So you have decided to run a craft fair/charity fair/gift fair. You've been to lots of these events and you are sure you will be able to make your event a success. Have you considered why such events succeed or fail? We've all been to events where the room is packed and every stallholder is taking money hand over fist. I'm sure, sadly, that we have all also been to events where despite a beautifully laid out hall no one turns up, and the stallholders don't even cover their table money.

Why do events succeed?

Footfall. Plain and simple if you get people through the door they will buy.

Good stalls. If your craft fair is full of non-craft franchised businesses, or lots of stalls with similar products, people may come to your first craft fair but they won't return.

Repeat business. People go and return to places that have provided them with pleasure, or excitement.

Why do events fail?

Reliance on memory. If you tell people once that an event is happening you have a chance that they will remember. If you tell them several times, and get them involved in telling others about your event they are more likely to remember on the day.

 Competing events on the same day (see below).

 Lack of compelling reason to attend. If your event is seen as just another event people are less likely to remember and attend.

Preparation point 1 ' allow yourself enough time

If you do not allow yourself enough time to market your event, and enough time for busy families to put your event onto their calendar you will not succeed. We would recommend starting your marketing 6 to 8 weeks prior to the event. How many times have you yourself said ' If I had known about that in time I would've attended '?

Preparation point 2 ' check out competing events

Before you book your event check if there are other events happening on your chosen day. These events don't have to be in your immediate locality, but could be within 50 miles with a similar theme. For example, if you are running an event for a dog charity and there is a major dog show within 50 miles people are more likely to go to the large event. One of the major mistakes people make marketing an event is to assume that other unrelated events in the near area will not have an effect on their footfall.

Underlying preparation points

1) How do you choose stallholders? It is always worth bearing in mind the sort of event you are promoting when you invite or allow stallholders to attend. Will you allow more than one stallholder with a particular type of product? Are you trying to attract or exclude any particular types of stallholder? What other events do you know of within two weeks of your proposed date, and if so who are the stallholders? Will people attend your event if the stallholders are exactly the same people that they saw last weekend at another local event?

2) Is your event compelling? People need to have a reason to attend and that reason needs to be compelling so they don't duck out at the last moment. This could be something special for the children (bouncy castle or a free photograph), a band from the local school playing, or a prize draw with at least one really good prize.

3) Who will be talking about your event? You can't reach everyone you want to attend yourself ' you need local opinion formers to help you out. For your local event those opinion formers may be a circle of school mums, local celebrities, the local mayor.  If opinion formers let their friends know that they are going to be there, your footfall will increase dramatically.

Coming very soon:

How to market your local fair/2 ' Off-line marketing and word of mouth

How to market your local fair/3 ' on-line marketing & social media

How to market your local fair/4 ' on the day and after the event