Here's a little in-depth look "
behind the scene" of my escapades during the past weeks I was away from blog-o-sphere.
A show put together to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness. It was my first major Craft show which unfortunately turned out to be a major disappointment to a lot of the vendors who participated. The cause was indeed great, but the turnout was
undeniably a big letdown to most of us. Besides the gloomy rainy weather and strong gusts of winds knocking everything from our tables,
the mysterious absence of shoppers {
the life of any craft events} and
lack of signages' was what irked some of the vendors the most. I personally had people walk up to me and asking me what the heck was going on.
No one got a clue why we were there and we were smack dab in the middle of a shopping center! Ok now, that got me to conclude that it was one of the reasons we don't have shoppers!? What does that tells me as a vendor in a Craft show?
I rest my case. I'll say no more.
My tent with my elegant wares
(picture courtesy of pink@theplaza)Now, in defense to the organizers the obvious excuse was that this is just it's 2nd year and it is still learning the ropes of the trade. But not all of us buys it! And why not?
In good faith, people had put their trust on the organizers and expected a good, well-organized/promoted, profitable show.
After all, we're raising money for a cure! - We sacrificed our time, money and effort, dragging ourselves in the early morning hours and our wares just to be in the show -
unfortunately, the show was way below everyone's expectations.
Is it right to point fingers at the organizers for a failed event? Well, you don't expect vendors to put the blame on themselves, right? As for me, I would love to do it again, but maybe not anytime soon. I think I'll wait...
Me and Barb - one of my fave customers!
Inspite of all the
unpleasant letdowns, one good thing came about in this event for me.
One of my favorite customers ever came to see me at the Show! I was quite surprised and so thrilled that she actually came to see me!
And what was neat about it all, was that, we were both wearing my bestselling Chinese Prosperity Bracelets! How cool is that!?
It was great to finally meet her in person. And I tell you, she does rocks! I really
love her.
Barb who also goes with an online pseudonym
AstridNicole {which is by the way the name of her cool dog} is truly a wonderful customer! I definitely wish for more like her patronizing
Golden Flower Creations!
In summary, Craft Shows, like life is a gamble. To best put it {I'll borrow Forrest Gumps' famous quote}:
"Life is like a box of chocolate,
you never know what you're gonna get! "
- And the best defense? Learn from the experience!
