Craft Fairs / Events Northern Ireland 2009

craftyfox

i did the fair at banbridge on saturday and met beadmad as well, a lovely lady and some really nice pieces of her stall and i also had a good day for a change and a lot of interest in my new bed warmers :j

tracey.sherman

Hi CraftyFox

How did craft fair go in Banbridge. I had planned on doing it but thought it was bit expensive. Was there a good crowd at it, did you think it was worth the fee.

Thanks
Tracey

bead_mad

Banbridge was my first craft fair. it was good to meet crafty fox. She has a lovely stall and it was good to have someone nice to talk to. will also be at bangor abbey.
Thought the fee was a lot but its very handy for me so thats why i attended. Isell costume jewellery which i make myself so if i had known that there would be 17 other jewellery stalls there i would not have gone. in future i will enquire before i book if they limit the number of stalls selling the same. didnt have a brilliant day....wonder why?....but it was a good experience and learning curve!!!!

craftyfox

hi tracey
yes banbridge was a bit pricey at £40 but as my MIL lives there it was a family visit as well. this fair used to be over 2 days but on the second day it was the same faces as the first day so i feel we all had a better chance of a big hit on the one day and there was a good crowd about and yes there was 17 all doing jewellery and even though they were all different people were not taking the time to look at them all which is a bit of a shame as there was some great pieces

SuperMum2008

Rach39 wrote: »

The Diwali event at City Hall was a bit of a mixed bag. Lots of people but as usual badly advertised and loads of food stalls outside but no signs to let people know there were craft stalls inside in the foyer! Only about 10 stalls and lovely setting. Was doing ok until the shoplifters arrived. I've just added some Pandora - style beads to my stock and had displayed around 30 of them threaded on a silver chain. Some scumbag lifted the whole chain beads and all - around £70 worth of stock in one go!! I felt completely sick but at that time it was really crowded and there were around 6 people around my stall - someone was talking to me about tiaras and I was distracted for what could have only been a matter of seconds. I noticed a security camera directly above me so called security and asked if they could look at the tapes. Surprise surprise I was told that camera only recorded when the council members were there and it was not used for the general public. They obviously feel the councillors are more dodgy than joe public!! Will have to put it down to experience but left a really bad taste

Rach39 - really sorry to hear about your bad experience. It does leave a bad taste, but that is the first time Ive heard of such an experience so I hope it doesnt put you off. Might be better to have 2 people on the stall if you can drag a friend along though? It is impossible to deal with customers and watch stuff at the same time! Good luck at the next one.

SuperMum2008

craftyfox wrote: »

hi tracey
yes banbridge was a bit pricey at £40 but as my MIL lives there it was a family visit as well. this fair used to be over 2 days but on the second day it was the same faces as the first day so i feel we all had a better chance of a big hit on the one day and there was a good crowd about and yes there was 17 all doing jewellery and even though they were all different people were not taking the time to look at them all which is a bit of a shame as there was some great pieces

17 jewellery sellers???!!!! Grrr......you wonder what some organisers are thinking. I always try to ask nowadays who else is going to be there, just to get a feel for the type of event it is going to be. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE DOES THIS, and that way the organisers might get the hint. Aswell as this I always ask:

How close together are the tables going to be? (i.e. will there be room to swing a cat, or am I going to have to get to know my table neighbour intimately!!)
Can we get tea and coffee (i.e. subtly asking will we get a free cup!!!)
What kind of people will be coming (Ive noticed a big difference between church run events, school events, charity events etc and can tailor the stall accordingly)
How has it been advertised....

Any other pertinent questions we should be asking?

Rach39

..can we go home early if no-body turns up! Do you have adequate car parking facilities for stallholders (as oppose to having to traipse accross Belfast in the pouring rain and pay £12 for car parking - grr back to the Diwali again!!)

Craftfreddie

SuperMum2008 wrote: »

17 jewellery sellers???!!!! Grrr......you wonder what some organisers are thinking. I always try to ask nowadays who else is going to be there, just to get a feel for the type of event it is going to be. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE DOES THIS, and that way the organisers might get the hint. Aswell as this I always ask:

How close together are the tables going to be? (i.e. will there be room to swing a cat, or am I going to have to get to know my table neighbour intimately!!)
Can we get tea and coffee (i.e. subtly asking will we get a free cup!!!)
What kind of people will be coming (Ive noticed a big difference between church run events, school events, charity events etc and can tailor the stall accordingly)
How has it been advertised....

Any other pertinent questions we should be asking?

Hi, Just a couple! Fairs I have booked for Nov/Dec I found the forms quite daunting ie: have your own stall/ be explicit in type of craft/be here for 000 o'clock/you will not leave until! Fine and I agree as it helps things run smoothly & not too many of same crafters selling the same thing! But my major winge is! Make sure you bring table cloth to certain dimention, ensure stall is attractive! OK winge winge but ARE their HALLS designed in a christmas fashion, are they christmasy, and welcoming for a craft xmas fair. After all they need us to raise funds. Sometimes I think not and we have to put all the effort in to make the hall look good.

Oh dear! Maybe I am just finding something to winge at or does anyone agree! Happy crafting.

:rolleyes:

Craftfreddie

craftyfox wrote: »

i did the fair at banbridge on saturday and met beadmad as well, a lovely lady and some really nice pieces of her stall and i also had a good day for a change and a lot of interest in my new bed warmers :j

Hi are you doing the Belmont tower on 7 nov as I am interested in your bedwarmers for xmas pressie for dear old parents.

Rach39

Hi, where are you all spending Halloween - seem to be quite a few events around. I'm in Hillsborough Village Centre but just got the flyer and while they are advertising 'Gourmet Food Stalls' there is no mention of the craft fair going on - same old same old! Still, I've paid and nowhere else to go so we shall see....