Weirdly Great Show

[Megan]

So I did an event this weekend. The rain and wind was HORRIBLE when we were setting up. Half a dozen tents went flying. Some were broken beyond repair. 2/3 of the vendors packed up and left before opening.

Let me tell you: I cannot recommend EURMAX tents enough. This tent was tested and held it's own! Of course I was staked and weighted but we had strong gusts all day and although I had some anxiety about it, this tent was firmly in place.

I did fairly well despite the weather and lost NO inventory to the elements. All of us even got a credit for a show in 2022! Which is amazing because they have a weather clause in the contract. I am so thankful.
The booth fee was sort-of high ($125) but I actually made around 4X the booth fee. I figure if the weather had been nice, I would have made 6-8X the fee, so I am so ecstatic with how it went and so glad that I braved the elements.

 

[Ford]

bad weather = less vendors = less choices for people that do show up = more sales for vendor that do show up. Found the motorcycle swap meet I attend. To work this way. Always good to pay the rent and come out with a profit. Congratulations.

 

[Megan]

bad weather = less vendors = less choices for people that do show up = more sales for vendor that do show up. Found the motorcycle swap meet I attend. To work this way. Always good to pay the rent and come out with a profit. Congratulations.

I definitely think this did work out to my advantage. Foot traffic was down overall, but those that did come only had about 20 tents to shop from if I'm estimating correctly. I did not get a chance to check if there were any other soap makers. I think I was probably the only one (this event usually hosts 3-4 but we are all usually very different). One other candlemaker (strictly candles and different aesthetic) was there but I only do melts so I don't think either of us ate into each other's business which is nice.

 

[Misschief]

So I did an event this weekend. The rain and wind was HORRIBLE when we were setting up. Half a dozen tents went flying. Some were broken beyond repair. 2/3 of the vendors packed up and left before opening.

Let me tell you: I cannot recommend EURMAX tents enough. This tent was tested and held it's own! Of course I was staked and weighted but we had strong gusts all day and although I had some anxiety about it, this tent was firmly in place.

I did fairly well despite the weather and lost NO inventory to the elements. All of us even got a credit for a show in 2022! Which is amazing because they have a weather clause in the contract. I am so thankful.
The booth fee was sort-of high ($125) but I actually made around 4X the booth fee. I figure if the weather had been nice, I would have made 6-8X the fee, so I am so ecstatic with how it went and so glad that I braved the elements.

Awesome!!

I have a Eurmax tent as well and I love it! We've had a couple of gusty days and my tent wasn't affected at all.

 

[Candybee]

Congrats on your show! I love it when you still do good at your show even though the weather has turned out nasty.

I am on my 2nd Eurmax tent. Been using Eurmax for about 7-8 yrs now I think. Used to have Ez-up tents that were more fragile and ended up repairing or replacing struts over the years.

A good part of the stability is not only in Eurmax's well made tent frame and canvas tops, but also in being weighted properly. My first Eurmax tent flew up and over and landed well away from me because I didn't have it weighted properly. So don't just count on the tent, make sure your weights are secure and heavy enough to do the job. so I bought the set of 4 canister weights Eurmax sells on their website. The canisters weights have velcro straps that secure to and sit on the tent pole feet. They can be filled with either water or sand. They keep my tent extremely stable during strong winds and those horrible strong updraft gusts that blow everything away.

 

[Megan]

Congrats on your show! I love it when you still do good at your show even though the weather has turned out nasty.

I am on my 2nd Eurmax tent. Been using Eurmax for about 7-8 yrs now I think. Used to have Ez-up tents that were more fragile and ended up repairing or replacing struts over the years.

A good part of the stability is not only in Eurmax's well made tent frame and canvas tops, but also in being weighted properly. My first Eurmax tent flew up and over and landed well away from me because I didn't have it weighted properly. So don't just count on the tent, make sure your weights are secure and heavy enough to do the job. so I bought the set of 4 canister weights Eurmax sells on their website. The canisters weights have velcro straps that secure to and sit on the tent pole feet. They can be filled with either water or sand. They keep my tent extremely stable during strong winds and those horrible strong updraft gusts that blow everything away.

My velcro sandbag weights I'm using right now are kind of an eyesore...I plan on getting some canister weights for next year. They do weigh a fair bit more than the sandbag weights so that's a plus.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

The booth fee was sort-of high ($125) but I actually made around 4X the booth fee. I figure if the weather had been nice, I would have made 6-8X the fee, so I am so ecstatic with how it went and so glad that I braved the elements.

Out of curiosity, is that 4x booth fee based on the takings from the day, or from the profit of the day (with cost of product and time spent already removed)?

 

[Misschief]

Out of curiosity, is that 4x booth fee based on the takings from the day, or from the profit of the day (with cost of product and time spent already removed)?

For me, it's Xx the booth fee based on takings from the day. I want to make, at the very minimum, twice what it cost me to be there. Anything less than that makes it a wasted day. Thankfully, in all my four years at the maaket, that has never happened.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

For me, it's Xx the booth fee based on takings from the day. I want to make, at the very minimum, twice what it cost me to be there. Anything less than that makes it a wasted day. Thankfully, in all my four years at the maaket, that has never happened.

Although 2x booth fee from takings is most likely more than a wasted day, when you take out the cost of actually making the soap and time spent/equipment etc.

 

[Megan]

Out of curiosity, is that 4x booth fee based on the takings from the day, or from the profit of the day (with cost of product and time spent already removed)?

It was 4x cost without anything removed.

 

[Misschief]

Although 2x booth fee from takings is most likely more than a wasted day, when you take out the cost of actually making the soap and time spent/equipment etc.

That's true but for me this isn't a primary business; it's a sideline. It's also a social time that I wouldn't normally have. I have a f/t job and if I can cover my costs by attending markets (I only do one market), I'm happy.