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how to have a successful exhibitor experience

Whether you’re brand new to participating in the DIY Festival and Holiday Market or a seasoned exhibitor, here are a few things you may want to think about in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the big event!

talk to your customers

One of the biggest contributors to financial success at the DIY Festival or Holiday Market is connecting with attendees! By staying present and engaging during public hours, you create opportunities to interact with shoppers, build relationships, make sales, and encourage follow-up for custom work after the event.

We recommend avoiding activities that may discourage interaction—like sitting at the back of your booth on your phone. If you’re naturally shy, try stretching your comfort zone by greeting and chatting with each visitor who steps into your space. While talking about yourself can feel challenging, remember that attendees are there because they want to learn about you, your process, and your unique story—and they’re excited to support local makers!

When someone purchases your work, it becomes even more meaningful—not just because of your craftsmanship, but because of the positive, personal connection they experienced with you. It can also be incredibly helpful to have a friend or family member assist at your booth. Consider bringing someone who’s enthusiastic about your work and comfortable engaging with customers—they can help create a welcoming, energetic atmosphere that draws people in!

Practice an elevator pitch for your brand or product. DIY Festival and Holiday Market shoppers are often passionate about supporting local makers and small businesses, so they’ll feel even more connected to your work when they understand your story or mission. Consider: what makes your work unique, and what sets you apart?

Tip: Try to be cognizant of not saying the very same thing to every customer, since you might come across as robotic to those within earshot as you engage other visitors. Merely acknowledging your customers with a “hello” usually isn’t enough to convert a sale. Relax & keep your engagement authentic. Ask open-ended, progressing questions! Take an active interest in having a conversation!

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS

Leverage your downtime at the DIY Festival or Holiday Market by getting to know your fellow makers! These events offer incredible opportunities for networking, building friendships, and connecting over shared creative passions. Each event day typically includes time between exhibitor arrival and public hours—perfect for refreshing your display, restocking products, and exploring the work of other talented local creatives.

Be sure to plan ahead by bringing a helper (or helpers) so you can take breaks, shop, and experience the event beyond your booth. Keep in mind that event staff and volunteers are not able to watch your booth, so having support is key.

A few reminders to help create a positive experience for everyone:

  • Be a good neighbor to fellow exhibitors
  • Be mindful of fragrance sensitivities
  • Stay within your designated booth space

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

While festivals and markets are incredibly fun, participating in a market setting can be emotionally taxing. You’re putting your heart on your sleeve as you display/sell work that you have poured your soul into & so tirelessly created. It’s been a lot of long days (weeks, months) preparing inventory & perfecting all the preparations for your booth & branding. Here are a few tips to consider in prioritizing your physical, mental & emotional wellbeing amid all the hustle, bustle & excitement!

  • Pace yourself! Think carefully about pacing your preparations in the weeks/months leading up to the event. Leave yourself plenty of time to prepare. If you procrastinate, you risk experiencing some serious burnout! 
  • Try to get as much sleep as possible leading up to the event. Get a good night’s sleep in-between each day, especially the night before load-in. You’ll be tempted to stretch yourself thin to get a ton of inventory prepped, but sleep is such a crucial investment, especially before Day 1 (which sets the tone for the entire event).
  • Fuel your body! Pack plenty of snacks, water, etc. to tide you over as needed & to anticipate long stretches of time when you cannot leave your booth (think load-in/set-up, peak hours, etc.), or when lines at food trucks are super long. 
  • Pack SPF! (DIY Fest) If you’re an outdoor exhibitor, we strongly encourage that you wear sunscreen during the entirety of the festival. If you’re an indoor exhibitor, consider that you will likely be spending some time outdoors for breaks, to get food, loading in/out, etc., so we recommend packing a bottle of sunscreen. The August sun is no joke!

For ideas on navigating the emotional aspects of managing a small business, check out this blog post from 2017!

Focus on the Qualitative Experience

Focus on developing relationships with life-long, returning customers over making one-time sales. Make your mission clear and visible to engage customers.

  • Offer incentives for customers to keep shopping from you after the festival is over
  • Hand out business cards or have a QR code to promote your social channels
  • Consider that many shoppers prefer to reach out after an event wraps up to request custom work!

FACTORS THAT PLAY INTO YOUR SUCCESS

  • Compelling merchandising/eye-catching display
  • Strong branding
  • Variety of price points
  • Variety of products
  • Attitude/demeanor/willingness to engage customers
  • Pre-event marketing
  • Come prepared with an adequate volume of merchandise
  • Price your items, or provide a pricing sheet!
  • Offer a variety of payment options
  • Providing sales/promo incentives
  • Consider battery-powered lighting for your display to catch the eye (solar-powered lighting also works well for outdoor exhibitors)

general tips

It’s really important that you stay for the entirety of public hours and be on time for when you have been asked to be at your booth before security sweeps at the beginning of each day. Leaving the event early is prohibited. Barring an emergency (in which case, please reach out to CLC staff or volunteers as soon as possible for assistance & permission to leave), exhibitors found leaving their spot outside of the designated schedule jeopardize their ability to participate in future events with Craft Lake City. Note that attendees may be counting on your business being there at the event, so if you leave early (or don’t show up) you’d be letting the customer down (plus, you could lose out on a sale).

  • Our organization makes a commitment to providing a full event experience for attendees and providing equal opportunities to our exhibitors. Exhibitors who leave early could negatively impact the experience of the makers and attendees around your empty booth space, as it looks unprofessional. Leaving early may jeopardize your participation in future Craft Lake City events. 
  • Make sure you have a plan for if you happen to run out of product. Even if you have nothing left to sell at the actual event, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by leaving & abandoning a golden marketing opportunity. Here are some back-up ideas for selling out of merch: bring a clipboard to take down custom order requests or capture newsletter subscribers, host a social media giveaway or incentive for people to follow your account, bring sample items to represent your work even if you don’t have anything to sell (display some of your pieces you don’t want to sell, but encompass you artistic capabilities) and pass out LOTS of business cards!
  • If there’s an emergency or a problem, let us know — we will do everything we can to help you!

loading in

  • Keep your schedule clear for your entire designated load-in day! Your specific load-in time will be assigned approximately one week before the event. It’s essential to arrive on time and stick to your assigned window, as coordinating hundreds of exhibitors requires careful planning to ensure a smooth and efficient process for everyone. Arriving late or being inflexible can create delays for fellow makers who are also preparing to set up.
  • Be sure to bring a dolly and at least one helper for load-in. With a large number of exhibitors and a limited number of staff and volunteers, assistance may not always be available. While event staff will do their best to support where possible, being self-sufficient will help keep things moving smoothly.
  • Plan ahead by getting a good night’s sleep before load-in day so you feel energized and ready for the event ahead!
  • During load-in, you will have a short window (typically around 30 minutes) to pull your vehicle up to your assigned location and unload. Be prepared to unload your display and merchandise quickly onto your designated drop spot, then promptly move your vehicle to make space for the next exhibitor.
  • Take time in advance to plan your parking. Exhibitors will typically receive one parking pass per day of participation, which must be displayed while parked in designated areas. If you require additional parking, plan accordingly—either by purchasing extra passes (if available) or utilizing nearby street parking where permitted. Be sure to follow all posted parking rules and restrictions.

planning your exhibitor space

Your space size specifications are included in your acceptance email, so please consult it during preparations. You must adhere to the dimensions designated in your email!

  • Craft Lake City is on a very tight timeline for the event production and is only able to provide exhibitors with a short window to set up and tear down. 
  • Practice setting up your display in advance. Do a test run of your set up at home and make sure there aren’t any improvements that can be made. It can be really helpful to photograph your booth all set up so that you have a merchandising map at the ready!
  • Consider what type of merchandise you’re selling and how easy it’ll be to load-in/out and set up. 
  • You want your display to be completely set up by the time customers arrive. Having a messy/unfinished booth looks unprofessional and can deter customers from coming over, so having a set up that you can easily complete in the allotted time is important
  • Tearing down your display before public hours close is PROHIBITED, as it may deter people from shopping from you, negatively impact your neighbor exhibitor’s experience and negatively impact the experience of festival attendees. Violating this policy may threaten your ability to participate in future CLC events (we notice)!

You can consult this webpage to see examples of the different types of exhibitor space sizes & ways to construct your required “back wall.” Generally speaking, a 5’x10’ space will accommodate a table & backdrop, whereas a 10’x10’ will serve as more of a mini, walk-in shop. Remember that the “back wall” is mandatory for all exhibitors, regardless of category, space size, or whether you’re indoors or outdoors, with accompanying 20lb weights on each side to secure it! 

WHY DO I NEED TO BRING A “BACK WALL”?

It helps highlight you & your work in a large festival environment by physically separating you from your neighbor and serves as a great way for you to implement plenty of branding, signage & even possible merchandise display (if you’re able to hang your merchandise)! 

  • Having all exhibitors use a “back wall” makes for a visually pleasing & organized event design. It allows a consistent merchandising experience for festival-goers. A market, especially one as large-scale as DIY Fest, looks fractured if only some people bring a back wall & others don’t. 
  • A “back wall” creates a focused interaction with the customer, making visitors feel like they’re really inside a mini pop-up shop. It helps to decrease the sense of overwhelm, allowing folks to immerse themselves into each individual branded space. Side walls are not required, but this can further help to accomplish this feeling.

WHY DON’T I LEARN ABOUT MY LOCATION BEFORE THE FESTIVAL/Market? 

  • The short answer is: last-minute changes ALWAYS happen! When we say “last minute”, we really mean it. In order to accommodate these shifts, exhibitor locations are kept confidential until you arrive on-site for your assigned load-in time. 
  • If you DO want to know your space in advance & choose where you get located on the map, we have a premium Special Placement option for that. Read more about it on our FAQ page.
  • Outdoor exhibitors, check out our blog post about preparing for inclement weather when planning your setup & packing list!

special notes for craft food vendors

Be sure to research and secure all required food exhibitor permits well in advance. These permits can take significant time to prepare, and failing to obtain them before the event may result in being shut down on-site by the health department. Event organizers typically share exhibitor information with local health officials ahead of time, so permits will be cross-checked. Review your acceptance materials carefully for specific permitting requirements before committing to exhibitor fees—this step is essential to your participation. Please note that refunds are generally not provided to food exhibitors who are shut down due to missing permits or failure to follow proper food handling protocols.

Use your best judgment when deciding how much product to prepare. Many factors influence sales at events like the DIY Fest and Holiday Market, and it’s difficult to predict exact demand. A helpful approach is to research the event and review other exhibitors in your category to gauge the level of competition and variety of offerings. Attendance can vary, and factors like weather and shopper behavior are unpredictable.

Ultimately, you know your product and business best—plan accordingly and develop a strategy that works for you. If possible, consider connecting with experienced exhibitors for insights and advice based on past events.

For more information about required food permitting, refer to your event materials or the official event website.