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In the UK over 3.9 million people attend festivals every single year. Australians are just as excited about these colourful outdoor events, with recent statistics showing that 65% of Australians attend the same amount of music festivals year on year. In America, festivals are actively growing in popularity with more people than ever attending festivals than ever before. That is without even looking at the growth in European festival popularity, or the many incredible up and coming festivals being held in all corners of the globe.
So the verdict is in: the world loves festivals!
And who can blame anyone for loving a festival? The wellies, the glitter makeup, the excited crowd vibes, the outdoors, the music, and last but not least, the stalls! Festival goers love a good festival stall because they want to enjoy themselves and impulse buy! It is also part of a festival to enjoy the delicious food (even if you have to queue for hours to get it!). Those selling at festivals don’t have a bad time either and look to make a killing at bigger events, whilst building their brand and experience at smaller events.
Are you thinking of being a festival vendor?
Being a vendor at a festival can be stressful, but only if you don’t follow these 10 steps to being an extremely successful festival vendor:
1. Decide If This Is The Right Event For Your Business
Rather than thinking about whether or not the festival suits your business, think about the potential for making money first which tells you whether or not to even consider the festival in the first place. You can find an easy way to work out how much you could earn at the festival here. Then you can consider if the kind of customers at that festival would appreciate your wares.
2. Let Everybody Know About Your Attendance
Just because you are going to be at the event, doesn’t mean people will give you their money. You can help the likelihood of customers coming to you by letting everybody know you’re going to be attending. According to statistics, colour increases brand recognition by a massive 80% so try to pair your van colouring with your social media announcements relating to the event. It is also a great idea to give online followers an online code to use at the event exclusively, to give them even more reason to visit you.
3. Line Up Staff
Vendors at festivals work really hard, especially food trucks vendors. You do need to keep your costs down, but not when it comes to staff. You need a good team of people behind you to ensure you’re able to deal with all your customers. Start by asking your friends, as they want you to succeed and they are likely to want to ensure the event goes successfully for you.
4. Don’t Expect To Make The Most Money You Have Ever Made
Sales might not go as expected, so, expect to not make a ton. Think of the event as an investment in future sales. At the very least you will be getting the word out there, and you might even get some sales afterwards from customers who couldn’t forget you.
5. Look Your Best For The Festival You’re Attending
You may well have a stunning stall that looks great in any setting, but you need to attract the customers at that specific festival so, what do you need to adapt? Could you wear fun outfits? Do you need a higher blackboard listing specials? Could you do with a brighter backdrop? Be ready to adapt to stand out.
6. Show Them Your Wares
Try to avoid showcasing your wares inside a tent or inside a gazebo as people sometimes feel uncomfortable entering sell zones. Instead, have your products easily on show and accessible, particularly to the main footfall customers.
7. Engage With Your Customers
You want customers to ask you about the product, and to be interested in your company and what you do. Create engagement using social media (take a selfie with our backdrop and share it using the XYZ hashtag get a free XYZ at our stall/be entered into a competition). You could even create engagement before the event by looking into sponsorship. You might not be able to afford to sponsor the whole event, but there could be room to sponsor a part of the festival. Statistics show that 93% of millennials like brands that sponsor live events so if you can afford sponsorship it could be really beneficial for your brand.
8. Plan, Plan And Plan Some More
Whether you need to look for new diesel generators for sale to keep up with sales demands at your stall, buy branded marketing items, or find out your location at the festival, you need to be prepared. You need to have everything lined up to succeed in this business, especially if you want to make a real impact at the festival you’re attending. Make sure you have enough staff, maybe hire seasonal staff to meet the demands. Of course, do a quick employee verification with the help of police check melbourne to be sure about your new hires.
9. Don’t Give Up
It can be easy to want to go home after you make a loss on day one and everything seems bleak. But don’t give up! Figure out what you could do better and improve your tactics and services the next day. You can always do better, and there is always an opportunity for success.
10. Go To Lots Of Events
If you’re investing in the kit for festivals you may as well make the most of the season and go to lots of them! The more you go to, the more chance you have of getting your name out there! You will also learn so much about your business, all whilst building your brand.
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. – Colin Powell
Selling at festivals is an incredible experience for any business, providing at the very least, a huge learning curve and at the most, brand growth and great sales figures. Do your preparation and do your research, and most importantly let everyone know you’re going to be there. With the right marketing approach, you’ll have people willingly queuing for hours to get a look at what you’re offering!
