Can you offer advice to a newbie for a first rock show?

[RockingRuralMo]

Hi all!

Your advice and experience would be very much appreciated!  This week I'm going to sign up for a table at the rock show that got me started last October.  I never expected this to become a money-maker, but I'm reaching a point where I want to share my work.  And it wouldn't hurt to use my finished work to subsidize some rough and equipment.

The show is a small-town affair, but the booth fee is cheap, and it supports the local gem and mineral society. It would be nice to do a good job though.

What do you experienced sellers recommend for my first show (and even beyond for that matter.)

Sell bare cabs?  Or set them? 

I have a slab saw.  Should I sell slabs?

How do you set up displays? 

How do you control shoplifting?

How do you price your stuff? 

How do you differentiate yourself from the many other vendors? 

No advice is too small - this is very far out of my comfort zone, and it would be amazing to learn from people who know what they're doing!

(the kind of work I'll have to sell.)

[jasoninsd]

First, I want to wish you the best of luck at your first sale! I just had my first show last month...so anything I say is opinion from a "newbie"...

Yes...offer both bare cabs as well as set cabs if you can. Variety! You really don't know what customers are going to want until they're there.

Yes...offer slabs for sale if you have a bunch cut. Again...offering a variety.

Setting up displays...I'd recommend perusing the old thread in the (https://forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/board/15/rockhounding-reports-locations-trips-shows) forum and look for pics of how others setup they're displays. Some are big...some are small.

Shoplifting...I setup my display in a "U" shape so I could be in the middle. When several people were at my stand, I'd move back in the "U" shape so I could see everyone at the stand...

Pricing...best method I've come across is to peruse Etsy or eBay for similar items to what you have and base your prices off what you see there.

[herb]

I dont have much more to add than what jasoninsd already said. Having both cabs and finished pieces is a good idea. Besides people that might want to buy a bare cab to set themselves, you can also tell people looking at the set pieces that you have other stones you can custom set for them if they aren't finding a finished piece they like.

Having a variety of things is good, but it really depends on what the people are looking for. Different shows attract people looking for different things. Usually before doing a show, my girlfriend likes to walk the show as a visitor to see what is being offered. Then she'll apply following year if she thinks its worthwhile.
That way you can see what people are selling, the quality, whether it is handmade or reselling cheap imports. Also you can see the mix of things for sale. If half the people are selling the same kind of things you are, it is going to be tough to make it worthwhile.

For shoplifting, it also helps to have an assistant that can keep an eye on things while you are busy with a customer.

Good luck on your show.

[quartz]

Keep your show area very neat and tidy, make the display stand out enough that people will notice it even before seeing what you are selling. We were assigned front row center at the entrance door at the fourth show we did because of pictures of the first two shows, credit my wife for that. We didn't do anything lavish or optically loud, just tasteful and showy. Our sales were a success.

[fernwood]

Great advice so far.
I would add to plan your set up in advance. Some do a mock set up prior to the show, so they can see how long it takes to set up and take down.

[liveoak]

Make a sign that says you made everything.

Even better a display showing a slab, a preform, a finished cab.

I know some people have said that saved them at a show when a lot of other vendors were selling imports cheap.

Patty

[Rockoonz]

Do you remember what there was less of last year?
If you can fill a void in the show, and theres a demand for it, you will do well. First year it's hard to gauge what that will be, talking to the dealer chairperson for the club, and perhaps a few members, might give some insight on what people want to see.

In our displays, we try to keep most everything visible from both sides of the table, and the high dollar items either under glass or attached to the display in a way that takes a few seconds to detach. A small sampling of everything you do, with additional in containers on or under your back table, can help you to replenish what sells or to offer more variety to serious shoppers. Leaving a few trinkets with less value in less observable spots, having a basket of free kid tumble rocks for the little ones, and a greeting for everyone who lingers to look will also do much to encourage sales and discourage sticky fingers.

Pricing should be about what everyone else does. If you don't undercut other dealers, you will make friends who can really help with the journey, most dealers support one another. A strategy I've seen is to price a little high and have an assortment of "x % off sale" signs, to adjust your prices to competitive but not too low.

Specialize in something unique, a material, product, or something. Make it obvious that you aren't a reseller. When I was dealer chair for my club for several years, I avoided bringing what I called "walmart dealers" who were most or all resellers into the show, favoring people with specialties. It's okay to have a little of everything, but a showcase category of items that others don't have will really draw attention, and possibly have you passing out business cards to people recruiting for other shows (that's what I did). Definitely get some cards made up, they don't cost much.

[brotherbill]

Good advice above. All I can add is that having a way to accept credit card payments is most helpful.

[Rockoonz]

Yes. square is your friend. When we got a card reader we almost doubled the previous years sales.