Dan Nichols Autumn Jubilee was a wash-out in more than one way. Saturday was perfect weather for going to a festival; eveyone was having a good time and buying products.
Sunday, on the other hand, was yucky; it was cold and damp from the ...rain the night before. Thankfully I didn't lose any products but several marketing pieces were damaged. Sigh ... . Since it was cold and damp many folks didn't venture out. From my observation the only booths with people around them were the food venders -- the more heat generated the better.
That afternoon I walked around the vendors a bit to see what/who was there and noticed that the number of vendors has almost doubled since I began showing. Apparently the park keeps adding vendors, which is to their advantage because of the vendor fee. BUT unfortunately, the guest population hasn't increased proportionately, which isn't to the vendors advantage.
Lastly, the music was louder than usual and absolutely terrible. God love the Elvis Impersonators but I'm tired of hearing the save voices singing the same songs over and over and over. If you've heard one Elvis Impersonator, you've heard them ALL.
Kudos to my fellow vendors who helped everyone get OUT of the parking lot. Saturday night's rain had turned the parking lot into a huge mud hole. Many cars/trucks got stuck and needed pushing. Even though the park patrol had put hay in strategic spots, we still got stuck. I hung around and watched as the more experienced drivers escaped the sludge. It was scary to see how fast these big trucks were driving but I now understand why. Not that it was a lesson I had been looking for but I now have a better understanding of how to drive OUT of the mud. Once you get momentium -- you haul ass and don't stop!
I must admit that hearing the "Go Mama Go" helped me accelerate to get my huge van OUT of the mud and onto the road. Whoever you are, thank you for that.
Up until Sunday I've enjoyed working festivals. But the combination of these observations has changed my mind. Bob and I are re-thinking our business approach to working festivals. I seriously doubt that I'll work them any more, especially if I have to set up my tent. It's too much work for such a limited return. Instead I'll be focusing on supporting my current dealers and building new retail accounts.
With that said, be on the lookout for a list of my new retail accounts on my blog: http://goatmilkbath.blogspot.com/
More later ... Pat
A Division of Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soaps, Inc., I make spa quality goat milk soaps and lotions with milk from our own Nubian goats. Go to the Pages link to purchase our products.
No comments:
Post a Comment