Blog - Craft Fair Vendor Resources

FestivalNet

10 Tips for Creating Captivating Booths for Art and Craft Fairs

Now that events are slowly beginning to happen again, it’s time to shake out your tents, dust off your display tables and consider updating your booth to attract the most shoppers at arts and craft fairs! Here are some tips from veteran art and craft fair producer, and long time Festivalnet.com Amy Amdur of Amdur Productions. (Photo from Amdur Production's Gold Coast Art Fair in Chicago, Illinois.) 1. Plan It! Use graph paper or a computer layout program. Plan each wall, know the sizes of the work you intend to show. Hang pieces that stack on a vertical midline, and pieces that are side by side on a horizontal midline. Aim for symmetry. 2. Frame It! Try to have harmonious framing so that the public's attention is on your work, not on the frames. Instead of showing one style of artwork, you really want to show a group of work. It could also be by subject matter. By having one or two frame styles it keeps the focus on your booth. 3. Size Matters! Hang a large impact piece or two of your art in the center of your back wall. It can help bring people into your booth and support the sales of your smaller pieces. When people are walking by your booth at an arts and crafts fair you have only about 5-6 seconds to grab their attention! Displaying that larger, eye-catching piece at the back of your booth helps slow down the crowd and draw in shoppers. 4. Jewelers and Those with Smaller Craft Pieces Consider displaying photo blow-ups of some of your favorite work on the back wall and the front lower sections of your cases. That helps fest goers ‘see’ your work from a distance which makes them more apt to come in for a closer look. 5. 3D Artists Use multiple display levels and pedestals to showcase your work at craft fairs. A more sophisticated layout is on multiple levels. Consider a vase or a sculpture in this instance. 6. Signage is Important Use signage which reflects your work, not just a generic name sign. Velcro backed individual letters on fabric panels are a great way to display your name as well. For example, if your palate is a "deep green" find a sign which matches your work. You can even take that same look and put it on your business cards! Bottom line: signage shouldn’t be generic, but specific to you. 7. Include a Ground Cover Solid color carpet remnants or throw rugs create an inviting atmosphere and don’t have to be expensive. Duct tape down all sides for safety. People often forget the ground when setting up at arts and crafts fairs and this will help make your booth stand-out. 8. Remember to Weigh Down Your Tent Connect the weights to the upper cross bars of your tent so that your hard work doesn’t blow away. Wind is a force to be reckoned with at craft fairs, and it really doesn't take a lot of it to ruin your tent. 9. The Tent Itself is Important A heavy, commercial grade tent with a sky light is best for most artists and crafters. These have stronger structures to hold walls without sagging. And, a sky light creates a brighter interior which makes for better viewing of the details of your work, like color and texture. 10. Use a High Director’s Chair Choose a director's chair in a color which works with your booth. A higher chair gets you on face level, not belt buckle level, with your customers. Remember, your booth serves as an onsite gallery at arts and crafts fairs and a high director’s chair looks like an intentional design element. .