up the center with tape but the tape didn't hold. This is something I will have to work out before the next event.

My Wares on Display <3

I met a lot of different people. I was surprised to see so many people out and about - many out of towners visiting too! Most everyone was so nice and friendly. I loved meeting everyone and sharing my process and products for them to browse. I was surprised how many sales I made too! I honestly went in expecting to make nothing and just use this as a little advertising opportunity but was pleasantly surprised to see people were actually interested in my products! It's so satisfying to see something you spent weeks making going home in the hands of a happy customer. I love seeing someone else enjoy my art! It's an artist's dream!

Overall, the experience was really fun. It did have some upfront costs that I have yet to make back, but I am hopeful I will eventually break even. I'd be interested to try even bigger events after how well this little one went!

If you are thinking about doing a vendor event, I encourage you to just try! Even if you "wobble" it'll be a learning experience and worth it. Just know there is a lot that goes into planning and way more to think about than you expect!

Thank you to anyone who stopped in to see me! I truly appreciated it and hope to see you again one day! Until then, join my e-mail list to stay in the loop on other vendor events I'll be attending, along with new products and tutorials on YouTube.