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Sunday 11 April 2010

How Expensive are Gift Fairs?!


I have been sitting this weekend working out whether I can actually afford to attend craft/gift fairs.

Obviously the more fairs I go to, the more chance I have of making some money (which will make a change since all I seem to have done lately is spend it!). The problem lies in the fact that unless you go to a little known or relatively small venue, the organisers seem obliged to charge you the earth to allocate you a tiny little bit of their precious space.

Take the gift fair I went to a couple of weekends ago. To rent a 6ft paste table for the day cost me £20 which was pretty reasonable - mind you I did only sell the one nappy cake and that was right at the last minute so when you work it out I was probably in deficit by the time I got home.

Not to be detered I went online to see what other fairs were on locally throughout the next few months and apply for some more info on them. Imagine my horror when for a two day stand at the East of England show I was looking at .... wait for it ....£235 per day! Yes, I did say per day and that was for nothing more than a 6ft paste table. Exactly the same as I got at the earlier fair.

I know you will be saying that a big event like that would prompt a lot more foot traffic but I'd have to sell all my nappy cake stock and more to even make enough to pay for the stand in the first place.

So, my dilemma remains. Do I fork out exhorbitant amounts of cash in the hope that I will sell all my nappy cakes on the day or do I stick to the smaller fairs and pray for divine intervention (ie., loads of pregnant women or women with their pregnant friends walking through the door).

Answers on a postcard please!

PS. Thought I would post a couple of photos of nappy cakes I've made recently.