Vending an Expo, items to bring?

[Tavia]

We will be vending our first reptile show on the 1st of Nov and I've been trying to think of and round up anything we might need. I've done shows in the past for my jewelry but it's been about 4 years and I feel like I'm forgetting lots of things. Any one who vends have some suggestions on items to bring with that one might not think of but makes life easier if you do?
Thanks!

 

[daddio207]

Bottled water
Snacks
paper towels
hand sanitizer
trash bag
receipt book (most expo's require it)
Square
Chair's if there's more than two of you (usually 2 per table)
Natures Chemistry reptile spray
Band aids
Extra carrier for all the new reptiles you'll buy
Table cloth
spray cleaner
extra tags and a marker
money (bills for change)

That's all I can think of right off

Do NOT bring something like a laptop or crossword puzzle book that is going to distract you from interacting with potential customers. Yes most are lookers but you don't want to alienate a person that has an interest in an animal because they feel like they're disturbing you. I have fun at expos but I always see some venders that look like they want to be anywhere but there.

 

[crackerhead]

Extra Cups, lids, labels, bedding
Hand Sanitizer, paper towels, wipes, grocery Tshirt bags
water based markers
Money Change
probes, KY
extra table cloth
Bandaids, aspirin, benadyl
duct tape, masking tape, pens, paper pad, receipt pad
Mite B Gone spray (I spray my table before draping the table cloth)
Table Lights, extra bulbs, extension cords, surge protector, plug adapter
Snacks, water
Wagon or some other form of transport from the car
snake bags
a Morph Guide or photos are a nice addition for people to see pics of adult animals
Business cards

That's all I can think of right now. lol

Good Luck!
Terri

 

[Tavia]

Oh, yes! That is definitely one of the most important lessons I remember well from the years of jewelry shows! Guess I can also add comfortable shoes to the list too, now you've reminded me. In my experience, even sitting down can turn people away from from your table as well, so I'm like to be standing most of the day. I remember trying to eat lunch was always fun at the all day shows, as no one is going to try and talk to and or buy something from someone who is eating.

Do NOT bring something like a laptop or crossword puzzle book that is going to distract you from interacting with potential customers. Yes most are lookers but you don't want to alienate a person that has an interest in an animal because they feel like they're disturbing you. I have fun at expos but I always see some venders that look like they want to be anywhere but there.

 

[smigon]

Oooh, good post! I am helping Kathy Love and this will be the first Expo I have ever attended, much less worked at, the cooler for the feeders is on the list, and Kathy said they will have a cooler for drinks, but the other items listed are good!

And I would never not be paying attention to the table and the people walking by. The casino business has a 10-7-5 rule: if someone is within 10 feet of your table, make eye contact and smile. At 7 feet, say hello. At 5 feet engage them in conversation. Even if you are with other customers, the first 10 foot smile lets them know you know that you acknowledge them and are friendly and they are more likely to come to your table.

I did exactly this one morning at work, it was 25 minutes before 10am, I had just worked the graveyard shift and not one table in my area had a player. I was a dealer at the time, and I saw a man coming down the aisle, just sort of looking a bit confused. Every other dealer looked down or away, "don't bother me, I get off in 25 minutes" kind of attitude since it was obvious that he had no idea what he was doing and no other dealer wanted to bother with him. When he came towards me I engaged him, he had never played blackjack in his life and I explained the basics and that I would help him the best I could.

He bought in $100, lost it in about 4 hands and got up, I thanked him and said "good luck". He walked a few feet then turned around and said "you are so nice and I had fun, let's try it again".

The man couldn't lose.

He then asked how he could tip me. We can't solicit tips but when asked that door is wide open and I told him he could hand me a chip or put up a chip for me in front of his own bet and if he won, the house pays his bet and matches mine. Within 10 minutes he was still winning and he was betting black ($100 chips) for me and when I got relieved by the day shift dealer to go home, I had made over $1200 from him in a matter of 20 minutes. All because I looked him in the eye and made him feel welcome.

Now, this is NOT normal nor the average player, but you never know who you are dealing with until you try. I made his first trip to a casino fun, and he was a generous guy, and it made my day. Don't judge a book... well, you know.

 

[Galataya16]

That is a really awesome story smigon. People can still surprise you. Big reason I adore everyone on here. Amazing people.

Still really jealous of all of you and your shows lol!! Sounds like we need to move :nyah: :rofl:

 

[Nanci]

I like those paint markers for writing on delis.

At shows where you have to leave your animals overnight, I bring something to give them water. Water from home, and either a bowl to float them in, to drink, or if you're lucky enough to have them, those little white plastic PVC water bowls that Rich Z used to make.

One or two big gentle adults for people to hold.

A printed caresheet to hand out, and remind every single person not to leave the animal in the car, ever.

 

[crackerhead]

Excellent additions Nanci! When you do as may show as I do you start to take thinks for granted and forget to add them to the list. I water my overnight show animals in two ways: 1oz portion cups or spraying the interior lids with water. At the Daytona show we (five of us) spent many hours (it was well after midnight when I clambered into bed) sitting on the floor of Travis Whistler's hotel room surrounded by 700 deli cups watering animal! We ate our dinner while we worked. Not something I would recommend!
Add covers (table sheets) for the animals if you are leaving them overnight in the expo hall. Adults should be put in a cooler or some other secure area because they tend to bust out of the 9" delis.
I love the 10, 7, 5 rule! Leave it to casinos to come up with that strategy. Now if the show set-up people could cover all the windows, remove clocks and make the aisles more maze-like we would be all set!
Terri

 

[Tavia]

This is a two day show but we are only planning on vending the first day, my husband's job has been working him like a dog this whole month and he wants to be able to sleep all day Sun. This is this show's debut and we aren't expecting to actually sell much/anything at it, more going for the experience and to get our name out locally.

 

[crackerhead]

Ah, have you discussed the fact that you only want to vend one day of the two scheduled days with the show promoter? Some venues insist that you vend both days and can't leave early etc.. This is because they don't want empty tables for their patrons. The promoter makes their money on the door not want gets sold. So if the crowd perceives a lack of vendors it hurts the door.
You might want to cautiously ask around about that rule for this show. Plus make sure that potential buyers know you are not going to be there on Sunday. Many people who are intent on making the show an event wait to buy on Sunday and you could miss out on potential sales.
Just some thoughts based on things that have come up in my 18+ years of shows.

Terri

 

[Tavia]

Yeah, the promoter is aware that we won't be there on Sunday.

 

[daddio207]

Oh, yes! That is definitely one of the most important lessons I remember well from the years of jewelry shows! Guess I can also add comfortable shoes to the list too, now you've reminded me. In my experience, even sitting down can turn people away from from your table as well, so I'm like to be standing most of the day. I remember trying to eat lunch was always fun at the all day shows, as no one is going to try and talk to and or buy something from someone who is eating.

For Sure. We would take turns eating lunch. I try to stand as long as I can greeting people as they approach.

As Nanci suggested also, we bring our largest friendliest snake or lizard. It attracts a lot of people to the table. Sometimes it goes against us though. People will walk by because they can't get to the table due to the crowd playing with the "for show only" animals.

Thankfully all the shows in the Northeast are 1 day long

 

[smigon]

Still really jealous of all of you and your shows lol!! Sounds like we need to move :nyah: :rofl:

I should write a book. My best friend Katherine and I were concierges at the Ritz and met everyone and their cousin there, and I also worked at the Adam's Mark where all the visiting baseball teams stay, so I got LOTS of great free seats.

Then Katherine (Katy Kruse, look her up if you like hot redheads! Katherine's current job, more below it)) got a job at KSHE-95 as a DJ and programming director, so she met everyone ELSE and their cousins! We have had the best time together, we saw bands every weekend in St. Louis, she is my favorite travel partner, we were both savvy enough to get through the back doors and met other celebs by blind luck.

I love the 10, 7, 5 rule! Leave it to casinos to come up with that strategy.
Terri

This also doubles as a deterrent for would-be thieves. Once you look them in they eye and acknowledge them they know you know who they are, and they know you are looking out at everyone near the table. Stealing something from that table when you've been recognized is a bad plan.

Anyway, sorry for the name dropping, she and I just had the best time of our lives and did some things people only dream of doing, and as a music lover my 20's were heaven for me. Ahh, just reminiscing!

 

[smigon]

I love the 10, 7, 5 rule! Leave it to casinos to come up with that strategy. Now if the show set-up people could cover all the windows, remove clocks and make the aisles more maze-like we would be all set!
Terri

SSSSHHHHH! You're giving away the casino's tricks! Our older casino also pumps in a sweet smelling scent through the vents, very subtle. We now work at both properties (they are about 5 miles apart, the resort and McKellips) and for the last 4 years they had a certain set of people work at each place, never switching back and forth. The first night my husband (he was always at the resort) worked at McKellips he came home, I hugged him and was taken aback by the smell. He said that that is what McKellips smells like! I have been strictly working McKellips for years and was so used to the smell I never noticed it! But yes, they do pump oxygen into the casino, NO clocks, we have windows but not many, and McKellips is round so it is SO easy to get turned around in there! Now that we work back and forth at the properties I am totally lost at the resort!

 

[Tavia]

Well, we had fun at the Expo, even though we didn't, directly, sell anything, which wasn't much of a surprise. Our local friends that we did a breeding loan with Vash this year couldn't vend or come to it, their grandpa was in the hospital and they needed to stick around to help care for him. So we took some of their snakes with us, which was a good thing or our table would have been pretty bare, the promoter had promised one of the semi local big Crested gecko breeders exclusivity on Cresteds at this show, so no one else could have more than a handful out on their table. (which I personally have very mixed feelings about that whole idea, but that's a whole other thread!)
Seeing as we only had about 13 Crested geckos, most of which couldn't be on the table, 10 corns and 2 coxi for sale, we were very happy to have our friends various corns, Cali kings and 2 Pueblan milksnakes. We sold the Pueblans and one normal corn snake, that was also one of our friends'. There were approx 400 people in attendance yesterday and a quite decent number of people actually bought things, so I think the show was a pretty good success for it's debut.

Here was our table, I hate pictures of myself but at least this one is fairly far away! I'm holding Niska, our Tricolor Hognose, who did an awesome job as ambassador and did great with a number of people touching or holding their first ever snake. Quite a number of people also wanted to buy him ...

And since we had to keep our friends' snakes overnight for them, I took some pictures of them this morning. The pictures aren't great, unfortunately.
The first one is a Hypo het Charcoal, Bloodred that I'm pretty sure is one of Vash's babies, there were only 4 eggs that hatched from that pairing.

The little Ghost Bloodred that I'm very tempted to keep for myself, if I wasn't already over the limit on corns.

A cute little Amel Motley. This is actually a younger half sibling to Galataya16's Spectra.

And 2 of the Cali kings, these also tempt me but we've bought way too many new snakes this year, so I'm trying to stay strong, LOL!

 

[Galataya16]

That amel motley is really pretty! I really like that ghost also. I'm really interested in a Cali king and a gargoyle gecko also. Man, I so have snake fever bad lol! And your table looks great!! Wish I was local, would have loved to come!