A Great Craft Show Display Takes Some Planning

A lot of how you display and merchandise your items depends on what you make and sell.  Are you items big or small?  Do they need to hang?  Do you have a lot of different items or just a few?  You have a lot to consider when deciding on how to merchandise your items.  There are also factors like the size of your booth space and how you will transport your products and display materials.  

You might not start out with the best display for your items but a lot of creating what is best for your items starts with looking at what others are doing.  I make it a point to every show I do to walk the show.  I am not only looking at what others are making and how they are pricing it, I am looking at how they are merchandising it.  I have picked up lots of good ideas from looking at how others merchandise their items.  Some people choose to pile up their items while others like to spread them all out on the table.  Then there are people who have very elaborate displays that they need a trailer to transport.  

Back in May, I shared with you a post called “5 Things to Avoid at a Craft Show”.  In the bad show example, I talked about the ladies that hid behind their piles of items.  This was not a great way to merchandise their items.  They would have been better served to put out just some of their stock and replenish items as they sold.  They could have used something like this simple drying rack to display their items.  This would have eliminated some of the piles on their table and made it easier for shoppers to see the beautiful items they had to sell.  

I am also a firm believer in bringing height to your display if possible.  This allows shoppers to see your booth before they get to you at a show.  This can peak their interest in your products so that by the time they get to your booth, they already have a good idea of what you sell.  In my handicraft business I use a set of fold up shelves that stack.  This allows me to add height or change the arrangement as needed for each show.  My items are then merchandised in small baskets that sit on the shelves.  Each basket has a price sign clearly attached to the basket so the customer can easily see how much each item is.  This way I can avoid the “how much is it” question and interact with shoppers in other ways.  For our Lathe Junkie booth we use fold up shelves (an idea I found at a show) to merchandise our bowls and make them easier to see and shop from.  

Try out some new ways to merchandise your items and see how they work at your next show.  

Until next time…
Linda

For more display ideas for your next show check out my Pinterest Board:  Craft Show Display Ideas