Display Booth

A good display booth will draw customers into your craft show booth and then fade into the background to let your crafts take center stage.

Make a Big First Impression with Your Display Booth

If you make crafts that are small and difficult to see from a distance, hanging posters with large, attractive photos of your work at or slightly above eye level can draw customers in from a distance.

Using a striking color in craft booth displays can have the same effect as long as it suits the style of your products and the expectations of your target market (see below). Be sure that the color becomes part of the background and does not overwhelm as customers come in closer to your booth to see your work.

Make a High Quality Impression

Many professional crafters, myself included, tend to want to extend our crafty skills to our display booth construction. It can be a great way to save money on constructing your craft show display but only if you can do a truly professional looking job.

If, for example, upholstery is not your thing, and you try to make an upholstered tray to use for your craft show display, it's not going to help your sales at all if the corners look wrinkled and uneven. Unprofessional looking craft displays make a big, negative impact on the way customers will view your work. They won't necessarily think it through consciously, but they will see your work as being less valuable and special than it really is and probably move on to the next booth.

Plan Ahead

If your display booth is new, or if you've substantially changed the booth since your last show, set everything up at least one week before your next show. That will give you enough time to fix any problems with the display booth.

Consider Your Space

A 10x10 space is typical for many craft shows, and a craft show canopy can be a great tool for delineating your space and providing shelter. However, your booth size can vary. The more modular your display booth is, the better. For example, a few smaller tables give you more flexible display options than a couple of large tables.

Think about traffic patterns. Be sure to leave enough space to allow customers to walk around freely. Will the back of your booth be exposed to customers? If the back of you booth will be open, consider the view from the back, and find a way to hide all of your extra supplies from view.

Enhance Your Work

A good display booth fits with the image of your product and the expectations of your target market. A vibrant color in your display may do a great job to draw in a younger crowd. That's great if that's who your craft appeals to. It's not so great if your crafts have a more sophisticated appeal.

Color can also impact the way your crafts appeal to customers when they are up close. You may be tempted to buy a colored canopy because it is on sale, but keep in mind, that color is going to reflect into your craft show booth and impact the way your crafts appear to customers. For most people, in most situations, a white canopy tent is your best option.

If customers are constantly commenting on your great display, you may want to rethink your display. It's great for customers to notice your display at a distance, but by the time they have reached your booth, you want them to notice your crafts and forget about your display booth.

Ensure Easy Set Up

A set up that is easy to load and unload will make your job much easier. The more streamlined you can make your display booth setup, the better. Keep in mind that everything you bring to the craft show must fit in the vehicle that you will be driving to the show.

Consider multi-functional items. For example, for my own craft show booth displays, I had several boxes custom made. They are just the right height to function as risers on my tables, but when I flip them over they are also exactly the right size to store the trays that I use to display and store my jewelry.

Assess Your Craft Show Booth

You can't effectively assess your booth if you are standing in the middle of your display. Take a walk, and approach your booth from different directions. Does it look professional? Does it draw you in from all angles?

You might also try taking a photo of your booth, and instead of viewing the booth itself, take a look at the photo. Sometimes a photograph can give you a different perspective on your booth and help you to see aspects of your craft show booth that your could improve upon.

More Display Booth Tips

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Craft Booth Display - Practical Considerations
It can be a lot of fun using your creative energy to design a stunning craft show booth. Don't forget, a great craft booth display is also practical and safe. These tips will help ensure your beautiful craft fair booth doesn't end up falling apart or blowing across the park with the first bit of wind.

Craft Show Success - Booth Design Tips
Craft show success hinges, in part, on bringing customers into your booth. Use these tips to design a craft booth that brings customers out of the aisles and into your booth.

Craft Show Success Secrets - Craft Merchandising Tips
If you've created a craft show booth that draws customers into your booth, your next step is to make the sale. When customers enter your booth, good merchandising will allow customers to notice your work and not your display.

Do You Have a Great Craft Show Display Idea?

Share your tips for creating an effective craft show display.