Bring lots of business cards and flyers too to give away! Maybe have a promo code on one of your flyers something like 10% off Etsy store for next 30 days with this coupon so that people who saw you at convention were persuaded to visit your online store and buy more x 😊
Sarah Minnis Great idea. I’m good at taking business cards but never sort out flyers with 10% off vouchers. I’ll definitely try this especially over the Christmas period 👌🏻
this week has literally been the best week ever. i started creating things to start selling for my own shop! you’ve been posting on insta and youtube a lot this week and you replied to my Pm! i literally cried because i wanted to speak to you forever and you gave me such great tips ;-;
I literally sold at my first convention this weekend! it was so much fun :D I feel like I invested a bit too much on my set up for my first time, but honestly I'm really happy with how it looks. I actually made a video going through everything I got for it. It's a lot of planning but it's fun at the end and pays off! plus it was a TH-cam convention so it was really cool having people I've watched for years come and say they like my work
I have been doing craft fairs for several years, and in the last couple of years have branched out into conventions. Your description of a convention as a tidal wave is SO TRUE. Conventions will slap you in the face, LOL. I typically do much better at conventions because I create a lot of fantasy- and fandom-based work. Stuff like unicorns and mermaids do fairly well at crafts fairs as do the more well-known fandoms, like Harry Potter. But the lesser well-known fandoms like Firefly are typically only going to hit with a convention audience. I prefer conventions because more of "my people" tend to shop there, but they are exhausting. I've been really procrastinating on trying multi-day conventions because I'm just not sure I can physically/mentally/emotionally handle it.
This video came at the perfect time! Last Friday, I had an unsuccessful time selling at a community fair. I spent a lot of time crafting different items I thought people would be interested in. I noticed the audience contained lots of families and older people, who were more interested in the food trucks and people selling food items, like the honey business that was next to my booth. Unfortunately, I ended up losing money during that event. My advice would be to make sure you do lots of research about an event prior to signing up. Who's hosting it, where, are there other events in the area, what kind of people would be attracted to your products, and make sure you don't sign up and pay for an overpriced event. I was under the misconception that the event I signed up for was going to draw a lot of traffic, and the space would be worth the price. I ended up losing money, barely selling anything, hardly any people went, and later found out that a bigger event was actually taking place nearby and that's where most people were going! Research, research, research! And don't make the same mistake I did.
@@KatnippStudios You're welcome! Can't help but feel like a celebrity just responded to me! Lol! I LOVE your channel and your art style is just too cute!
Great video, and very helpful to people who are considering craft fair vs conventions. You make a great point in that it really does depend on what you are selling when you are at a craft fair and even where your craft fair is being held. Here in the US, I live in a very rural (country area) here a hand-painted Christmas ornament can be sold for $2 - $5, go more towards a city and the same ornament sells for $10. This goes for everything even jewelry, paintings, photos, hand-sewn, crocheted or knitted items, the price range where you live is amazing.
wooow thank you so much, this was super interesting to know. I always wondered how are artists dealing with selling in fairs/ conventions. Especially, a lot of artists are very introverted, must be very challenging.
Love this video, it's very informative! 💕 It was once my dream to have an online shop, but it burst into a thousand pieces when I learned how much a PO box costs in my area/country, and I'm not willing to send my private address out into the world. I mainly do handcrafted items like jewelry, papercraft, candles and the like, but I also make cute buttons and UV resin stuff. I'm slowly expanding my inventory and including more different things that are not really considered crafts, but more like merchandise, but I will never be able to attend a convention. They're too far away, and my social anxiety would kill me within an hour in such a place. However, I started attending a local craft fair, that is run by (yes) old people, and mainly offers quilt, jewelry, baking, baskets and other stuff made by (yes) old people. But they are very open towards new things, and don't judge their creators by the appearance of their crafts. Many of their visitors are (yes) old people who only stop by to eat, drink, talk and listen to live music, but they are good at advertising, and they draw in a lot of tourists with children, and their goal is to look at ALL the pretty things they can find. And my table is the place for them to go, and often stay until they can talk their parents into getting them stuff. And they're damn good at it! Anyway, after boring anyone who just read all this... My point is, that you might be able to fill a niche somewhere, and what you thought was your big dream, might only be a stepping stone on the road to something that you enjoy more than you thought you would. Crafting, creating and selling is only a hobby to me though, so I don't care much about how many sales I get per day, as long as I have fun with what I'm doing. For someone who needs the income, I can see why a craft fair might not be the best choise.
Another thing about Anime/Comic book type conventions is there is a much younger audience and they tend to want everything for cheap. They don't always know how to appreciate hand made goods. I like Holiday craft fairs because people are going there specifically for gifts and unique items so they are more likely to buy.
I am sitting here making product for my first Fibre Festival in 4 weeks (I create miniature polymer clay charms for knitters and crocheters). Since my minis also can be used as charms, daughter and I vended for the first time last year at three Farmer's Markets and 1 Christmas craft fair. We did okay, but I am hoping the Fibre Festival will be better as it is our "niche"... I have to agree with your comments about being "on" all day - it is exhausting and I too had a hard time promoting my own work. That's where my daughter shone; she was a great salesperson and stepped up when I was too shy to say much. We learned a lot though! Thank you for sharing your experiences and tips!
This was so insightful. There are so many things I have done wrong in the past, which i speak abit about how I felt after one of my first craft fairs on my "kinda first" youtube video. I am always looking for different things I could do to my stall to stir up business. Man its hard when you start but I must persevere!
I got a table for the first time this year at a convention and it definitely was a lot of work! There were a lot of people for sure and this meant I felt guilty leaving the table to get some food. Another thing is the puzzle of figuring out weather or not I should say something to people because some people like it and some people get scared so yeah.... a bit tricky BUT overall it was an amazing experience and it is also a very good way to get some artist friend if that is something you miss in your life :)
I’ve been selling at conventions a lot since 2006 been doing about 15 or so a year and let me tell you every single convention you will go to will be completely different from each other different fan base things that don’t sell at one might sell out at another you just never know so just keep at it!
This video has been so useful, it’s so lovely to hear the difference between conventions and craft shows. I’ve never thought about doing a convention but I will look into it more now. I’ve never made over £100 doing a craft fair either. I thought it was because my work maybe wasn’t best place and I’m still learning how to sell products. I’m just not a salesperson at heart! So it’s really reassuring to hear someone that so successful also doesn’t make a large amount at craft fairs. Thank you for all of your videos. You continue to be inspiring ❤️😀😀
This is so spot on! I’ve done craft fairs and conventions and conventions are, on a whole, much busier. Mind you, when I did the Cleveland Show, at the park, and the craft tent was so so busy and I made a ton of money. I must start doing them again; they’re hard work but so much fun xx
This is so great and perfect timing. I just started selling at craft fairs literally a couple weeks ago and I want to try conventions! Thanks Catherine
Awesome video! I totally agree with all your points. Conventions are more modern and draw a younger audience who are interested in unique and illustrated art. Craft fairs are more traditional and draw those interested in more traditional fine art pieces. My grandmother is a Swedish folk art painter, so she made bank at the large craft fairs in our area. I tried selling my cute and quirky works and it was a big flop lol You definitely need do research on what type of audience comes to the events before you buy a table.
It's really interesting how they differ so much. I've done loads of craft fairs over the years and never been that successful. I'd love to try conventions to see if they would work better for me now I'm moving more into illustrative work. x
I'm selling at my first craft fair this coming November. I'm so excited but at the same time terrified. I don't have a big following so right now its been hard to get any traffic to my Etsy. I'm hoping by selling at more local places and branching out I can get more traffic to my shop. I have never attended a convention but hopefully soon and see how it goes before I apply for one. Thank you so much for your tips! I think this helps a lot in seeking out where to start. ^^
Hi Katnipp! This video and your con vlogs are incredibly informative so thank you for all your work! I'm doing my first con next year (SunnyCon Newcastle Yay :3) and have been bingeing your vids in preparation. Super inspirational
Ahh omg Catherine the timing on this is crazy for me. This past weekend I was given a booth at my local art festival and this would've been exactly what i needed to prepare me! 😭 I actually used the picture of your booth as inspiration for my set-up so you still helped a bunch
I've experienced this too. I used to do more whimsical illustrative art and found people looked down on it and I didn't do well at craft fairs. I moved into more fine art and abstract paintings for a time but miss the fun of more illustrative styles so am working on some new art and am thinking of trying conventions. I think what Catherine said is spot on about the types of audience. You get your art in a place of like-minded people and you'll thrive. I'd love to experience that. All the best for your future shows x
Great points made about conventions! Ive only done a few so far, and being constantly in that “selling mode” is very tiring. As for me, I found myself constantly counting to coins to see if I was in profit, instead of staying calm and focusing on the customers at hand. I’d say a huuuuuge tip from me would be (especially newbies) to stay local. I sold twice at my city’s comicons and had good sales, so I went to bristol comicon and barely made back my travel costs.
I’m trying out Baltimore Comic Con this year and it’s my first Con! A little nervous that I spent too much investing but hopefully it pays off! Thank you for this video!
Fantastic video, Catherine! I’ve done quite well at a local Christmas market, but other markets have been a waste of time. I’m keen to do conventions in the future. Thank you for your advice!
This is super helpful! I’m hopefully going to be doing a craft fair by the end of this year. I know my art isn’t really aimed at craft fairs (I have niche artwork), but I really want to get in experience first.
Thanks for this. I'm vending at DesignerCon here in Anaheim in Nov. The attendance is supposed to be 55k over 3 days. My first convention and I'm totally trying to decide how much inventory to bring.
Everything you've mentioned in this video is very similar to what I've experienced. As someone who lives in the US I thought that was very cool that we have had similar experiences even though we are in different countries. I personally create 3D prints and turn them into figures. My products are on the nerdy side so I too do better at conventions a lot of the time at craft fairs I get a lot of "What is that?" lol. I've been experimenting with conventions and other events over the last few years and my biggest take away that you mentioned @Katnipp was the audience. Know who will be interested in your products an appreciate them the most. Once I found that conventions were the place for me It really helped me understand where I wanted to take my Business and helped motivate me. Something I did want to piggyback off of what you said and that I am SOOOOO happy you included in this video was emotions. Now something I don't think you touched on that might only happen in the US I'm not sure is customer comments. I've heard and seen so many artist that have stopped doing what they love because of these. Phrases such as "It costs that much?!" "My daughter could make that" and other things said along those lines can be very disheartening. I've noticed that this happens to me more at craft fairs than Conventions. Please know that if this happens to you that you are not the only one! Sometimes people don't understand that they are being rude or how much work you put into things which happens unfortunately. However there are people who do truly appreciate what you create and you will find those people to. Basically what I've saying is don't let a few bad apples ruin your love of fruit.
Yes this is very very true! I hate those negative comments, they are so rude! :O I have definately had this before! Specially when I started out but you just need to remember they are obviously not your target demographic!
I really liked this video! It was very educational and informative. I am going to be selling Christmas ornaments this Winter at a local farmers market! Thank you for this video!
I am doing my largest event yet in Dallas, TX. It's called Pinners and they are expecting 12,000 people. I'm going to document the process on my channel so hopefully people get an idea of how a large show works. It was awesome to hear about your experience.
Good Luck at Pinners. I did it in San Diego and it was a flop for me but I sold jewelry. I just made my table back. I did vlog it if you want to see my experience. It was the first time in San Diego so I think that had to do with the low attendance.
Do you have any plans to create a video on your process of how to create a Studio Vlog? Yours are soo good!!! 😻 Are you using Adobe Premiere or another software? How many days do you spend filming and how much time do you spend editing?
Have a craft event in my small town once every month but hard to get excepted! Will still try The new we r memory keepers foil freestyle pen got me inspired along with videos like this, thank you
I would LOVE to try and sell at a convention, but I'm definitely not mentally prepared and I'm not skilled enough/produce enough work yet. But it's the dream! So thank you very much for this video! I think I could sell a few pieces at a craft fair right now if I were to try though.
I’m doing my first convention and my product is quite different to what others might be selling as I make hankies and we’re doing NCC game fair in a few weeks might have bit off more than I can chew having a make or break situation up here 😂🙈 don’t get me wrong they are a great accessory for someone who is into shooting game or likes to take pics of there knife collection for Instagram I should have done a craft fair 🙈
Yay a topic I can most relate to! The items I make are quite large so work better selling face to face. Just started being asked to larger events and it's been a bit scary in terms of cost but more people are there but still nervous about them. 😊 For stall inspiration I've put some on my Instagram @bluebellpeakdesigns ♥️
I like to say I have a very old lady kawaii style. I embroider kawaii doodles I’m trying to get into print selling but I’m still very shy with sharing my art. Embroidery looks completely different from a print and that’s what scares me.
Iv'e done 1 convention and it went soo badly no one sold anything in the artist area hahahaha, But the local craft fair had bigger footfall and I can make a decent profit too. There's also a difference in craft fairs there are flea market types than the posh food/craft fairs. Oh and dont forget the 4 P's of customers Pickup Putdown Poke P£$% off. I agree the craft and food fairs mostly have people going there for food and drink. But then they browse more. Your right about the cards and watercolours ahaha. I'm in Dorset and there's old money here with lots of horse lovers and such so my drawings fit the niche, there only just getting the idea of comic cons as they had the first-ever one last year. I do a 2-day Christmas food/craft Fair and its hard work. Also, peoples attitudes can make or break a day eg I had a woman say in front of me, "oh these are just cheap computer print mass-produced when it was an original drawing". I said to her, "no mam that an original colour pencil drawing that took over 40 hours to do" She made me feel down, Luckily other tables supported me and other customers even told her to not be so rude. It's a better day when you are with great people. This is a great vid and your bubbly style in so inspirational.
I just started doing craft fairs and cons. I actually have only done one official table. Most of the time I walk around with a backpack and that's it. This video was exactly what I was waiting for. Really helpful Catherine. Thank you! When you say that you made 100 pounds, do you mean proft after the price of the table, or do you mean purely 100 in sales? curious.
Ugh I do craft sales because my products don’t really go with conventions but if one more old lady says “good luck” to me I might get violent.
I laughed too hard at this!! 😂
Haha I know this feeling 😂
Bring lots of business cards and flyers too to give away! Maybe have a promo code on one of your flyers something like 10% off Etsy store for next 30 days with this coupon so that people who saw you at convention were persuaded to visit your online store and buy more x 😊
Sarah Minnis I was going to comment that as well!
Sarah Minnis Great idea. I’m good at taking business cards but never sort out flyers with 10% off vouchers. I’ll definitely try this especially over the Christmas period 👌🏻
this week has literally been the best week ever. i started creating things to start selling for my own shop! you’ve been posting on insta and youtube a lot this week and you replied to my Pm! i literally cried because i wanted to speak to you forever and you gave me such great tips ;-;
EgguMei which type of things do you make or what do you wanna sell??
Lotus i made art prints and stickers of BTS. a kpop group and i also made some of a OC i have :)
EgguMei awesome i love BTS, are there links to anything so i can perhaps see???
You are a rare gem by sharing ALL your knowledge and experiences!
I literally sold at my first convention this weekend! it was so much fun :D I feel like I invested a bit too much on my set up for my first time, but honestly I'm really happy with how it looks. I actually made a video going through everything I got for it. It's a lot of planning but it's fun at the end and pays off! plus it was a TH-cam convention so it was really cool having people I've watched for years come and say they like my work
Pollygone Illustration congrats! That’s awesome! Definitely following your channel! 🤓✌🏽
I have been doing craft fairs for several years, and in the last couple of years have branched out into conventions. Your description of a convention as a tidal wave is SO TRUE. Conventions will slap you in the face, LOL. I typically do much better at conventions because I create a lot of fantasy- and fandom-based work. Stuff like unicorns and mermaids do fairly well at crafts fairs as do the more well-known fandoms, like Harry Potter. But the lesser well-known fandoms like Firefly are typically only going to hit with a convention audience. I prefer conventions because more of "my people" tend to shop there, but they are exhausting. I've been really procrastinating on trying multi-day conventions because I'm just not sure I can physically/mentally/emotionally handle it.
This video came at the perfect time! Last Friday, I had an unsuccessful time selling at a community fair. I spent a lot of time crafting different items I thought people would be interested in. I noticed the audience contained lots of families and older people, who were more interested in the food trucks and people selling food items, like the honey business that was next to my booth. Unfortunately, I ended up losing money during that event.
My advice would be to make sure you do lots of research about an event prior to signing up. Who's hosting it, where, are there other events in the area, what kind of people would be attracted to your products, and make sure you don't sign up and pay for an overpriced event. I was under the misconception that the event I signed up for was going to draw a lot of traffic, and the space would be worth the price. I ended up losing money, barely selling anything, hardly any people went, and later found out that a bigger event was actually taking place nearby and that's where most people were going!
Research, research, research! And don't make the same mistake I did.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips!
@@KatnippStudios You're welcome! Can't help but feel like a celebrity just responded to me! Lol! I LOVE your channel and your art style is just too cute!
Great video, and very helpful to people who are considering craft fair vs conventions. You make a great point in that it really does depend on what you are selling when you are at a craft fair and even where your craft fair is being held. Here in the US, I live in a very rural (country area) here a hand-painted Christmas ornament can be sold for $2 - $5, go more towards a city and the same ornament sells for $10. This goes for everything even jewelry, paintings, photos, hand-sewn, crocheted or knitted items, the price range where you live is amazing.
wooow thank you so much, this was super interesting to know. I always wondered how are artists dealing with selling in fairs/ conventions. Especially, a lot of artists are very introverted, must be very challenging.
Love this video, it's very informative! 💕
It was once my dream to have an online shop, but it burst into a thousand pieces when I learned how much a PO box costs in my area/country, and I'm not willing to send my private address out into the world. I mainly do handcrafted items like jewelry, papercraft, candles and the like, but I also make cute buttons and UV resin stuff. I'm slowly expanding my inventory and including more different things that are not really considered crafts, but more like merchandise, but I will never be able to attend a convention. They're too far away, and my social anxiety would kill me within an hour in such a place. However, I started attending a local craft fair, that is run by (yes) old people, and mainly offers quilt, jewelry, baking, baskets and other stuff made by (yes) old people. But they are very open towards new things, and don't judge their creators by the appearance of their crafts. Many of their visitors are (yes) old people who only stop by to eat, drink, talk and listen to live music, but they are good at advertising, and they draw in a lot of tourists with children, and their goal is to look at ALL the pretty things they can find. And my table is the place for them to go, and often stay until they can talk their parents into getting them stuff. And they're damn good at it!
Anyway, after boring anyone who just read all this... My point is, that you might be able to fill a niche somewhere, and what you thought was your big dream, might only be a stepping stone on the road to something that you enjoy more than you thought you would.
Crafting, creating and selling is only a hobby to me though, so I don't care much about how many sales I get per day, as long as I have fun with what I'm doing. For someone who needs the income, I can see why a craft fair might not be the best choise.
Another thing about Anime/Comic book type conventions is there is a much younger audience and they tend to want everything for cheap. They don't always know how to appreciate hand made goods. I like Holiday craft fairs because people are going there specifically for gifts and unique items so they are more likely to buy.
so true!! gotta love those holiday markets :)
I am sitting here making product for my first Fibre Festival in 4 weeks (I create miniature polymer clay charms for knitters and crocheters). Since my minis also can be used as charms, daughter and I vended for the first time last year at three Farmer's Markets and 1 Christmas craft fair. We did okay, but I am hoping the Fibre Festival will be better as it is our "niche"... I have to agree with your comments about being "on" all day - it is exhausting and I too had a hard time promoting my own work. That's where my daughter shone; she was a great salesperson and stepped up when I was too shy to say much. We learned a lot though! Thank you for sharing your experiences and tips!
Hi Catherine, as an oldie I love your stuff and would buy from you at a craft fair or convention any day of the week.
This was so insightful. There are so many things I have done wrong in the past, which i speak abit about how I felt after one of my first craft fairs on my "kinda first" youtube video. I am always looking for different things I could do to my stall to stir up business. Man its hard when you start but I must persevere!
I got a table for the first time this year at a convention and it definitely was a lot of work! There were a lot of people for sure and this meant I felt guilty leaving the table to get some food. Another thing is the puzzle of figuring out weather or not I should say something to people because some people like it and some people get scared so yeah.... a bit tricky BUT overall it was an amazing experience and it is also a very good way to get some artist friend if that is something you miss in your life :)
To be honest I love your videos! They're so aesthetically pleasing, and are pretty calming. Cute vid!
I’ve been selling at conventions a lot since 2006 been doing about 15 or so a year and let me tell you every single convention you will go to will be completely different from each other different fan base things that don’t sell at one might sell out at another you just never know so just keep at it!
Hi! How do you know about the conventions going on in the near future ?
@@titaua Just doing research and asking around I live in an area that there is 1 or more conventions every week.
This video has been so useful, it’s so lovely to hear the difference between conventions and craft shows. I’ve never thought about doing a convention but I will look into it more now. I’ve never made over £100 doing a craft fair either. I thought it was because my work maybe wasn’t best place and I’m still learning how to sell products. I’m just not a salesperson at heart! So it’s really reassuring to hear someone that so successful also doesn’t make a large amount at craft fairs. Thank you for all of your videos. You continue to be inspiring ❤️😀😀
This is so spot on! I’ve done craft fairs and conventions and conventions are, on a whole, much busier. Mind you, when I did the Cleveland Show, at the park, and the craft tent was so so busy and I made a ton of money. I must start doing them again; they’re hard work but so much fun xx
Catherine forever coming through with the good advise for her KATT FAM 💕 you are such a blessing 💕
I swear you can read my mind!! Perfect timing and insightful as always 😍👏
This is so great and perfect timing. I just started selling at craft fairs literally a couple weeks ago and I want to try conventions! Thanks Catherine
Awesome video! I totally agree with all your points. Conventions are more modern and draw a younger audience who are interested in unique and illustrated art. Craft fairs are more traditional and draw those interested in more traditional fine art pieces. My grandmother is a Swedish folk art painter, so she made bank at the large craft fairs in our area. I tried selling my cute and quirky works and it was a big flop lol You definitely need do research on what type of audience comes to the events before you buy a table.
It's really interesting how they differ so much. I've done loads of craft fairs over the years and never been that successful. I'd love to try conventions to see if they would work better for me now I'm moving more into illustrative work. x
I'm selling at my first craft fair this coming November. I'm so excited but at the same time terrified. I don't have a big following so right now its been hard to get any traffic to my Etsy. I'm hoping by selling at more local places and branching out I can get more traffic to my shop. I have never attended a convention but hopefully soon and see how it goes before I apply for one. Thank you so much for your tips! I think this helps a lot in seeking out where to start. ^^
Hi Katnipp! This video and your con vlogs are incredibly informative so thank you for all your work! I'm doing my first con next year (SunnyCon Newcastle Yay :3) and have been bingeing your vids in preparation. Super inspirational
I totally agree. It's a nice experience only if you want to socialize with your locals and film some nice videos.
Ahh omg Catherine the timing on this is crazy for me. This past weekend I was given a booth at my local art festival and this would've been exactly what i needed to prepare me! 😭 I actually used the picture of your booth as inspiration for my set-up so you still helped a bunch
I've experienced this too. I used to do more whimsical illustrative art and found people looked down on it and I didn't do well at craft fairs. I moved into more fine art and abstract paintings for a time but miss the fun of more illustrative styles so am working on some new art and am thinking of trying conventions. I think what Catherine said is spot on about the types of audience. You get your art in a place of like-minded people and you'll thrive. I'd love to experience that. All the best for your future shows x
This couldn't have come at a better time, thank you!
Yeah I feel like it of course depends on what you sell and price point. Thanks for the great info...I honestly never even thought of conventions
I always wanted to try to sell at a craft fair and this video was so helpful. Thanks for sharing ❤️❤️❤️
Great points made about conventions! Ive only done a few so far, and being constantly in that “selling mode” is very tiring. As for me, I found myself constantly counting to coins to see if I was in profit, instead of staying calm and focusing on the customers at hand.
I’d say a huuuuuge tip from me would be (especially newbies) to stay local. I sold twice at my city’s comicons and had good sales, so I went to bristol comicon and barely made back my travel costs.
I’m trying out Baltimore Comic Con this year and it’s my first Con! A little nervous that I spent too much investing but hopefully it pays off! Thank you for this video!
Thanks for the insight. I don't have anything to sell yet but I'll definitely keep all of this in mind for the future.💕😍
This is very helpful! I think craft fairs would be best for me :) I have anxiety so conventions would be a bit much on my nerves lol!
Fantastic video, Catherine! I’ve done quite well at a local Christmas market, but other markets have been a waste of time. I’m keen to do conventions in the future. Thank you for your advice!
This is super helpful! I’m hopefully going to be doing a craft fair by the end of this year. I know my art isn’t really aimed at craft fairs (I have niche artwork), but I really want to get in experience first.
Thanks for this. I'm vending at DesignerCon here in Anaheim in Nov. The attendance is supposed to be 55k over 3 days. My first convention and I'm totally trying to decide how much inventory to bring.
Everything you've mentioned in this video is very similar to what I've experienced. As someone who lives in the US I thought that was very cool that we have had similar experiences even though we are in different countries. I personally create 3D prints and turn them into figures. My products are on the nerdy side so I too do better at conventions a lot of the time at craft fairs I get a lot of "What is that?" lol. I've been experimenting with conventions and other events over the last few years and my biggest take away that you mentioned @Katnipp was the audience. Know who will be interested in your products an appreciate them the most. Once I found that conventions were the place for me It really helped me understand where I wanted to take my Business and helped motivate me.
Something I did want to piggyback off of what you said and that I am SOOOOO happy you included in this video was emotions. Now something I don't think you touched on that might only happen in the US I'm not sure is customer comments. I've heard and seen so many artist that have stopped doing what they love because of these. Phrases such as "It costs that much?!" "My daughter could make that" and other things said along those lines can be very disheartening. I've noticed that this happens to me more at craft fairs than Conventions. Please know that if this happens to you that you are not the only one! Sometimes people don't understand that they are being rude or how much work you put into things which happens unfortunately. However there are people who do truly appreciate what you create and you will find those people to. Basically what I've saying is don't let a few bad apples ruin your love of fruit.
Yes this is very very true! I hate those negative comments, they are so rude! :O I have definately had this before! Specially when I started out but you just need to remember they are obviously not your target demographic!
I really liked this video! It was very educational and informative. I am going to be selling Christmas ornaments this Winter at a local farmers market! Thank you for this video!
I am doing my largest event yet in Dallas, TX. It's called Pinners and they are expecting 12,000 people. I'm going to document the process on my channel so hopefully people get an idea of how a large show works. It was awesome to hear about your experience.
Good Luck at Pinners. I did it in San Diego and it was a flop for me but I sold jewelry. I just made my table back. I did vlog it if you want to see my experience. It was the first time in San Diego so I think that had to do with the low attendance.
Do you have any plans to create a video on your process of how to create a Studio Vlog? Yours are soo good!!! 😻 Are you using Adobe Premiere or another software? How many days do you spend filming and how much time do you spend editing?
Have a craft event in my small town once every month but hard to get excepted! Will still try
The new we r memory keepers foil freestyle pen got me inspired along with videos like this, thank you
This was really interesting. I’d never heard the term ‘footfall’ before :) x
Absolutely love this video! I am always excited to hear artists experiences on this topic 💖
I would LOVE to try and sell at a convention, but I'm definitely not mentally prepared and I'm not skilled enough/produce enough work yet. But it's the dream! So thank you very much for this video! I think I could sell a few pieces at a craft fair right now if I were to try though.
So informative! You're the best
Thank you! Loving your hair!
I've only done conventions myself, but I always suck at the person to person selling thing. I'm sooo shy. X.x
Thanks so much for sharing! I love this!!!
I’m doing my first convention and my product is quite different to what others might be selling as I make hankies and we’re doing NCC game fair in a few weeks might have bit off more than I can chew having a make or break situation up here 😂🙈 don’t get me wrong they are a great accessory for someone who is into shooting game or likes to take pics of there knife collection for Instagram I should have done a craft fair 🙈
Yay a topic I can most relate to! The items I make are quite large so work better selling face to face. Just started being asked to larger events and it's been a bit scary in terms of cost but more people are there but still nervous about them. 😊 For stall inspiration I've put some on my Instagram @bluebellpeakdesigns ♥️
Do you have any tips on finding these things if you're new to an area?
Hey Katnipp, I would like to know if you recommend selling in coffeeshop? Thank u! Love your work!!
It all depends on the coffee shop and if they will be buying your goodies wholesale!
@@KatnippStudios thank u so much xx
I like to say I have a very old lady kawaii style. I embroider kawaii doodles I’m trying to get into print selling but I’m still very shy with sharing my art. Embroidery looks completely different from a print and that’s what scares me.
Iv'e done 1 convention and it went soo badly no one sold anything in the artist area hahahaha, But the local craft fair had bigger footfall and I can make a decent profit too. There's also a difference in craft fairs there are flea market types than the posh food/craft fairs. Oh and dont forget the 4 P's of customers
Pickup
Putdown
Poke
P£$% off.
I agree the craft and food fairs mostly have people going there for food and drink. But then they browse more. Your right about the cards and watercolours ahaha. I'm in Dorset and there's old money here with lots of horse lovers and such so my drawings fit the niche, there only just getting the idea of comic cons as they had the first-ever one last year.
I do a 2-day Christmas food/craft Fair and its hard work. Also, peoples attitudes can make or break a day eg I had a woman say in front of me, "oh these are just cheap computer print mass-produced when it was an original drawing". I said to her, "no mam that an original colour pencil drawing that took over 40 hours to do" She made me feel down, Luckily other tables supported me and other customers even told her to not be so rude. It's a better day when you are with great people.
This is a great vid and your bubbly style in so inspirational.
Great video!
I just started doing craft fairs and cons. I actually have only done one official table. Most of the time I walk around with a backpack and that's it. This video was exactly what I was waiting for. Really helpful Catherine. Thank you! When you say that you made 100 pounds, do you mean proft after the price of the table, or do you mean purely 100 in sales? curious.
£100 in just sales1 not including my expenses!
i love selling handmade products on my etsy shop (JewelandmoreNL) but i have never do a Craft Fair or Convention.
Do you have to raise your prices at cons? My items are £1-10 so not sure if I would make a profit as I would have to sell alot of stuff
*I wish you would of post at least 3 times a week :( but is okay hehe! Thanks for this video*
What is footfall?