HOW TO FIND AND MANAGE STREET VENDORS

Transcription

1 HOW TO FIND AND MANAGE STREET VENDORS Bridget Bayer BAM Business Associa3on Management Street Fairs for Community and Profit April 27, 2016 EvolTwin Prin4ng 7945 NE Alberta, Portland, OR

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3 Vendor Strategies, Recruitment & Management Tips Vendor Strategy Target Market Mix Number Rates Recruitment Outreach Forms Communica4on Management Loca4ons Evalua4on Promo4ons Produc4on Set Up Take Down 2 Street fairs and fes4vals are a great place to check out the vendors in your area

4 Target Audience Street Fair ayendees expect to see street vendors. The trick is making their presence an added benefit. Know and focus on your target audience. What do they want to see or do at event? What kind of person are they? Who shops in your area? Who do you want to see there? This is your target market(s). Compare lists with businesses, area non profits and others to come up with a primary target audience list for your fair. Describe Target Market Demographics How old are they? What s their income level, educa4on, na4onality or ethnicity? Are they seniors, teens or singles? Do they have kids, elder parents, pets? What are their hobbies; music, books, arts? Vendor Mix Having a good vendor mix makes all the difference for ayendees and par4cipants alike. Street Fairs must have food vendors, retail goods, arts and craf items, plus items for women and kids. People want interes4ng and unique items that can t be found in a department store or mall. A variety of jewelry and clothing, as well as specialty arts and crafs items are sought afer vendors. Fair ayendees will expect sell sweets, sodas and grilled meats unless the theme dictates otherwise. Mall Mentality Rule 10 Food & Drink 10 Retail, Arts, Crafs 10 Entertainment or Ac4vity VENDOR STRATEGY: MARKET & MIX Most importantly, how do they get informa3on: What do they read, listen to or watch? Where do they find out about events? Who influences them? In the U.S., women account for about 75% of all spending. Make sure to have vendors that offer items for female shoppers. Curb appeal can account for up to 80% of first- me sales Roger Brooks, Interna3onal. 3

5 Decisions The vendor mix and maximum number are among the important considera4ons for organizers. Decisions on vendor type, fees or number will be easier by referring to guidelines based on mission and goals. Be consistent on policies! You can count on community members talking to one another. Vendor Number AYendance will dictate how many vendors end up happy with their sales. Be conserva4ve at first, star4ng with a small area. Add more later. Your space will dictate the number of vendors (and ofen the expected number of ayendees). Street vendors generally take up 10 x10 spaces. Offer doubles or corner spaces to food trucks or those vendors requiring more room. Food vendors have high expenses and expect to have liyle compe44on, so don t bring in too many or more than one of each type if possible. Sample Rate Structure Fee Vendor Rates Fair vendors expect to pay different fees based on loca4on, registra4on 4me, size and type. Depending on planned marke4ng, a first year event usually charges $25-$100 for a vendor space with fees increasing each year Vendors are willing to pay more for great street fairs. Check online for event vendor rates in your area. Vendors need to make back the cost of their vendor registra4on, the cost of their items sold, pay for their 4me and, hopefully, make a profit. The same booth space can cost twice as much for food vendors because they usually have a greater impact and can make more sales. Fees can be higher for corner spots because they face 2 direc4ons and are generally more lucra4ve. This is also true for vending spots at entries, stages and popular ac4vi4es (premium loca4ons). Vendor Ameni4es VENDOR STRATEGY: NUMBER & RATES Type Rate Retail $ 60 Loca4on Infrastructure Equipment Food & Beverages $ 120 Arts & Crafs $ 50 Community Non Profit $ 30 Corner + $ 50 Equipment Ameni4es Loca4on Corner Premium Type Electricity Water Internet Tent Table & chairs Display materials Premium + $ 50 Sponsors 0 4

6 Outreach Street Fair ayendees expect to see street vendors. Make their presence an added benefit. Get a full compliment of vendors by maximum outreach. Try communica4ng early and ofen. Start broadcas4ng your fair date, 4me and loca4on, 4-6 months before fair date. Send to: Previous year s list Vendor list-serves: VendorSpace@yahoogroups.com Google: street fair vendors portland Local churches, schools, non profits Business & neighborhood lists Street vendors can be the businesses on your street or in the surrounding area. They are paying rent already, it s the one day each year they get a liyle bit more real estate to do promo4ons and make more sales. Encourage shop owners and vendors to ac4vate the street. They have to displaywares outside and make them look great! Free goodies, games, pictures or any interac4ve experience will draw people in. Registra3on Forms Vendor registra4on forms online or paper - should ask for vendor descrip4on, size of space, loca4on choice, contact informa4on and any special requests. Online registra4on programs can be free. Some offer billing or repor4ng for an addi4onal cost. Communica3on Post on social media, websites, list-serves &city resources. community members to ask them to call for vendors. Visit other street fairs, farmers markets & special events to distribute registra4on forms to favorite vendors. Add a Call for Vendors on press releases, Save the Date flyers and early marke4ng materials. All outreach materials should include a link to get more informa4on on how to sign up. Historic Parkrose Summer Nights Street Fairs Second Thursdays on Sandy VENDOR RECRUITMENT 2nd Thursdays 5:00-9:00pm August 14 September 11 Event is IN THE STREET at 106th at NE Sandy Blvd. (next to Neumann s German Bakery, NE Sandy) Sample Call for Vendors flyer Walk down with your neighbors to family fun monthly vendor fairs and enjoy shopping in Parkrose streets. Street vendors will offer diverse goods and services, listen to live music, play games and taste great food at this new nighttime marketplace. Vendors register online: Ac4vate booths with prize wheels, contests, or interac4ve devises Historic Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative NE Sandy (503)

7 Loca3ons Allocate vendor spaces afer confirming your list of ac4vi4es and sponsors. Music stages require large spaces, kids play areas must be safe and away from traffic. Always keep a 15 (or more) right-of-way clear for emergency vehicles. Vendor booth numbering - Vendor booths are generally a 10 x 10 space. Mark off vendor spaces by wri4ng in chalk or removable marks before the fair. Take 2 volunteers and a 10 foot s4ck, rope or measuring tape. Food Considera3ons - Food vendors require hand-washing sinks and grey water disposal. Leave space for those items or let vendors know to include them in their own foot print. Set up barbecues or cook-off compe44ons at the outer edges of the fair or in a loca4ons downwind of immediate vendors and entertainment ac4vi4es. Place food vendors and alcoholic beverages close together. The back side of these areas should have access to vehicles so that people can resupply ice or beverages. *Whenever you have street vendors, leave space for shoppers so people who want to linger won t stop the flow of pedestrian traffic. A 6 foot wide pedestrian lane between vendor tents or booths works well. Promo3ons Ask vendors to help increase ayendance by promo4ng the fair on social media. Post pictures to vendor s Facebook or other social media sites. Ask vendors to Share & Retweet. Pre-write Messages Facebook: Our Street Fair has specialty vendors, music, dance and theater performed by our local arts community. TwiYer: Check out our fabulous Street Fair vendors (link) Vendor Ads Offer a shared adver4sement space to vendors who might want to feature products unique to your fair. VENDOR MANAGEMENT Evalua3on Street fair planning gets easier the second year. Look at your fair from vendors point of view. Include an evalua4on form in registra4on materials and on check in. Pick up evalua4on forms at the end of your fair. a link to an online form and ask for comments immediately following the fair. Make use of online survey to assess opinion from these par4cipants. 6 FB posts by vendors increase promo4ons

8 Fair Day Vendor Set Up In general, allow vendors 2 hours to set up before your fair. Vendors who need extra 4me can make special arrangements. As fair planners gain experience, allow vendors to arrive earlier. Even though street vendors may have been given detailed instruc4ons on how to check in or enter the fair site, they will need assistance on fair day. Vendor Check In - A street vendor check-in area can be set up on the edge of the fair. AYach a large, bright VENDOR CHECK-IN sign that can be easily spoyed. Add colorful flags or balloons and let vendors know in advance. Alterna4vely, set up mul4ple check-in loca4ons at major intersec4ons or at each block, and direct vendors to designated areas. Equip volunteers with lists and maps. Sort lists by business, contact person s and loca4on. When vendors check in, ask them to sign a liability waiver. Highlight if payment is received on fair day or any other new informa4on. By year 3 or 4, it may be possible to have vendors pre-check online, signifying that they understand wriyen protocols and procedures. Fair Day Vendor Take Down Vendors will be ready to go when the fair ends. Volunteer teams may be helpful for vendor break down so they can leave quickly. Allow early departure if you want, but only allow removal of their equipment and materials by hand. Monitor street closure signs so vendors can get their vehicles in and out but the street doesn t get re-opened too soon. Have volunteers make sure that vendors remove all their equipment and garbage. Large tents and rental companies will need room to take down their equipment. Make sure all vendors and equipment are gone before re-opening a street. PRODUCTION VENDOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION Vendors can some4mes be unhappy with their loca4on. Help them find a resolu4on: Listen to complaint fully before trying to fix situa4on Ask vendor to try working out the best arrangement with the other vendors themselves Offer choice of moving them to an extra reserved space, usually in the back 7 Gree4ng vendors at fair entry points facilitates setup

9 Bridget Bayer, BAM Business Associa3on Management hrp://bampdx.com/street-fair-guide/