Display set-ups: one or multiple/seasonal?

[SewTrulyMe]

I've begun doing more craft shows in the past two years than previously and now realize many shows offer a variety of booth sizes and shapes. I find myself attempting to redesign my set-up and displays based on the booth size/shape as well as the booth location within the show. I have ended up with more tables and displays than we can comfortably accommodate as I keep finding pieces that would offer me more variety at future shows!

What works for you?

[JustMeToo]

I use gridwall and tables. I have also built wood trays and bins. I just take the amount I need, depending on the show. I only take every product I make to my largest show. At the small one day ones, I just take 3 or 4 products - towels, get a grips, book covers, and maybe another item.
That way I only need 3 gridwall, 1 or 2 tables and 1 bin.
I have 4 foot and 6 foot tables. The 4 foot are more versatile, for sure, for different configurations.
Welcome to craft shows! I've been doing them for more than 45 years! They are wonderful!

[ByFreddismom]

I have a basic set up that I can expand or reduce based on the size of the display area. I generally have 2 six foot tables and 2 handmade "grids" that I use for items that need to hang (each grid is 2 wooden screen door frames hinged together with chicken wire attached), sounds a little junky but they look nice when used. Plus for height along the back of my tables I have several wooden crates that I can use for larger items. This is what I usually use in most shows with an 8 x 10 space or an 8 x 6 area. If the space is larger 10 x 10 I can add at least 1 more table but that is rare because I am no longer doing outside shows and 10 x 10, while it never happens, it is a rarity for inside shows (at least in my neck of the woods).
I think the best thing to do is to find a display technique that is inviting to the customer and functional for you and what you make and then try to keep it consistent through out a season. Once I have defined that, my display stays in my vehicle, ready for the next show. But having said all of that.........I am always looking for something that would make a great display piece!

[WovenByKim]

Welcome aboard the craft show wagon!

With booth sizes all over the place, 8x10, 10x10, 10x12, 8x20, i use 4ft and 6 ft tables. I have 2 types of 4 ft table. the regular kind and then I have 4 skinny ones. I use totes, crates etc for height. When I use a canopy I can use that to display as well. You will figure out what works and then IMHO the best thing you can do is take some pictures of it so you or anyone helping with set up will know where things go. I take pictures of just the tables etc before placing product out. Then also of the loaded booth when I am ready to yell "open the gates"!

[SewTrulyMe]

What an incredible amount of priceless information from seasoned professionals! Thank you. Do you make any of your choices based on weight? I don't mind handling heavier items if it's a multi-day show or if a quick tear down deadline is required. Promoters seem to give you 3 or more hours to set-up but want you out in 1 hour. AND complain (as well as threaten to banish you from the next show) if you begin thinning out your display 30 minutes before the show ends. I always keep a good supply of inventory for potential buyers until the bitter end. I guess I just don't move as quickly as in the past.

[JustMeToo]

Barbara. I have a small convertible dolly that I use for one day shows, and a large flatbed dolly for 11 gridwall panels for the big show.
When a vendor breaks down before closing, it really makes other vendors and organizers angry, and for good reason!
First, customers see it and think the show is closing, and start to leave. Second, it spoils the overall look of the show if there is a half empty booth, which really isn't a lot of consideration for neighboring vendors. Third (and perhaps most important) it isn't honoring the contract they agreed to, so is considered unprofessional. They are probably missing out on some great last minute sales as well!
This is not to say that I don't do "housework" because I do! No one can see that though :) It is behind the wall or behind my tables!
I'm 71 and don't move as quickly as in the past either! They can't close the doors until you're finished. If they are that panicked, they can offer to help!! They didn't mind taking your money!

[CoquetteBath]

I have 4 folding tables and I have/bring 2-3 pieces of plywood (or use the IKEA table tops) that I use to 'stretch' the tables out. I cover everything with black tabletops so the boards don't show and the difference in levels due to their thickness can be easily covered by items for sale. I then go vertical.

I'm working on a new vertical 'thing' that if it works out I will share.

[andidanie]

I have 5 - 2 ft x 4 ft "tables" that allow me to arrange my set up however I need to. If it's a small space, I take two of them and choose my inventory accordingly. If it's a 10x 10, I take all 5 and get it all out there, etc.

My tables are actually garage storage shelves. They set up and tear down easily/quickly, they are lightweight for transport and they give me the perfect height. My table tops are desk pieces from Ikea.

It's really different set up than all the folding tables you see, and gives my booth more of a "boutique" feel.

Note, this was not my original idea, and it was shared in a FB group I belong to.

[PrairiePrimitives]

My display pieces are all antiques (not high-end pieces, just old enough to be called antiques). Because my display pieces are smaller, it's easy to arrange them to fit any size of booth (even the time I expected to have a 3x8 booth!).

I have an old sewing table and another rustic wood table, both fold down flat for transport. I use 1 or 2 old wooden ironing boards, depending on booth size. And I use antique wood shutters for hanging things. Sometimes I cover the tables with old worn quilts, other times not (more likely to cover them at indoor shows).

For height, I have a variety of antique wood crates and small benches. Especially at indoor shows, I will put a single shutter on a table for additional hanging space.

[ImLaughingMyGlassOff]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10115622571149074&set=pb.9373068.-2207520000.1523895422.&typ...

The fact that none of my pieces touch each other means I can expand or contract as needed. This was from before I changed my name to LMGO and was still Sassy, I showed up at this show and found my 10x10 was really 10x 9.5 Thankfully I didn't need my structure/roof and I could adjust on the fly. I can stash boxes under that table and at my two big shows I can stash things behind my tent. That's plenty of back stock for now.

[BohemianHollow]

The thing that worked best for me was to eliminate any kind of tables altogether! They take up way too much space for providing only one space floating in the middle of the vertical space of your booth. I now use folding shelves in their place, set up on my bins I carry my clothing in. Then plenty of clothing racks and hooks to hang stuff from my canopy.
Bleh, tables! The ugly plastic folding ones are just yucky to me. They have their uses I suppose but just have always felt like such a waste of space to me. And instantly make everything look/feel cheap to me. Even if I was a jewelry or food seller I'd try and use as few tables as possible. None if I could help it! Shelving is such a more attractive and practical option in my not so humble opinion. :P
And don't get me started on gridwall *shivers disgustedly*. BLEGH!!

[JustMeToo]

I LOVE my white gridwall, and once it's totally covered with towels, you can't see it, so it works perfectly. I can display 60 different prints, 7 of each. It's a stunning 15 foot backwall display in my booth, that draws customers, and many make favorable comments on the display.
Being one of the top three sellers at my biggest show tells me I'm doing it right.

Of course, everyone's needs are different, depending on product, and requirements. Because of this realization, I would never venture an opinion on other people's displays.

[ImLaughingMyGlassOff]

Stefan, I agree tables are the least efficient for display, but they are most efficient for storage. Hence my 3/4 shelving 1/4 table choice. In a not to Carol - where I have gone with the table I have gridwall for ornament display. It lets lots of light in behind them - which is a bonus in my world.

[JustMeToo]

Gridwall is wonderful for many applications, and not so great for others, like any other kind of display. I have seen pegboard and window screening used for displays, which wouldn't be my taste, but it works for the people using them - again - depending what you are selling, and the mood you want to convey.

[TigersandDragons]

We have different tables - heavy wood ones that can convert into trollies, or light plastic folding tables, different sizes, etc. So we'll use the heavy wood trolley tables when we have to pull our goods some distance from our vehicle If we get to drive right up to our spot, or for easy one day shows, that's when we'll use the lighter plastic folding tables.

Whenever possible I get the same size and type of booth (10x10 corner), but we also do smaller shows, and outdoor shows so the displays will be different, or half the size of our regular 10x10 display, depending on the type of show.
Electrical access and quality of light also affects whether we bring lights, or our battery, and how many lights we use.

What I find that helps is to take photos for every show if possible, then you can reference these for upcoming shows to decide what displays, tables, props to bring. Also I have different size Jewellery display frames, and I have the measurements written down if I'm trying to figure out what to bring, and plot it out on graph paper. But photos are even more helpful tool, saves me lots of stress.

Our ongoing display was designed so that we could pre-pin the jewellery to display boards, that pop in and out of display frames, or sit in big display boxes. So if jewellery is pre-pinned, then I can set up much faster, because the "fussy" work has already been done. It is a pain when I have to switch the display from big show to small show, or outdoors to indoors, because then the jewellery has to be repinned on different boards but most of the time I have several similar type shows in a row, so it doesn't happen that often.

[TigersandDragons]

I think table displays are fine, if you use props to build something interesting up on the tables, instead of just lying everything flat.

And I like facing people with a table between us. There's a reason that department stores, and jewellery stores have small goods set up in these kinds of configurations. Part of it is being able to watch people as they touch the jewellery, jewellery can be stolen in a blink of an eye. Glass cases look nice, but are a pain to set up and take apart, and if people can't touch it, they're less likely to buy.

Shelving doesn't work for me, but I do have a few ladders and higher displays that I use at a couple of outdoor shows where I have the extra space to put these out and have people walk around them. Still it is harder to watch these types of displays, I have more theft problems with them. Until you sell small goods, you can't understand the sheer amount of focus you have to spend watching your goods and the people who stop by to browse.

[AllisonGlickCeramics]

I LOVE our ugly plastic folding tables. So easy to pack in the car and transport. We had fitted (the kind with a little spandex that stretch and attach under the feet of the table, so there is minimal wrinkles and no blowing outdoors). They were not, and do not look cheap. We receive many compliments on our booth, last year a show promoter used our booth jury photo as their Facebook cover photo for months preceding the show.

We have two 6’, and one 4’. How we set them up, or whether we use them all depend on the booth size and whether we have our preferred corner set up.

We have white wooden boxes and a wide variety of acrylic risers to create multiple levels and visual interest. Our products have height on their own, but if we sold items that lay flat on tables we would find another solution.

Our table covers open in the back, which we need, because we only display about 1/3 of the product we bring. The rest needs to be organized, well labeled, and accessible under the table. The customer may want to see more of something or a different color, but they very quickly change their mind if they think “it’s too much trouble”

But to answer your question Barbara, we have our preferred set up, and use that most often. A 10’x10’ or 10’x8’ (a common indoor booth size here) can handle the same setup. We almost always have a corner, but if not, the same tables can be shifted around to accommodate. Odd/small size indoor booths require some planning. We often draw it out on paper beforehand. Always remembering that vital question, how are we going to get out? We also have one of those 2’x2 1/2’ little tables that look like an ironing board, that we use as a check out table if we have a really small indoor booth.

One tip we’ve learned is to bring an extra table, or some additional display if you don’t use tables. Leave it in the car, but there will be times, when a vendor cancels last minute and the organizer gives everyone in the area a few extra feet to fill the open spot. It’s a happy day when a 9’x7’(crazy size, I know) becomes a 12’x7’!

[JustMeToo]

Allison and Cheryl. I always keep an extra four foot table in the van for the same reasons that you do! Even at a small one day show with just two 6 foot tables end to end, sometimes I can add two feet with the width of a 4 foot at the end, turned in!
I always draw my display out ahead of time, and have a master list, with EVERYTHING on it, including lunch.

[BeachFleaMarket]

I am starting to travel longer distances to shows. Compact packing is now a priority. Usually set up on tables either mine or the venues. I'm going to buy a "cupcake" display. They come in many sizes and come apart for easy transport. May make some nesting boxes out of my old fence boards.
I'm doing an Americana themed show soon. Looking for a new table covering for that one.
I also use 4 foot tables and cover with a 6 foot piece of plywood. This saves on what I have to pick up. The tables are lightweight rectangular card tables. This gives me more flexibility in set up.
Spaces are usually 10 x 10, 10 x 18 or 10 x 20
Also have 2 folding metal shelves. These look like old grocery store display racks.
If I have more large items, I use wooden boxes as a base instead of a table.
I just did one show with just one hour for setting up. I asked if I could bring in my boxes and put them under my tables. I did a lot "under the table" before the set up time.