I was attending the opening day of one of my local flea markets, strictly as a potential customer, and my favourite Tarot card reader/organic dry dog food maker was there..yes, it is an interesting combination of careers, but her little bags of doggie treats are proving quite popular...and I know, from personal experience, that she's a good card reader, too..
We were talking about local Farmer's Markets (she reads cards at mine) and selling venues, etc., when she mentioned something that I just had to share. Don't know if you all are aware of this, or if it's done in your area/State/Province/County/Country or not, but until today I was totally unaware.
I live on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, as many of you know..it's the central part of the Island, called Cowichan, where I live, and sell in-online, of course, and the location of my weekly Duncan Farmer's Market.
My friend is sending me to the Cowichan Tourist Bureau, because they like to promote local businesses, especially colourful ones that tourists would enjoy, and the promos are FREE!!! Free..that is a biggie..they go to trade shows and give out your cards to those attending from the cruise industry, bus tours, travel agents, etc. etc. And my friend is sending tiny little doggie bag samples..
Pretty hard for me to afford that, but figured I could give them a couple of hats to display..also, they have a roll of 500 free stickers to use on your goods that say "Cowichan Made"..too cool!
This kind of literally International publicity would be impossible for me to afford in real life..but who needs reality when the Tourist Bureau is able and willing?
So, think about this for your own businesses - even online businesses that are locally owned and operated, are of great interest to most Tourism agencies..I think it's a fabulous idea, and hope some of you out there can benefit from it, too.
Showing posts with label local fairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local fairs. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Thursday, September 16, 2010
It's Holiday Fair Application Time..yippee?
There is nothing so frustrating in the world as a volunteer who isn't interested in volunteering..
Last year, I had so much trouble just getting volunteer 'organizers' to respond to me by e-mail that I was literally tearing my hair out..why is it that small town benefit-type fairs, which are mostly all I can afford, are run by people who are at best, disinterested, and at worst, totally incompetent? And, when I had the temerity to try and volunteer myself and all my experience with fairs (30+ years) I was rather bluntly refused..
Last year was one disaster after another, and the only way, seemingly, I could get into most of the ones I was trying for, was by phoning the 'co-ordinator' (and I use the term very, very loosely) and enduring several minutes, in one case running to half an hour, of what bitches everyone else on the committee is, and how they have to turn away dozens of people not in the 'catchment' area (shades of enrolling children in school) and how they can 'squeeze' me in, no, we can't let you pay by credit card, or personal cheque, you have to drive the 45 miles to where I am (at home!) and drop off the application and money..oh, okay, send the application and you can pay on the day of the craft fair..and that one in particular turned into a financial disater as well.
It was my first year, and of course, in trying a bit of everything, I found out what worked, and what didn't..and most of them didn't..
I had two fairs that were expensive to enter, and they had almost no visitors, and I sold literally nothing..
Thank goodness for my Duncan Farmer's Market..which now even has a Facebook Page, so getting very sophisticated around these parts..
At this juncture, think I'll stick to the tried and true two or three fairs, plus the Duncan Market, and leave the others to those in their own darn 'catchment', thank you very much....
Anyone out there in blogland have any holiday craft fair stories, wonderful or otherwise?
Last year, I had so much trouble just getting volunteer 'organizers' to respond to me by e-mail that I was literally tearing my hair out..why is it that small town benefit-type fairs, which are mostly all I can afford, are run by people who are at best, disinterested, and at worst, totally incompetent? And, when I had the temerity to try and volunteer myself and all my experience with fairs (30+ years) I was rather bluntly refused..
Last year was one disaster after another, and the only way, seemingly, I could get into most of the ones I was trying for, was by phoning the 'co-ordinator' (and I use the term very, very loosely) and enduring several minutes, in one case running to half an hour, of what bitches everyone else on the committee is, and how they have to turn away dozens of people not in the 'catchment' area (shades of enrolling children in school) and how they can 'squeeze' me in, no, we can't let you pay by credit card, or personal cheque, you have to drive the 45 miles to where I am (at home!) and drop off the application and money..oh, okay, send the application and you can pay on the day of the craft fair..and that one in particular turned into a financial disater as well.
It was my first year, and of course, in trying a bit of everything, I found out what worked, and what didn't..and most of them didn't..
I had two fairs that were expensive to enter, and they had almost no visitors, and I sold literally nothing..
Thank goodness for my Duncan Farmer's Market..which now even has a Facebook Page, so getting very sophisticated around these parts..
At this juncture, think I'll stick to the tried and true two or three fairs, plus the Duncan Market, and leave the others to those in their own darn 'catchment', thank you very much....
Anyone out there in blogland have any holiday craft fair stories, wonderful or otherwise?
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