Since I also work full time I have always done a show and gone home. Now I'm in Virginia and my employer wants me to come to Florida every three months so I can combine my trip to Florida with some shows. But I don't want to drive the van all the way to Florida for just one show. I have a good possibility of being able to do three shows in a row in November but I am stressing about how much inventory to bring and how to fit it in the van. Any tips from those of you who regularly do several shows in a row?
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As a photographer, it is the framing that poses the greater challenge (even with a big Chevy Express, I cannot carry replacement frames for everything in my display). Because images sizes are uniform (e.g. 20x24, etc.), and multiple mats can be easily be packed to economize space, I leave replacement famed pieces in their mat state and bring extra framing materials and equipment). This gives me the versatility to replace what is needed between shows without carrying excess frames. Cheers LC
While our inventory is not as large, since we do jewelry, my husband brings some tools with him to work during the weeks between the shows to re-stock anything that we sell way more of than we anticipated, we always just make sure we have mulitples of our best sellers, a reasonable stock of those items that we sell less of and a few of the "one of a kind" items when we leave and then hope for the best.
I can tell you I find it easier and less stressful to do several shows in a row on the road vs. returning home each week. It's easier to just pack up one time (granted, a little more thought and organization is needed for multiple week road trip than a weekend show), but once you are gone, there's no unpacking, repacking for the next weekend, etc, we just make sure we hit a grocery store once in a while to restock the fridge in our RV and seek out a laundromat. Overall I find the multiple trips much more enjoyable than the weekend show trips, I also work a full time job and as long we we are somewhere with connectivity for my data card and my cell phone I can work from anywhere. Last summer we did a road trip where we camped beside either a lake or a river for 3 straight weeks and found it so enjoyable that this year we added one more show to the same road trip!
I'm the exception, rather than the rule. That's why I haul a trailer. It's big enough to carry spare mats, prints, frames and glass, and can do multiple shows without having to ship. Guys I know with the cube trucks will often leave them in Florida for the season and fly home in between shows. As Larry points out, the downside is having to carry it. But with a trailer, it doesn't matter whether you fill it or not, it still gets poor mileage! I average about 10mpg towing. But I've been able to carry larger work, which, when it sells, offsets the higher cost of transportation.
Last season, my trailer stayed in Florida for about 8 shows before coming back to Michigan for a restock.
Part of it goes to marketing and the other, carrying excess inventory of just your proven sellers. When I used to do Fort Worth and OK City back to back, my wife used to ship me inventory to arrive in OK City at the beginning of the week.
Either over pack your van (or rent a trailer) and take the risk of having to transport it all back if it doesn't sell, or package some of your unframed back up inventory and have it shipped to you if needed. I'll bet you can have it held at a UPS store and call them to ship if needed. And you can raise the prices of your framed work and still deal with it if it sells.
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As a photographer, it is the framing that poses the greater challenge (even with a big Chevy Express, I cannot carry replacement frames for everything in my display). Because images sizes are uniform (e.g. 20x24, etc.), and multiple mats can be easily be packed to economize space, I leave replacement famed pieces in their mat state and bring extra framing materials and equipment). This gives me the versatility to replace what is needed between shows without carrying excess frames. Cheers LC
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While our inventory is not as large, since we do jewelry, my husband brings some tools with him to work during the weeks between the shows to re-stock anything that we sell way more of than we anticipated, we always just make sure we have mulitples of our best sellers, a reasonable stock of those items that we sell less of and a few of the "one of a kind" items when we leave and then hope for the best.
I can tell you I find it easier and less stressful to do several shows in a row on the road vs. returning home each week. It's easier to just pack up one time (granted, a little more thought and organization is needed for multiple week road trip than a weekend show), but once you are gone, there's no unpacking, repacking for the next weekend, etc, we just make sure we hit a grocery store once in a while to restock the fridge in our RV and seek out a laundromat. Overall I find the multiple trips much more enjoyable than the weekend show trips, I also work a full time job and as long we we are somewhere with connectivity for my data card and my cell phone I can work from anywhere. Last summer we did a road trip where we camped beside either a lake or a river for 3 straight weeks and found it so enjoyable that this year we added one more show to the same road trip!
Last season, my trailer stayed in Florida for about 8 shows before coming back to Michigan for a restock.
Part of it goes to marketing and the other, carrying excess inventory of just your proven sellers. When I used to do Fort Worth and OK City back to back, my wife used to ship me inventory to arrive in OK City at the beginning of the week.
Either over pack your van (or rent a trailer) and take the risk of having to transport it all back if it doesn't sell, or package some of your unframed back up inventory and have it shipped to you if needed. I'll bet you can have it held at a UPS store and call them to ship if needed. And you can raise the prices of your framed work and still deal with it if it sells.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100