Behind the Scenes: Preparing for a Market Event
Yes, you can buy my work online, or visit my space at Red Brick Market in Liverpool, but I also LOVE doing face-to-face markets and events.
I love being able to talk to people about what I do, explain how the photographs are created and, most importantly, see and hear people's reactions to my work.
Some people may have only just discovered me that day. Others may have followed me online for a while, seen my work at Red Brick Market, or already own several of my prints.
There is something very special about that face-to-face connection.
But... markets and events can also be rather stressful when you're the artist/seller!
So, what does it actually take to prepare for one?
It starts long before the event
The first thing is all the infrastructure needed to even start doing an event. Over the years I've gradually built up and refined the things I take to events - display items, tables, lights, signage, stands and all the other bits and pieces that make up my "event kit". I've invested in things that make setting up easier and, particularly for outdoor events, things that help protect the work when the weather decides it has other ideas. Additional gazebo sides and umbrellas are essential when you're hoping for sunshine but preparing for the possibility of rain or strong winds!
And it's not just about the prints
There are business cards, packaging and bags, price labels, card reader, chargers, trolleys and boxes for moving everything from A to B and a chair (although I really don't like being sat down at an event, so I actually use the chair more like a "backstage table"!)
Then there are the less visible costs and practicalities - the fee just to be there, card reader fees, parking, insurance and all the other expenses that are very easy for customers to never think about.
How much stock do I take?
This is another thing that takes some time and planning. I need to make sure I take enough stock to the event, but my prints and frames take up quite a lot of room, so I can't exactly take everything I own. Although I am a dreadful "just in case" sort of person!
I actually don't want to have one of those "sell out!" days that some businesses love to celebrate. Of course, selling out sounds wonderful, but if someone has come to an event, falls in love with a particular print and I tell them I've sold the last one an hour earlier, I'd be devastated. So I need to find a balance between taking enough stock to give people plenty of choice without filling the car, the stall and every available bit of floor space with prints.
And then there's the display itself...
You would think that after all these years I'd have a standard format for setting everything up.
You would be wrong. I like to move things about. A lot!
Even when I've decided how something is going to look, I'll stand back, look at it again and decide that a print would look better over there... or perhaps that one should be moved... or maybe I should swap these two around...
The display matters because at a busy event people might simply be walking past to get to somewhere else. They may not have come intending to buy art at all. So the display has to work hard. I want something to catch someone's eye, make them stop and then encourage them to come closer and actually look through my work. These aren't just "souvenir snaps of Liverpool".
Indoor or outdoor? Pick your problem!
Outdoor events obviously bring their own challenges. Mostly, the weather! Checking the forecast gets more frequent as the market day approaches. Until on the day itself, it's about every ten minutes!
I've been at events where we've all ended up holding onto our gazebos for fear of taking off.
And then there are times when the rain comes in horizontal and it's so cold and miserable that you just feel like crawling under the table. But we still stand there with a smile and are very grateful to everyone who still turns up to browse.
Indoor events have different challenges. Has the event been promoted enough? Is there enough space around the tables for people to stop and brwose? Will there be enough space on the table top to display everything I want to? Will there be somewhere to store all the stock that isn't on display without me, or anyone else, tripping over it? My prints and frames take up a lot of room! Sometimes I do wish I was a maker that could just turn up with a small suitcase of stock and a tablecloth!
And then there's the footfall...
Of course, you can have the most beautiful display in the world, plenty of stock and perfect weather on the day... but will anyone actually want to buy anything?
This is probably one of the biggest unknowns at any event.
There may be lots of people walking around, but footfall isn't necessarily the same thing as potential customers. People might be there for food, entertainment or simply because they happened to be passing. So you never really know what the day is going to bring. That's part of the excitement – and part of the stress!
The numbers matter
Because all my prints are limited editions and are individually numbered, I also have to have a robust system for keeping track of what has sold and what stock I have left.
I sell many of my prints in different sizes and formats, so it can get surprisingly complicated.
I need to note down (quickly!) which print and which number has sold, so that I know how many are left and what I need to update or order afterwards.
It's not quite as simple as putting a pile of prints on a table and taking the money!
If only.
We all love a market!
There is also something worth remembering when you visit markets and events ... If you enjoy discovering independent artists and makers, chatting to the people who make the things you are looking at and generally having a lovely day out, then your purchases really do matter.
We don't just magically appear at the next event! There are costs involved in being there, and the reality is, we need to make enough sales to make it worthwhile. So when you buy something you love from a maker at an event - or from a space in somewhere like Red Brick Market - you're helping support both that individual business and the events and spaces that give independent makers somewhere to meet their customers.
And that means we can all keep coming back!
If you can't buy on the day, don't forget that you can still support the artists and makers in other ways such as following them online, telling others about their work and coming back when you do want to buy!
My very important roadie
And finally, special mention has to go to my husband, who is my official roadie for events.
I genuinely couldn't do it without his support. He has got packing our car down to a fine art.
Somehow, he manages to fit prints, frames, tables, display equipment, bags, signage, lights and all the other assorted things I decide we absolutely need into the car.
I'm not entirely sure how he does it - but he does!
So, is it worth it?
Absolutely.
For all the stress of preparation, packing, transporting, setting up, worrying about the weather, wondering about footfall, rearranging the display for the fiftieth time and trying to remember whether I've brought everything... I still love doing markets and events.
Because nothing really replaces that moment when someone sees one of my photographs in person and connects with it.
I love talking to people about my work. I love hearing which images they like and why. I love meeting people who have followed me online and finally get to see the work in person and I love meeting someone who has never heard of me until that day.
That is the bit that makes all the preparation and stress worthwhile. My favourite saying, and what I keep reminding myself:
"If it was easy, everyone would do it!"
And yes... I'll probably still stress about what to take to the next event!.
