Planning a great craft show

Now that I am taking the lead on planning the best craft fair ever for our CREST team members. I am so excited and have started to do as much research in planning a successful fair as possible. Craft fairs are a great place for artists to meet their customers face to face and show off all their work in person. The last few craft fairs that I have attended either as a vendor or as a customer, I found these things are important to me:

As a vendor:
- well advertised in the media (newspapers, local ads, internet postings, word of mouth, television ads)
- established or have a great following (I realized that there are some craft fair attenders that are very interested in dedicated customers. They follow either the artist or the organizing company)
- collaboration with other local organizations or a shared event (I think this is very important when it comes to getting the word out via word of mouth when it is a shared event with a local organization or city agency)
- organized location (location location location, parking, easy to see, easy to access. I think if the locaton is centralized and on a main road it is great to attract drive by visitors as well as putting signs up early enough for people to who drive on that road to remember such an event)

As a customer:
- great blend of vendors with unique and great products (that's easy cuz, our CREST members are great artists)
- easy to walk around and browse (love it when it feels like it never ends - isles and isles of great vendors, love that)
- food/drinks (I think it is more enjoyable when I have a beverage/snack in my hand - keeps me shopping for longer)
- for children (I love when I see there are activities for children to hang out and draw, learn a craft or play - I went to one in Torrence CA where they had a daycare center and they charged a small fee for the day care - IT WAS AWESOME for mommy!)
- goody bag (I do love getting something for nothing - who doesn't?! It feels really good to walk around with a little plastic bag with some marketing products and learn more about who the vendors are where they are located - map or whatever and about the event so it doesn't feel like a flea market or just any street market.)

OK. That's what I have so far so I am hoping my contributions and planning will be helpful to my fellow CRESTians. I can't wait to hear what other ideas are out there. Feel free to email/comment me. jennifer.craftystitches@gmail.com

:) Happy craftying/shopping/other addictions!