Just three months into this venture of mine, I boldly signed up for my first ever vendor event! The July 4th Frontier Days Celebration is a signature event in Round Rock, attracting thousands of visitors each year. The Parks & Recreation Department does an amazing job of offering an opportunity for artists and makers of all kinds to participate in this event. The celebration itself includes, but is not limited to, carnival rides, pig races, live music, and of course fireworks! As a spectator, we have enjoyed this event for a few years with our young daughter; it is well organized and full of activities to last all day. From a vendor standpoint, this was an excellent “first run” for me to engage with the community and get a feel for what to expect from these types of events. I definitely recommend participating in this event and I look forward to signing up again this year!
Tips & Tricks from my first rodeo
- Bring extra everything. Not of your work, although backups are always good to have… But possibly more importantly – extra tape, zip ties, paper, extension cords, picture hangers, and business cards.
- Be prepared for wind! Thankfully my husband is like my own personal MacGyver and knew to be prepared for anything. He brought the hot glue gun, three kinds of tape, string, a hammer and nails, and enough zip ties to last a lifetime (or at least 8 vendor shows). We ended up securing every canvas to the grid panels to prevent damage from the wind. And yes, we DID end up needing the hot glue gun, too. ?
- Less can definitely be more. While your first show can be exciting, and you may want the world to know all that you have to offer, it’s not a bad idea to scale back. Don’t put all of your product out at once; give them something new to look at when they take your business card and visit your website or social media pages. Also, when browsing through a space at an event like this, people don’t want to be overwhelmed. It’s hard to focus on and become interested in something when you feel over stimulated and are given too many options.
