Well….. it is so easy to feel sorry for yourself when something like this happens. I am just trying to figure out why this happened.
I attended a highly anticipated event this weekend. There were over 100 vendors in attendance. Upon arrival to the event, I have found myself tucked into a back room with 4 other vendors. It was not a very good spot. As the doors opened and the participants began to wander the floor, I found that folks walked into the room and missed me. They looked to the left instead of the right. The vendor on the left had quite an elaborate setup which really drew the audience in. I did not have the elaborate displays, or lights in order to gain any attention. As customers continued to walk by, I began to try to gain their attention by standing in front of my booth and greet folks on their turf. It still did not work. I grew more and more despondent. Four hours into the market I still had no sales. My despair turned to anger and I wanted to blame the organizers. With much haste, I began to pack up my wares and my displays and head home. I left that place and I did not look back. I was supposed to be in attendance for the next day as well but I did not bother to show up.
I contacted another vendor who was participating in this event as well and they indicated that the sales were really terrible. So I did not feel bad.
So, what did I learn from this experience.
- The organizer was not to blame. They were doing a very good job with the enormous amount of vendors that they had in attendance. Putting me into a corner in a back room was simply due to the fact that they had so many booths to coordinate given the space allotted.
- Ensure that you understand your competition. As I walked the floor of this event, I discovered that there were many, many other vendors selling the exact same thing that I was. They were placed very near to me and it really made me uncomfortable to watch the customers get to their booth first before mine.
- Perhaps large events like this is not my cup of tea. The items that I sell are not flea market level – they are a handmade craft that is very unique and specialized. The customers that are attracted to the flea market type of events may not be the type of customers who would purchase my items.
- Don’t get down on myself. I have to admit that I had a few tears as I left the event because I was so confused why I did not do well. I was doubting my products and the work that I had put into making my jewelry. I had done very well at most of the other events that I had participated in. I have NEVER had a market where I did not sell anything.
I have a bit of time off before my next market. I was supposed to participate in this same event in two weeks; however, I have asked for my money back as I would like to avoid having to go through this again. We shall see.
Chin up and I will carry on. 🙂