I have a trivial question and am wondering if anyone else has ever pondered the same question.
When you have your choice of a booth location in a show, is it better to be near the front (or the main entrance) or the back or somewhere in the middle.
My question specifically applies to the Bayou Festival in Houston. You have to enter Memorial Park through the main entrance and, if your booth is in the back, you have to walk the entire length of the park to get to your booth. And, of course, if you're near the entrance, you don't have far to go.
I guess it's a psychological question as to whether a person is more likely to buy as they come in or as they go out Coming in they are fresh and ready to rock-and-roll and as they go out they're tired and ready to go home.
I know. I said it was a trivial question but , I'd be interested in hearing whether or not any of you have an opinion on this.
Comments
The only place you absolutely don't want to be is on the short stretch the bisects the big loop, towards the back of the show. There were about 10 booths there last year, none of them did well. For Bayou, I would say it's better to be closer to the entrance than to the back. It's a long walk; parking is a ways away, usually by shuttle bus for the patrons, and carrying anything large for too long is a hassle. The handout with pickup on the way out and a reminder of where your booth is, are both good suggestions for any show.
I wouldn't sweat placement too much here; they have a purchase pick up area so buyers don't have to carry items around with them. You just need someone to take it to that area near the main gate.
I always have a 1/2 page piece of paper/handout where I mark my name,medium,my booth number and upcoming shows. I hand this to everyone. This is useful when closer to the opening because I also tell visitors, that I can hold purchased items until on their way out of the show. This works 25% of the time when I get a "we want to walk the entire show". Who wants to carry a hunk of glass for several hours? It also assures that they get the item that caught their eye rather than it being gone when they come back. On "be back" s, maybe 5% actually come back and of those, 10-20% of the time, either their item was sold or they forgot which piece it was.
I have been in the front...and in the back...and have found it really does not matter...in some shows, I did great in the back and the next year when I was at the front, I did much worse. In many cases, patrons coming in the front stop in and tell me they want to check out the rest of the show before making a purchase...often, they find something else at the back of the show. In other cases, they see something they much have when visiting me at the front and buy it on the spot...so, it really depends on the patron and what they are looking for. If you have what they want, it will not matter where you are located.