The Most Common Mistakes Made at Outdoor Shows
Take a Life Stage Approach!

Exhibiting outdoors is much more relaxed, and the outdoors is much more forgiving than displaying at indoor shows.

by Bruce Baker

There is a huge difference between displays and merchandising for indoor and outdoor shows, yet I see many people set up the same display whether they are indoors or outside.

I believe these misguided decisions are often executed because the people who make them are not aware of the importance of merchandising, or how the effect of improved merchandising would result in better sales and increased post show business.

I will say from the beginning that exhibiting outdoors is much more relaxed, and the outdoors is much more forgiving than displaying at indoor shows. Honestly, only in rare circumstances does a canopy bring the merchandising up to a professional standard. But a canopy looks appropriate outside, and many of the distracting structural elements simply disappear when used outside. However, there are exceptions to this.

What, no backdrop?

If you don't use a backdrop on your outside booth - a common mistake - the cross bracing is all you notice at first glance into a booth.

I understand that there are many weather conditions that prevent using an appropriate and functional backdrop, but not using one in fair weather is a big oversight. This is particularly true on days when the sun is bright, or if you are set up on an area where there is a bright or reflective surface behind your booth, such as a glass building or a structure that is white or a light color. If you do not use a backdrop, people walking by glance in and tend to look all the way through your booth. Keep in mind you have about three to ten seconds to capture their attention and to draw them in. If your work and how you display it fails to do this, chances are you have lost the opportunity and you will not see them again unless the show is very small.

Drawing people in is usually the first step in creating a sale. People do not generally stand in the aisle or common area and make purchases, (in fact it is very rare) so your booth must pull them in.

If there is no backdrop to your booth, your work is competing for their attention with all the distractions and business going on behind it. In cases where the area behind your booth is reflective, the glare behind your display will make your customer's pupils constrict as they look in, this is particularly true on bright days. They will see your work only in silhouette, unless of course your products are transparent, such as colored glass.

Having an appropriate background for your work gives it a quiet visual place to exist. More people will see it, and be compelled to enter the space. Step one in creating a sale.

Use the right background

Notice, I said appropriate background. I often see backgrounds that are not right for the merchandise displayed in front of them. One common background I see used that don't work very well are the canvas sidepieces that came with the canopy or were purchased as an accessory. These sides are great for closing up your booth at night or keeping rain out of your booth if the weather is raining but not windy. The wrinkly, sloppy and often times dirty walls do not project the best image. I would suggest instead a fabric that is easily attached to your canopy with the clever use of touch fasteners such as VELCRO®. Make it easy to put up and easy to remove if the weather gets windy. The wind is a killer when doing an outdoor show and often the same material that is used as a backdrop can turn into a sail if the weather changes.

A few good examples

One of the best backdrops I've seen are matchstick blinds. They are woven together and roll up for storage and travel. These blinds can be cut to fit your needs and used in their natural state or be stained to be more colorful. They also have the advantage of being breathable, to allow more air movement through your booth.

One final added feature of using window blinds of this type is the ease of hanging photos or promotional materials to the blind. Products, if light in weight, can also be hung by using Christmas ornament hooks through the sticks of the blind. You will see that having a functional backdrop behind your work will make the work more visible to your customers and this will pull more people in.

Trade Signs

Often at outdoor shows people will put their trade name or trade sign on the outside, across the front of their booth. The only problem with this is that people don't need this information until they have engaged in your work and are interested. The trade sign does little to draw people in unless they have a connection with where you live.

If you are going to put the trade name across the front of your booth it should at the very least be repeated inside your booth. Most people look to the back wall to find this information. Don't forget to post your booth number or location to help people find you.

Use a floor covering outside whenever possible. Floor covering does more to create a good visual effect and define the space than just about any detail. Often it is hard to break out of the flea market look unless you us an appropriate floor treatment. Floor covering is important for visual reasons if you are on the grass at an outdoor show. If your booth is set up on a hard surface, like concrete, the objective of the floor covering is comfort and visual effect.

Level surfaces

Be sure to level your displays at an outdoor show using shims or other appropriate devices. Booths that do not look level and have displays tilting in different directions are a turn off to customers. If items do not appear to be level people will be resistant to touch things as they will fear knocking items over and breaking something. As soon as customers have these kinds of thoughts they are no longer interested in buying.

Let the sun shine in!

Make sure your canopy is made from a fabric that transmits light well. Canopies that are too dense make a booth look very dark and scary. Humans are attracted to light, so be sure that a lot of light is coming through your canopy or you will need to use lighting to bring the level of light up.

Don't let your displays fall flat

Be sure to use a lot of levels in your displays. It is very common for people to use tables to display at outdoor shows. If you are not using levels and risers on your tables to get your work up and off the table it will not get noticed as much. The use of multiple levels will create a lot of interest and this too will make more people enter your space.

No raw wood!

Paint, stain or in some way finish raw wood. Unfinished wood always looks a little well, unfinished, and very quickly looks dirty. A coat of paint on unfinished wood is one of the best ways to breathe new life in your old display. I highly recommend this, it is easy, doesn't take too much time, and costs very little. When you paint raw wood displays they tend to make your display disappear and make your art stand out. One note on painting displays! Latex enamel paint is the way to go for ease of application and clean up. It takes latex paint about one month to cure so paint your displays long before you are going to use them and let that paint get totally dry and hard and it will hold up for years. If you use the displays before the paint has fully cured it will get scratched up by your products or by transporting it to and from the show.

Keep it open!

Booths that are open and look like public space get more traffic. Always make sure the opening to your booth is at least six feet minimum, but eight to ten feet are better. If your booth set up at an outdoor show allows you to use the outside walls of your booth do so. Buy this I mean that there is a distance between the booths and people can walk around the three outside walls and enter the three inside walls.

If your booth can be approached from all directions consider having a large front opening and one or two smaller entrance and exits in the back or the corners. This type of arrangement is very useful to people who do 2-D art and need the walls. Potentially you can almost double your display area by using the inside and outside walls to hang your work. This arrangement will be determined somewhat by what you make. The above arrangement could be perfect for a quilt maker but a nightmare for a jeweler.

Hang it up!

Hang any merchandise that is appropriate to hang. Here the objective is not to hang them on a wall but to hang items from an overhead structure with fish line so they float free. This is a terrific merchandising technique but it is not commonly used because most people don't figure out a way to support these pieces. When you hang merchandising it invites the touch and the touch response will always lead to increased sales. Hanging merchandise has an added advantage outside as any breeze will make the product move and this always attracts attention.

I believe if you can pull people in to your space or up close to your work you will sell more products, if your sales techniques are well practiced.

Bruce Baker is a jeweler, gallery owner and nationally recognized expert on booth design. Visit his Web site at http://www.bbakerinc.com/. This article appears in the current issue of The Crafts Report Magazine. The Crafts Report is the premier business magazine for the crafts professional. Published monthly, TCR provides information on: marketing, growing your craft business, time management, studio safety, retail relationships, artist/retailer profiles, industry news and more.

Edited by Robyn Kelly, Web Publications Manager: rkelly@iac.in.gov.
The IAC, a public catalyst, partner, and investor in the arts, serves the citizens of Indiana by funding, promoting, and expanding the arts. Funding is provided by the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.