The last event I attended was the Fremont Festival of the Arts held in early August. It was just as amazing as I remember when I last participated in 2019. With hundreds of vendors spread across three blocks in downtown Fremont, California, it was easy to find inspiration to find ways to improve my booth to make it even better for the next show.
Whenever I attend an event as a vendor, I spend a few hours the following week evaluating how the event went. If you have a craft fair or art show planned soon, you may find it helpful to keep these questions in your back pocket.
Load-In & Set Up (Before the Event)
- How was the drive to the event?
- Were there any issues with parking close to the event space or maneuvering around other vendors?
- How long did it take to unload?
- Where was the nearest parking after unloading?
- Did you forget any items?
- What was the total time to set up? How far in advance was the setup completed compared to the official event start time?
- Were there any injuries during setup?
General Event Observations
- What was the flow of traffic throughout the day? What was the peak time?
- How was the location of your booth? Was it too close to any distractions such as loud music from a stage? Was it shaded by trees or buildings?
- How was the weather? Was your booth prepared to handle sporadic rain, wind gusts, cold, and heat?
- Did you need to make adjustments to your booth throughout the day? (Example: straightening artwork due to wind gusts.)
- How far was the nearest bathroom? Was it routinely maintained throughout the event?
- Was there adequate security during the event?
- Did you post to social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) throughout the day? Did tagging the event page or hashtag result in reposts?
- Were there thefts or damaged items? If the event ran multiple days, was overnight security adequate?
Personal Preparedness
- Did you need to repair any items during the event? (Examples: torn banner corner, snapped bungee cord, ripped tent walls.)
- Did you need to purchase items during the event? If yes, how much time did it take?
- Were there any common questions about your products? Would creating a banner or sign clarify your product?
- Did you bring sufficient food and beverages?
- Did any accidents or spills occur within your area? If yes, did you have the supplies to clean it up?
Sales & Marketing
- What percentage of the crowd stopped to look, struck up a conversation, or purchased an item?
- Were specific products more popular than others? How was this compared to your historical sales?
- Did anything sell out? Were you able to restock or did this result in missed sales?
- What was the distribution of payment methods (credit card, tap payment, or cash)? Did you have adequate change for cash payments?
- How many printed marketing items (business cards, flyers, etc.) were distributed?
Evaluating Your Booth in Comparison to Your Competition
- How many vendors sold similar products?
- How far was the next vendor that sold similar products to yours?
- Were your products comparable in price and quality?
- Were there any vendors that stood out in either drawing a crowd or unique displays?
- Are there elements from popular vendors that can be purchased or adapted into the next event for your own booth?
Tear-Down (Post Event)
- How long did it take to break down your booth? Any issues with loading everything back into the vehicle?
- Did items get damaged during tear-down?
- Did you accidentally misplace or leave items behind?
- Did thefts occur after the event?
- Were there any injuries during the tear-down?
Post Event Online Evaluation
- Did online traffic to your website and/or online store change during the event and following week?
- How many follow-up correspondences occured due to contacts made during the event?
- Did your social media follower count change after the event?
The Fremont Festival is an established local event so there’s always a huge crowd throughout the weekend. My partner and booth buddy was able to relieve me on both days so I was able to peruse the event to get a feel for the event atmosphere and foot traffic. It was really nice seeing old and new vendors. I saw a lot of familiar faces!
And if you’re wondering if it’s rude to ask another vendor where they source their display items, I personally don’t think so. When I approach another vendor, I try to time it early in the day when there is low traffic. This past weekend, I had two people stop by and inquire about my booth setup. I was happy to give them manufacturer names and they took photos of the things they liked.
If you’ve found the review list helpful let me know in the comments below. Or if there are questions you think I should add, include them in the comments and I’ll modify my list and credit you as well.
-Lauren