Designing Your First "Booth"
Sunday July 29, 2007
Our first booth design for a craft show was a card table with sheets to cover it. We sat the products out in a line across
the front. Guess what? We still made a profit at that show! However the show was held at a high-school gymnasium and the fee
was $5. And on top of that pretty much everyone else had the same "booth design". When you attend shows that cost hundreds or
thousands of dollars to attend, you will, of course, want to put at least a little more dimension into your display. That
requires thought and lots of planning. You must ask yourself (and then answer) lots of questions when designing your booth.
Here's one: How do you get plenty of products into a 10 x 10 space without making the booth look cluttered? And: Where will
your checkout area be located inside the allotted space? What questions do you seasoned veterans think should be asked for a newbie
designing their first booth?
Comments
My brother had to design a booth where they were not allowed to use lighting for emphasis.
So he sculptured items from fluorescent plastic foam. His was the most attended booth at the exhibition.
I try and layer my items by creating a staircase effect under a cover, you can display many items at different levels. I also have pleanty of shelves, a back drop where I can hang my items, and I have a small clothing rack as well as a quilt holder. Sometimes it is hard getting it into an 10′x10′ space but with the right set up, it looks great, and catches people’s eye.
Don’t forget to plan where you are going to store all those boxes you bring stuff in. I like to put them under a table, but that means the table will have to be draped to the floor.
I have been selling primarily online and am not at the point where I would like to try some craft shows. So many in our area are juried and require a photo of your booth, and I am just lost on where to begin. I would love some ideas on this, and for my products think K. Frame’s idea of having tiers would work well. Keep up the good work - I love this site!