On the Hunt for Craft Shows? I’ve got tips to Help You!
I have been getting asked a lot lately about how I find events to participate in so rather than sending the same message over and over again I thought I’d write a post on how I search!
The absolutely best and easiest way to search for craft shows is on Kijiji, but there is a trick to doing this right! When I first started doing shows I used to search under “Events” on Kijiji and while a few vendor calls would be posted, most were for events that didn’t included handmade! The best way to find those “Vendors wanted” posting is to simply search “vendor” in the city of your choice! You easily get 5-10 times better results and the ads are easier to sift through! Also don’t be afraid to travel a little bit. If there’s a small town or city close enough that you wouldn’t need a hotel for, search their listings on Kijiji too!
The next way I search is on the Facebook page Ontario Craft, Vendor Shows & Events. It literally lists all the events in Ontario. The only trouble I find with the page is searching through to find events local to you, or events that don’t have cities listed. I highly recommend you like their page though. They always have events posted for bigger cities like Toronto and such!
As a seasoned craft show vendor, I go with what I know! I contact organizers I’ve worked with and stay in touch so that I can sign up for their events if they do it again! The better the vendor you are the more likely you’ll be asked to come back before you even sign up!
One tip for people just starting out, don’t go for high priced shows right away. Once you get a feel for what your average sales are at events then hop into the bigger events that cost more. You don’t want to be discouraged in your first year!
Also don’t forget good ol’ Google! Sometimes it’s great for finding events and sometimes a total waste of time, but I still like to look just in case I see something that’s been missed in my other searches!
That’s how I find my events and I hope these tips help you! If you’ve got any tips to share please hit the comment button below and share as well! As handmade businesses we must do the best we can to help each other grow 🙂
Comments
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Cheryl
Thanks so much for this blog post. I’m venturing out as a crafter and this post is very helpful for me.
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The Little Bird Designs
Thanks so much! Good luck being on the crafter side! So much work but so much fun 🙂
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