A couple of months ago, we received an invitation from Ms. Deirdre de Padua of the UP Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA) to a bazaar (called, “BUY PINOY: A Charity Bazaar for Filipinos”) scheduled last September. We understand that the even was a success. Ms. de Padua graciously provided us with the following tips on how to hold a successful bazaar. Hopefully these tips would be of help to Pinoy Entrepreneurs.
Define your target market. Determine the object of the bazaar, the audience you want to attract from the very beginning. All succeeding decisions should be consistent with this target market. Choose a venue that is accessible to this market. Invite concessionaires that sell products this market will be interested in buying.
Choose the date of your bazaar carefully. Bazaar enthusiasts, customers and concessionaires alike, will flock to the more known, more established bazaars. So be sure to choose your date properly. As much as possible, choose a weekend with no competition from other bazaars.
Get the full support of the venue administration. The administration can help promote the bazaar by giving out fliers, posting tarps and streamers, etc. Getting the support of the administration can also spell the difference between a big and a small down payment for the venue.
Have other activities during the bazaar to entertain the attendees. Entertain the customers to make the bazaar a more fun experience for all. Try renting inflatable playground equipment or having a fashion show for your guests. Other bazaars have cooking demos, arts and crafts, car shows, etc.
Screen the merchandise of possible concessionaires. Offering a wide variety of merchandise that all appeal to your target market at the bazaar is ideal. Have something for everybody. Also, concessionaires don’t want other booths selling products similar to their own merchandise.
Keep a concessionaires database. Stay organized by maintaining an up-to-date list of concessionaires already contacted about participating in your bazaar, and of concessionaires that have already agreed to participate. This is especially important if more than one person is assigned to approaching concessionaires. Indicate the name of the team member who contacted the concessionaire.
Keep concessionaires informed. Email or text the concessionaires regularly, keeping them informed on your progress. They will appreciate the updates and they can even help you if you have any problems. They can help get more concessionaires or invite more people to come to the bazaar.
Prepare a floor plan. This should include the size of the booth and the layout of the booths. It should also show where the entrance is since booths by the entrance are usually the first to go. Send this to concessionaires as soon as possible so that they can already reserve what booths they want.
Have clear guidelines/steps you want the concessionaires to follow. Decide whether you want concessionaires to pay part of the rental fee before the bazaar. You should give concessionaires different methods of payment. A bank account or a G-cash account can be set up for this purpose. Set ingress and egress times for the event proper.
Sign a Memorandum of Agreement with each concessionaire prior to the bazaar. It is important that both the organizers and the concessionaires know what to expect and what is expected of them. Include in the MOA the rental fee concessionaires have agreed to pay and what this fee entitles them to.
Hire a handyman. For a very reasonable daily fee, you have the extra manpower to help out during the bazaar. A handy man can help with the heavy lifting, with the electricity concerns of concessionaires and with the clean up after the bazaar.
Hire security guards. This is especially important for multi-day bazaars. Give the concessionaires the option of leaving their merchandise overnight for their convenience. Overnight security guards ensure that their merchandise is safe.
Look for sponsors. Market your bazaar. There are companies that want to sponsor bazaars. Start marketing to companies that may want to set up a booth at the bazaar to introduce their products to the public.
Promote the bazaar. This is the key to keeping the concessionaires and sponsors happy. Get as many media outlets as possible to promote your bazaar – TV, newspapers, magazines, radio and websites.
Don’t forget the little things. With all the logistical concerns (tables, chairs, venue and sound system rentals) and with the many parties you will have to coordinate with (sponsors, concessionaires, and venue administration), you might forget the little requirements that are nonetheless needed in any bazaar. So sit down with your team and really think about all the things you will possibly need: ballpens, garbage bags, bond paper, straw, masking tape, scissors, extra light bulbs, extension cords, etc. It won’t hurt to be prepared for anything!
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January 29th, 2012 at 2:12 am
I’d have to check with you here. Which is not something I usually do! I enjoy reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!