10 Recommended Items for Your Booth at a Market Event

Spring is around the corner and it’s almost Market season!

My sister and I now participate in only one outdoor Market event each year, but we’ve participated in several over the past few years. We’ve learned a lot along the way.

Inventory might consume your mind, but you need to think about all of the other details for your booth or tent so that you’re prepared.

There are MANY items you’ll pack up in your car, truck or van, but…

Here are 10 things I recommend that you may not initially think about:

1) Small cooler with beverages, snacks, food – My sister would laugh because I’m mentioning this first… she says I’m always hungry.  But in my defense, if you’re working a booth alone or even with one or two people working with you, if you’re extremely busy, you may not have the opportunity to step away to grab a drink or food.

2) A small box or tote with misc tools – This could include tape, scissors, pens, pencil, screwdriver (if needed, hammer and rope to hang signs or other items from the tent).  This will come in handy!

3) A cash box or apron – You want to be safe and keep your cash secure.  We prefer aprons as we can keep the cash close to us this way.

4) Credit card reader (Square or other) – Yes, you can do cash only, but you’ll lose sales.  So many people don’t carry cash anymore. Although our cash sales tend to be higher at Market events, credit card sales are still half of our sales. You might not like the fees associated with a POS (Point of Sale) system, but you are missing out on a big opportunity if you don’t take a reader with you.

5) Shopping bags and tissue – If you’re selling glass items, be sure to wrap those items to protect them. Also, provide your customers with a bag, so they can easily transport the items they purchase.

6) Marketing materials – Whether it’s business cards, brochures, flyers, or 4×6 postcards, be sure to take something with you to hand out.  We always take a stack of 4 x 6 cards (we order ours on Vistaprint) AND we take a stack of flyers to promote our creative workshops. I design them on Canva and we get these printed at a local printer.

7) Clipboard and email list sign-up sheet – It’s so important to always have your own subscriber list. Read my post about the importance of an email list.

8) Cell phone charger – This one is important, especially if you’re using a credit card reader! Market days are LONG days and your phone will need to stay charged.

9) Dolly or moving cart – Some Event spaces are thousands of square feet and your booth space may not necessarily be close to parking.  If you need to move large items, totes, etc., be sure to take a cart or dolly with you to help you get all of your items and equipment to your space.

10) Weights – If you’re taking a tent, there’s nothing worse than heavy winds blowing it away. Not only do you want to protect your items and space, but you don’t want anyone to get hurt.

You can buy tent weights or DIY them out of PVC pipes and concrete.

This list of items has helped us many times at Market events. Are you excited for the market season?  What is on your market event list?

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