What Every Vendor Should Know About Events

Chris of stitchesndishes.com

Mobile food festivals, food truck round-ups, food truck fairs, food truck throw downs.. they go by many different names, but at the end of the day, they're all the same. It's a fact that when multiple food trucks, carts and stands congregate in a single location,

They draw masses of hungry customers, curious and excited about the food options before them. Are they really all the same, though?

All too often do we hear that event goers leave events feeling cheated, and mobile food operators drive away in the red. What makes one event successful and another a virtual food truck graveyard?

There is a very simple golden rule in operating a mobile food business that most operators tend to overlook. Hope is for the weary; confidence in knowledge is the key to success.

Before you say 'yes' to that next tempting food truck extravaganza, arm yourself with knowledge to make an informed decision. This is your business, after all, and the event organizer holds your livelihood in his hands.

1. Does the organizer come with a track record? Too many inconsistencies means the organizer doesn't possess the knowledge and experience to produce successful events. Ask the organizer to account for low turn-out events, previous complaints, etc. If the organizer has little or no track record, be skeptical at best.

2. Is the event a 'pop up' or regularly scheduled event? Regularly scheduled events which occur at the same location on a regular frequency are much easier to judge. They typically come with a reputation. Pop up style events rely entirely on the experience and reputation of the event organizer.

3. How many people and vendors are expected to attend the event? If the organizer can't give you a solid estimate, how can you plan your inventory for the day? Ask the organizer for the estimated attendance, then ask how he derived these numbers. If the organizer has a solid track record, you can more than likely feel confident in his answer.

Pay very close attention to how the organizer is promoting the event, and remember the golden rule of advertising - only 1%-2% of the people reached will buy a product. Targeted advertising increases the odds of higher attendance.

Read more here!

How to Sell Items at Festivals in 7 Steps

Jackie DeVore

Ready to take your arts and crafts to the next level? In this article, we'll go over how to set up your products at a craftshow in a profitable way.

Step 1. Create Your Product

Before you get started on finding a festival, you'll want to determine which of your products you can make easily and quickly, and can set up at a craft show. It's a good idea to choose items that are unique to your style and that you can mass produce when needed. Keep in mind you'll be traveling with this product, displaying it, and will be creating a lot of the product at any given time. You'll want enough items to fill a large (10' x 10') display without running out of items. If a customer is forced to wait for the product until after a craft show, they'll likely lose interest.

Step 2. Find Your Festival

A good way to decide what kind of festival is best for you is simply to go to festivals. Take a look at the vendors that are currently booked at certain shows in your area, and what the attendees are looking for. Keep in mind that you don't want too much competition for your own product, but you do still want to stay relevant to the theme of the festival. Talk to the vendors at the show to see what their experience is. Be sure to do your homework.

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When Does a Band Need a Manager?

Lately, I've been caught up in an online music industry group regarding when the best time is for an act to join forces with a manager to further their career opportunities. There were a multitude of opinions about this topic from a variety of industry managers and marketing people. It's a great topic, worthy of discussion.

Something to think about when you read further, is the level and type of management. Management companies have exploded onto the scene in the last 10 years, but not all are the same. Just like music artists, there are both indie and major league managers. Some manage everything, others focus on specific career objectives.

The music industry continues to change rapidly. These changes are beginning to usher in a new dynamic involving manager/artist relationships and the services they offer.

So, let's get started. The two primary schools of thought on the right time for a manager.

Read more here!

How to Promote a Local Event

Elmer Thomas

This post takes a look a both the strategy and the tactics for promoting local events: First I discuss some general conventions regarding promoting events, then I elaborate on specific tactics and tools. The goal of this post is to serve as a checklist for anyone that needs to promote a local event.

Strategy

Who, What, When, Why?

Visualize what the final result of the event should look like, clarify the purpose of the event, then determine the actual tasks need to realize that vision. Remember that the actual tasks are secondary to the desired result. With that frame of mind you can maintain flexibility while keeping focused.

Research

Use Google and the "websites where you can post your event" (listed below) to investigate events similar to yours. Google the titles of those events to determine what online marketing channels they used. Search through old emails to examine marketing copy used for other similar successful events.

Read more here!

Using Technology to Stay Competitive

by U.S. Small Business Administration

As a business owner, it is vital that you understand and use advanced technologies. Technology can help increase business efficiency and even expand operations.

Accounting Software

4 Simple Steps for Your Music Marketing Budget

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for the year ahead is to create a budget for your musical activities. Having a budget will give you a much clearer look at where you want to go financially, how you'll get there, and what your progress is along the way.

We've broken down the process into 4 simple steps to help you create a budget:

1. Ask Questions

To help determine what your financial goals for the year will be, first ask yourself some questions:

- Will you be releasing new music this year?

- How will you raise money to pay for the production?

- How will you distribute your music to digital stores?

- How will you promote your music?

- Do you need new promotional photos?

- Are you creating any merch?

- Are you going to buy any new equipment?

- Do you need a new website?

Try to get as clear as you can about everything you would like to do this year, and be sure to write it all down. Writing down your goals will help give you some direction and focus.

2. Determine Expenses

Once you know your goals, write down all of the expenses that you'll need to keep track of:

Cost of Music & Merch

Recording/Mixing/Mastering: Many musicians now record at home rather than go into a studio, so expenses with recording can vary greatly depending on your approach.

CD Duplication / Vinyl pressing / Download Cards: Research how much it will cost to manufacture any physical versions of your album.

Digital distribution: Although minimal, depending on which service you use, there is either an upfront cost or annual recurring cost to distribute your music to iTunes, Amazon, etc.

Merch: How much will it cost to make t-shirts and other merch items?

Read more here!

Practical and Frequently Asked Questions About Art Shows

Maria Arango

"I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's." - William Blake


When I first started the art festival guide I had a somewhat clear organization and, once I decided on the main points to cover, I kept to my outline more or less faithfully. During the course of art festivals, I would think of bits and pieces and almost all of them fit neatly into my chapters...almost. Another phenomenon that occurs in art festivals is that some of us get a lot of visits from artists that want to entertain the idea of embarking upon the art festival adventure. Most of them ask the obvious questions but some pose a few practical and sometimes not so obvious questions. There is so much more to know!

On an average year, whatever that may be, I figure I spend about 30% of my time making art, 30% selling art, 30% on the various business tasks and 30% taking care of the home front. If you notice, that adds up to 120%, not counting sleeping and eating, which is the appropriate amount of time to dedicate to making a living as an artist. Seriously, I have never worked so hard or so long on anything, although the rewards of making a living as a living artist are without question worth every minute of every day and the minutes in between. Nobody said it was going to be easy!

While you are starting out and still not knowing who to ask, I will just answer the most frequent questions that came pouring to my booth and my website and that logically made me fashion this last chapter as a summary of Frequently Asked Questions. They are arranged in no particular order; I simply jotted them down as people asked both in person and online although I guess I tried to address them in order of importance or at least relevance to the business. You might call them tricks of the trade, nuts and bolts, tips from the experienced or frequently asked questions. I will also try to answer them succinctly since I have already explained most points in the previous chapters. Well, I might throw in a story or two, but that's to be expected by now. So here are my loose ends, whatever didn't neatly fit into the previous chapters, I kept for this last one. Now you can't say nobody told you!

Do I need a business license?
Everywhere you go! As a business you will undoubtedly need a business license to operate a business in your own state. Every state is different so the best course of action is to head on over to the website of the Department of Taxation or Department of Revenue for your own state and find out what the licensing requirements are for your particular situation. I know that sounds scary and complicated but most states will simply not let you conduct business without a license and really, aside from paying a fee and the initial application, it's not so bad.

Doing business outside of your own state will often if not always also require a temporary permit or a temporary vendor's license, often for the state, county and/or city. Many of us carry out of state business licenses for every state we work in and renew them yearly. Some are free, some require a nominal yearly fee. The bottom line is that you cannot do business anywhere without a license or permit and playing around with tax authorities is not my idea of fun.

The promoter of the show is usually the best source of information for the required licensing and tax requirements of each show. Many promoters will require a state license number with applications, some will include the county/city license fee with the application, others do not. Ultimately it may be up to you to investigate and obtain the proper permits and pay the proper taxes, which neatly leads me to the next question.

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How to Get Your Event Noticed

Julie Cochrane

Adding your event for free in the FestivalNet.com database is a great first step! You're on your way to getting noticed in a big way as we get over 750,000+ monthly visitors! Be sure your listing has a great description and your event details are accurate and complete. Here are some additional ways to increase your exposure.

Co-Promote with FestivalNet

We offer some sweet co-promotion opportunities! You scratch our back, we scratch yours! You get free Featured Event exposure for your event in exchange for promoting FestivalNet! Learn more here.

Featured Events

Place your event at the top of the general search results and on the FestivalNet.com Featured Events Map. Top Position Exposure to 750,000+ visitors and 20+ million page views per month! Up to 11 months of exposure for one low price (no reoccurring monthly fees). Your featured event also gains exposure on highly trafficked pages via this button ad on the left throughout our site. Learn more here.

Advertising

You can also buy advertising like Banner, Button, or Newsletter ads. View our very reasonable rates and learn more here.

Social Media

Also, enjoy the benefit of our ever-growing Facebook presence. Feel free to shout out your show's website there: http://www.facebook.com/festivalnet - keep it conversational and personal and be sure to say hey! On Twitter? We will also retweet you if you include us in your tweet! Find us there as @_festivalnet

Newsletter Content

Maybe someone on your festival staff is a good writer and can contribute an article for one of our monthly newsletters! Peruse our archives to see what topics we publish: https://festivalnet.com/articles/index.html Your author's byline can include links to your website! It's a great way to increase your SEO too.

Read more here!

8 Simple Ways to Cook Up New Customers On Facebook & Twitter

Chris Ford

It's no denying that social media has become a massive tool of leverage for tech savvy entrepreneurs hungry to reach new and current customers.

What started out as a tool for Ivy League college kids looking to connect, hook-up and build community has grown into a multi-billion network of fans, friends and followers translating to billions of dollars in sales for small business owners around the globe.

So in today's article I want to give you some quick marketing tips for connecting with your fans and attracting more customers to your mobile food truck or concession stand using two of the most powerful social networks on the internet today. Facebook and Twitter.

4 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Facebook:

1. Set up albums to store your images within your Facebook account. You can share photos of your menu items, playful images of your family, friends, co-workers, even customers at the booth or waiting in line etc.

2. Provide links to your website and/or blog. In addition post links to any articles or reviews written about you as well as media/press coverage you receive. You can also post daily menu specials and coupons that you offer.

3. Find, "like" and invite your friends to "like' your Facebook page. By doing a simple search within Facebook you'll uncover dozens if not hundreds of special interest groups (now referred to as "pages" that you can join and network directly with other like-minded or like interested individuals. Check out these examples:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/LEMONADE-MOREINC-FRESH-DOUGH-PIZZA
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pences-Carmel-Corn-Shoppe

4. Consider registering a custom URL (web address) for your Facebook page, think of it like a personalized license plate. You or your web designer can set this up fairly quickly through a domain registration service like Godaddy.com. The reason why may want to consider this option? Branding capability for your business. In addition it makes easier for new visitors to find you. See an example in action and if you like what you see: "Like Us" at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stitches-n-Dishes.

These are just four ways to you can use Facebook to create connection and grow your fan base. But let's not forget about Twitter.

Twitter is another powerful social networking platform that admittedly can take a little while to build traction, but once you do - the results can be explosive. If you're not familer with Twitter it's basically a "micro blog" all this means is that you're only allowed to publish tight, concise tidbits of information, limited to 140 characters.

Now I realize that 140 characters doesn't seem like much, but think of this way, when you're limited to how much you can share, you're forced to get to the point quickly.

When you publish a 'Tweet' to your followers your primary goal should be to engage the reader about your current activities. For example: you can tweet your schedule, your location, daily specials etc. If you've recently received a favorable review or press mention you can publish it to your blog and then tweet about it by including the link to the direct location where the content is stored on your blog or website. Finally if the URL is too long consider using a shortener service like: http://tinyurl.com or http://bitly.com for example.

Below is an example of a tweet that a mobile food vendor would do on a typical day:

@grlldcheesetruk: Menu suggestion: New brie melt! double cream brie, smoked pork loin, peach preserves and fresh thyme on black peppercorn potato bread!

Imagine the power of posting something like this to your followers. Now imagine how many customers would show up at your booth or truck to try this sandwich.

Read more here!

How to Deal with those Dreaded Shipping Costs

Carolyn Edlund

We know that the wait can feel like forever after you've submitted your application to a prospective event. And not hearing back at all can feel very discouraging. But fear not! We've compiled some trade-secrets to help you get ahead of the pack, improve your response rate, and get accepted to more events! Do you hate the thought of paying for shipping? If so, join a group that includes everyone you know. Overcome these charges by thinking a bit differently and taking a new approach.

 

Here's how to work around those issues.

 

A few years back, when I was working as a sales rep for art publishers and giftware manufacturers, I assisted a young business owner in her booth at the New York Gift Show. She set up her display of handmade journals and leather goods, and placed a large sign announcing a special offer of "10% discount on all orders placed at the show." As the day progressed, response to her special was lukewarm at best.

How to NOT get Screwed while Working as a Freelance Artist

Alex Soare for emptyeasel.com

Read more!

10 Social Media Mistakes Bands Make

1) Your Call To Actions Are Too Frequent

2) You Are TOO Humble

3) You Say What You Think People Want To Hear

4) You Aren't Asking Questions

Read more here!

Liability Insurance for Food Vendors: What to Know

the writing team of FLIP Insurance

If you own a mobile food vending truck, mobile barbeque stand, ice cream cart, small snack bar in a park, sell at a farmers market or participate in shows/festivals/ special events as a food vendor, then you are in food vending industry.

When doing research on the internet about food liability insurance or food vendor liability insurance you can find a lot of important information on forums, with questions and answers written by people like you. Let's then take a look into the most important details so that your food vending business brings you only profit and peace of mind.

First of all, let's establish what food liability insurance means. There are many types of insurance you may need for your food business, but as a vendor you will need liability insurance for sure! Even if you don't feel you are a huge liability factor, it's important to be prepared for any incident.

Read more here!

Makin' It & Savin' It!

Anton Cheranev of Profitable Marketing

10 Ways To Sell Your Festival Products Faster

Why Most Musicians Fail to Break into the Industry

Looking to break into the music industry? Here is a surprising fact about the music business that you might not be aware of:

Each year, music companies receive countless demos, videos and other items from musicians who all possess exceptional musical talent. Many of these musicians have spent years developing their musical skills to the highest level and are hoping that they will 'catch a break' when a music company likes their style and offers them a contract or a record deal. That said, the overwhelming majority of musicians will never hear back from the companies they attempt to make contact with. In fact, most of the materials sent to music companies are not even opened! They are quickly glanced over and most of the time are thrown directly into the trash without a single hesitation. Musicians are left scratching their heads, wondering why their plans for breaking into the music industry seem to go nowhere despite their musical talent. You don't want to end up like this...

In contrast to the musicians who don't make it in music, there are thousands of musicians who DO succeed in the music business and build fulfilling (and highly profitable) music careers. In fact, it is 'not that hard' to make a good living in music. However, most people fail in their quest to become professional musicians and break into the music industry because they follow some 'easy to believe' conventional approaches when trying to start their careers. Here is the top 5 list of these 'common sense' tactics that will destroy your chances of building a career in the music industry:

Read more here!

Will You Take Less?

Tom Franklin

Back in the 80s my wife's best friend was an older woman from Austria. This woman had lived through the European Depression that had preceded WWII and through the severe shortages that the war brought. When she became a war bride and married her US GI husband she moved to America to a comparative world of plenty. And yet, like most people who grew up in tight times, they forged ways of thinking that have never left her to this day. For instance, whenever they would go shopping one of her favorite phrases was, "Will you take less?"

According to The Wikipedia, Haggling (or bargaining or dickering) is:

"a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service dispute the price which will be paid and the exact nature of the transaction that will take place, and eventually come to an agreement. Bargaining is an alternative pricing strategy to fixed prices..it allows price discrimination, a process whereby a seller can charge a higher price to one buyer who is more eager (by being richer or more desperate)"

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Event Team Management

the Writing Team of eventeducation.com

You need a team to organize an event. You can't do everything by yourself. So I don't need to tell you further, how important a team is for your event. Event mismanagement is mostly about team mismanagement.

Do the following things for effective team management:

Know your team

Just knowing the names, faces and job profile of your team members is not enough. You must have good knowledge of there personality, life style, likings, disliking, family background, status, educational qualification, knowledge level, customs, religion and especially there needs and wants. By needs and wants I mean there physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, cognitive needs and self actualization needs.

Every person has different needs and different priority to fulfill them. While for some getting recognition is more important than job security. For others job security is more important. Determine the needs of your team members and fulfill them in order to get optimum results from them.

Physiological needs

The need to have food, water, warmth, shelter and other things necessary for survival.

Your team members will not feel anything, if these needs are met but can cause them discomfort, sickness and pain if these needs are not full filled. So as an event manager it is your job to make sure that all the physiological needs of your team are met from time to time. Just imagine how a team member who hasn't eaten anything all day will perform his duty in the evening and you will get my point.

Safety needs

It includes need to be safe from physical and psychological harm. It also includes job security and financial security.

As an event manger you have to ensure safety of your team especially women. A person can't give his best in an unsafe environment.

To protect your team from psychological harm, make sure there are no internal conflicts (like ego clashes, altercations, conflict of interest etc) among team members. If there are conflicts, then resolve them judiciously.

Providing job security to your team is also very important. At no point any team member should feel that his job is under threat either by your actions or by someone else actions.

Take care of your team beyond the work place. If any team member is facing a financial problem, then help him as much as you can.

Read more here!

Your marketing plan gives you enough information to give an enthusiastic investor a fair amount of confidence that you won't be so buried in operating costs that your bottom line never sees the light of day, yet not enough to actually execute. It's not intended to be your "how to" manual, after all. So, what do you do?

In a perfect world, execution of a mobile foods marketing strategy should begin six weeks to three months prior to launch, in order to have your truck rolling smoothly on the streets right out of the gate. But, in too many cases, execution often begins long after, despite the fancy long-range planning in the marketing plan. Or worse, marketing isn't really a consideration at all.

In fact, a vast number of new mobile foods entrepreneurs believe that Social Media Marketing means setting up a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account - they're done, and it's free. Social Media Marketing is the free alternative to the expensive, not-so-effective, yet far-more-expensive traditional marketing, so the cost of marketing is drastically reduced. Not so.

It usually happens when you're reviewing your operating expenses for the month - you realize there's more month left than budget, and the epiphany strikes. There's more to marketing a food truck or stand than meets the eye.

After countless hours frantically searching for easy, cheap, or free solutions, and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels, the tightness in your chest and sinking feeling in your gut tells you that you've either drank too much, or you're going to need to do something serious about that marketing plan.

The six most basic questions to ask to kick start a marketing strategy are:

1. Who do I need to reach?

2. How many of them are there?

3. Where are they?

If you've done a thorough market study, your marketing plan will identify your primary customers, the size of the population, and the locations where they would be likely to stop by your truck or stand for a meal. The next three questions deal with execution.

4. How do I reach them?

An effective execution of your plan should include a combination of blog advertising, Facebook ad campaigns, print advertising, writing on other blogs and influential social network pages, as well as Public Relations campaigns.

Read more here!

The Web-Enabled Food Vendor

Ginette Wessel

Cities across the United States are becoming hotbeds for mobile-food entrepreneurs benefiting from an online social networking culture. The mobile food-vending phenomenon is a rich environment for examining the development of technical, social and economic dimensions of contemporary urban life through the mobilization of services and social activity in both virtual and physical space. Although the number of mobile food vendors in cities has nearly doubled over the past decade, few studies have addressed this trend's impact on the current and future urban fabric.

Portland, New York City, Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco are among the most well-known cities for mobile food vending. Food trucks appear at a variety of public and privately owned locations, including plazas, community parks, tourist areas, alleyways, office parks and college campuses. They range from innovative units equipped with restaurant-quality equipment, often referred to as "gourmet" food trucks, to less-fancy and often marginalized trucks known as "roach coaches."

With the rapid increase in gourmet food trucks, smartphone applications such asTruxMap, Food Truck Fiesta, Road Stoves GPS and Truck Spotting have emerged, offering real-time tracking of favorite eats. Yet Twitter is the most popular source of information among vendors and customers alike. It is used to exchange tips about serving locations, daily menu items, service outages, customer feedback and changing city ordinances. Social media has become essential to vendors by assuring a sufficient customer-base wherever they choose to locate. At the same time, urban spaces acquire new functionality and meaning with the presence of food trucks, as customers instantly populate urban sites for temporary periods of time.

Read more here!