The Incredible Food show

[genek]

We Just got home from doing the Incredible Food Show today. Man was it busy. For a one day show we did over $2,000.00 not sure total yet till all the new wholesale orders are entered and all the new customers complete their orders. One new customer we know that their order alone will be over $1600.00

I think the shows are starting to pick up on customer buying. We had to have help from Tina's Mother and Father several times today.


Here are Some pictures of the show.

[genek]

By the way, if you do not want to buy barrel tops and fool with trying to glue them up. You can do as I did. I glued up oak boards, carved the scene and letters then cut the outside profile. Before I finished sanding the whole piece I took a 90 degree v bit mounted in my table router and ran the profile on both sides. this made the edges look just like a whiskey or wine barrel top.

[genek]

More pictures of the Incredible Food Show

[myxpykalix]

Who are those two "old farts" in the picture?:D
Looks to me like it was a successful run for you there. What is the bonus is the contacts you make and the orders after the show that come in.
Good for you Eugene...:)

[genek]

Who are those two "old farts" in the picture?:D
Looks to me like it was a successful run for you there. What is the bonus is the contacts you make and the orders after the show that come in.
Good for you Eugene...:)
Actually the man on the right is my father in law, the other is his life long navy friend. They served together aboard a air craft carrier and have remained friends for life. The show was great. We think the show will top out around $5500.00 for the one day show.

We picked up three new customers that we are sure of and have received orders from. five more are suppose to contact us about the barrel tops, and two more e-mailed wanting our price sheets this morning.

the show was a fast paced show.

[myxpykalix]

Well like you have said, some shows are boom and some are bust. The few i've been in i've found that ones that churches or volunteer organizations hold don't seem to do as well because most of it is volunteer efforts and you come up disappointed.
We have one show here, a arts and crafts show that costs around $400 for a booth for a 2 day show that draws several thousands people and that is a good show. I suppose experience teaches you what to attend and what to skip:confused:

[genek]

Jack that is why I only do shows that require you to be juried. Shows that are juried means only top crafts will be there. Some limit how many of each form of crafts. I do a few shows that I am the only wood worker there.

[genek]

Show totals are in. When I finish this weeks orders it will bring us to $7,489.00 for that show alone. I have run out of mayo knifes, score toss games, cheese boards, and one handed salad hands. The show used up what I normally make for the whole year. I am now in a crunch mode to get ready for the Dec show.

[myxpykalix]

and we should feel sorry for you...why? :D lol
Don't you wish EVERY show was like that? I'm happy for you Eugene. What i would find interesting (and maybe you don't want to know) of all the various items you sold, how much time you took to make those items completely and what your net profits were?

It is interesting to hear how you figure out "per cent" profits on the different things you sell so you know what sells, what (per unit) makes you the most profit, and what to not sell.

Good for you Eugene:cool:

[genek]

and we should feel sorry for you...why? :D lol
Don't you wish EVERY show was like that? I'm happy for you Eugene. What i would find interesting (and maybe you don't want to know) of all the various items you sold, how much time you took to make those items completely and what your net profits were?

It is interesting to hear how you figure out "per cent" profits on the different things you sell so you know what sells, what (per unit) makes you the most profit, and what to not sell.

Good for you Eugene:cool:
Jack items that do not sale well or fast enough I drop from my list. Most items I shoot for 3,000 percent mark up. I normally time my self on how long it takes me to make just one of that items (totally by hand tools not with the cnc.) I take the cost of the wood times two, then my time. I bill my self out at 20.00 per hour then add 20% for overhead.

I test market every new item. If it sales good I keep it if not you never see it in my price sheet. I have my standard Kitchen items which always sales good at any show. then for my high end shows I have my higher priced items.

our next show will have more items than this show, but there will not be but one or two wholesale people at this show, this show is one of the shows I do just for the fun of doing the show. I'll make good money but not as good as my wholesale shows or the incredible food show.

Each show is different, you learn what to expect or know what each show will do. other than the Ky Crafted Market, I normally do not do any show more than three times in a roll. I'll do a show two years miss a year. I do not do church shows, shows where there are junk vendors or china made products, if the show is not juried I do not do the show, I look for shows that is going to put 7 to 10 thousand people past my booth in three days. I never do new shows or first time events. shows must have a draw of 10.000 or more for me to consider doing that show. I have a lot of friends that we do shows if one of us comes up with a good show we tell the others. I get invited to do shows all the time, this is do to the way my product looks, how it sales and how my booth looks, I put a lot of thought into what my booth is going to look like, what products that I will bring. I always bring toys for children, I will do a invisible ball trick to get children's attention. if I hold the child attention that parent will by that child something from my booth. One needs to actually watch me at a show. How I work my booth, how I go out into the others booth and see if I can sale them anything or perform work for them. I hustle every show to maximize my profit. I am looking for whole sale accounts the retail sales are just pudding on the cake. I shoot for 10 new Wholesale accounts each year.
the way I mass produces my products is how I make the high percent of markup.