Preparations

It seems like I am always on standby.   I always pack my items as if I am unpacking, if that makes sense to you.  It makes sense to me.  I like to have a fresh look when I attend a new show(I have three coming up very soon). Here is a list of what I go through before I pack up for the day from doing a show.


1. I wipe down mirrors,( I keep wipes in my travel bag)
2. My travel bag consist of wipes. cards, fliers, scissors, bags, stamps, ink pad, pens, note pad and any other marketing or advertising items I might need.
3. I straighten out my bags, counting to see if I need to replenish my supply, as well as my order books, business cards, fliers, boxes, tissue papers, etc.......
4. Any repairs(customers/or mine) go into a special bag which I will take out with me into the house(I always like to wind down first before unpacking my inventory.  My winding down might take a couple of days, depending on the next show date). 
5.I will usually set up the inventory the way I want to unpack for the next show.
6. I check my notes(I have a sign up sheet for customers so that I can get in touch with them at a later date).
7. Tuck away my cash box(I do this a varies stages of my cleanup, depending on where I am)
8. Clean up my operating area. 
9. Check with the coordinator to see if there are any question, surveys that I need to fill out.  I will usually offer the coordinator a gift.  The package will include the gift,  my card and any additional contact information.

Once everything is settled,  I depart for bigger and brighter days.   Preparing this way, helps me with the next show and so on and so on.   If I make additional items, then I can easily incorporate those pieces into the mix without disturbing the my original setup.

During the course of the show, I will continually work on the jewelry, cards, ideas in between taking care of customers.   Because of my tight schedule,  I find it easier to leave some things to work on while I am at the show.  Here is something I worked on while at my last show.  Here are some of the fliers that I passed out.   A friend of mine had sent me one my fliers(I teach a basic computer class).  She had made the fliers on what I call a 4 square.  4 fliers(copies) on one page.  All I had to do was replace the information with my business information, print out one.

I made on copy and took the original to Staples.   I picked 24lb paper and choose 4 different colors, pink, blue, lavender and coral.  Next time I will choose a heavier paper say 65lbs.

 

I used decorative scissors to make the edges 

Here is the results.  I requested 20 copies which yielded 80 fliers.  The copies were only 11 for the 24 lb paper.   The price goes up with the selection of heavier paper.  I think they turned out pretty nice.   

Most of the time I will leave some items to fix or transform at the show.   It keep me busy( I also will make adjustments on the spot.  I keep my tools with me at all times) and most of the time people will come over to see what you are doing and they take a look at your table. 

Preparations can mean different things to different people.   Having organization and preparation is the key, at least for me, it spells a successful show, before and after.