In many places a fair or annual market is one of the highlights of the year. A tradition we like to maintain. But what does it takes to organize a fair or annual market yourself? In this article we will give you an extensive answer to that question. For a good organization you have to consider the following cases:
A good organization can make or break a successful fair. There has to be a clear structure. This starts with making clear, achievable targets and formulate a good organization team. Within this team there has to be a clear division of tasks and there have to be made good agreements. When the team is composed, can research be conducted into the public’s demand. Is there any need for a fair? If yes, should it have a certain kind of theme? When this is clear, can a location be searched specifically.
If you want to get the best out of your fair, you first need to compose a good organization team. Try to put together a team as diverse as possible with people who have different qualities and ideas. This will ultimately benefit the quality of the fair.
The most important factor within an organization, there have to be made clear agreements each team member has to follow. Set these up in advance and announce it to everyone. In addition, ensure a clear division within the team. It is important to appoint one main person responsible for the project.
Organizing a fair is only useful if there is a demand for it among your target group. Conduct a local mini-investigation, to find out if this is the case. Maybe there is a need for a fair with a special theme. Try to find out, so you can respond as much as possible to the needs of your audience.
You now have a clear understanding of what your audience is asking. Now it’s time to find the right location for your fair. You already had an idea in which town you wanted to keep the fair, the question remains at what location it is going to take place. At the search of the right location you have to take into account various factors.
If a location wants to be suitable for a fair, it must meet a number of requirements. The location has to be save and well accessible for visitors. Sufficient parking space has to be a part of good accessibility. When these conditions are met, the location can be given further shape. You want to give the visitors a pleasant day at the fair. Below we will discuss some conditions to achieve this.
Organizing a fair requires the necessary permits. Inquire, with the relevant authority of the place you will have your fair, what permits you need. You can’t have a fair without the necessary permits. Make sure you take care of this.
Provide your fair with a nice decoration. When it’s a theme fair you already know what style you need for decoration. For most people it is a day out. Play on this and give the visitors a festive day. A festive day starts with a festive appearance.
People are strolling all day to score the best bargains and to enjoy the cosines. This includes a bite and a drink. Make sure there is enough catering presence. Make sure you don’t forget the candy stall for the children. Always check the standard and qualifications for storage, transport, preparation and serving food.
Does the location offers possibilities to provide electricity supply? A question you have to ask yourself if you organize a fair. Electricity will be needed especially for catering. As an organization, make sure that market people have access to electricity.
You want to give the people a pleasant day. Therefore arrange sufficient places people can leave their waste. Think of waste bins, waste nets and large containers people can put their waste in.
A good organization needs a detailed script. A script consists a general part and an overview of the tasks and actions.
The general part of the script consists of the contact details of all employees and suppliers who are involved in the organization and execution of the fair. Mention the names, addresses and telephone numbers. Make sure that the list is complete, so that in the event of calamities direct contact can be made.
This part of the script is no more than an overview of the agreements made and division of tasks for the event. Who performs which task, during which time, at which place. This gives you a clear overview of the various program components, when and where they take place and who is responsible for them. At fairs, the following points must be included in the script:
Give a clear overview in the script of what is expected of the participants and what you can do for the participants. Send the script to the participants well in advance. Ensure that all parties involved in the organization receive the script in time.
You are almost ready with the preparations for the day itself. Now it is only a matter of promoting your event. Prepare a solid promotion plan in which you include the following points:
Almost all preparations have been made. Now it is time to make the day itself become a big success. Is the location easy to find by the visitors? Ensure clear instructions by means of signs and arrows. To give the visitors a warm welcome, you can choose to appoint a hostess/host. As clear starting times have been set in advance, all market participants are ready to receive visitors at their stall. Yet there are still some practical thing that can be taken for the day itself.
Of course, the above points should be included in the organization process. How big you make it during the fair depends on your objective. Whether or not to engage a photographer is therefore optional.
As important as preparing for the event and the event itself, the evaluation after the big day is also very important. Evaluate with the organization team whether the targets have been achieved. Submit an internal report with, among other things, the good points of the event, the points of improvement, what was noticed etc. Also send an evaluation to the participants. Also report to the press with accompanying photos ( if taken ). Possibly you can already consider planning the next fair.
The article shows that organizing a fair takes a lot of time and energy. Have the necessary permits and always keep your targets in mind. Try to do everything to give the visitors of the fair a pleasant day.