The Epworth Show

The Epworth Show is a pretty major event for Epworth. It is a traditional agricultural show where you can see livestock, vintage vehicles, old tractors, show jumping and even ferret racing. There's even a trade tent where people try and sell to the hoards of punters that traipse throw during this one day festival of country living.

So my wife took a stand in the trade tent (an immense marquee) along with many other budding hopefuls. Inside the marquee the mix was pretty varied. A fudge stand, a local private school, cards, jewellery, Jamie At Home franchise, a potter, jam and pickles, books, cup cakes and even a stand for Hull College (manned by two very bored looking gentlemen). Nobody could say that there was a lack of variety.

The organisation, apart from a few minor hiccups, was excellent. The location was good and the footfall was such that many craft/art fair organisers might well die to reach half the numbers we saw. It's a pity that this throng of people were keeping their hands firmly in their pockets.

This lack of spending cannot be blamed on the organisers. They'd done a pretty good job. They cannot be held responsible for the public's unwillingness to spend their money. To illustrate this situation I'd like to tell you a story....

There once was an over the shoulder bag which sat on a perch along with three very similar bags. They were all made form a very pretty material that had images of young girls riding cute, plump ponies. Now this bag was up for sale at an agricultural show where many horsey type girls were in attendance. Many of these girls saw this bag and oohed and ahhed over it. Saying how pretty and cute the bag was. Some girls came back to see the bag many times during the day. Picking it up, stroking it and then putting it down again. During the day over two hundred people picked up the bag, admired the bag and then put it back again. At the end of the day, the bag was still on its perch along with its fellow bags. Unwanted and unpurchased.

The moral of this story is simple. People aren't willing to pay a paltry £14 for a handmade bag made from expensive designer fabric. This isn't a work of fiction. I, personally, monitored the rate at which this bag was being "fingered" by the public. At one point the rate of "fingering" was more than once a minute. Each brief session of "fingering" ended when the punter looked at the price tag. The reaction was almost universal. The punter would grimace and then put the bag back on its perch, then walk away. We could have dropped the price of the bag but then there would have been no profit in the sale. We aren't a bloody charity. The whole idea is to make money not waste it.

The behaviour of the punters was a direct message. A valuable message. That message was that they did not value our products as highly as we did. They did not agree that this poor bag was actually worth £14 of their hard earned cash. No matter the work that had gone into the item, the cost of the designer fabric and all the other costs a business incurs and must be paid for. It was a chastening experience. There was no problem with the numbers and we could see that people had money. They just chose not to spend it with us, or many of the trade stalls we could see.

Waters' Edge Country Park

Location: The location is miles from anywhere. It is even more hidden away than The Ropewalk (which is nearby). It is, after all, a nature reserve/country park. Nature reserves are, by there very nature, not located in high footfall areas. Nor are they located in shopping areas, malls or High Streets. The road access to the location is hardly busy nor located anywhere near a major transport hub. Casual visitors are a rarity.

Waters' Edge Visitors Centre

Promotion: Where? I drove into the site (Saturday 28/0/10) today and saw little evidence of any promotion. At least there was a sign outside the venue itself but I saw nothing on the drive in. No doubt there were some posters at North Lincs Council locations but as I, and the majority of the population, rarely visit such places there's little hope of that option garnering a great deal of attention.

First impressions: The entrance to The Water's Edge Visitor Centre was flanked by a Help The Heroes stand and a craft/art stand on the other side. In front was a reception and shop. A shop selling very similar products to those sold by the stallholders. Both a direct and indirect competitor.

You also have to take into account that there was a charity stall at the entrance, running amongst other things a tombola. There's also a café in the visitors centre. Another competitor, competing for the limited disposable income of the punters. That's the big problem with any craft/art fair event held at a location which has another function. You are competing for a limited resource. Money. If there are many other competitors, in addition to other stalls, then you're in trouble. In fact, I'd go as far to say that you'd be better off not being there at all.

Captive Market: So why do places like visitor centres, museums etc run craft/art fairs? Well the way I figure it, they hope that the event will bring in income for themselves (stallholders paying for stands, the event will attract greater numbers to their location and stallholders need food and drink). The stallholders are not just paying guests they also are a source of income in their own right. The stallholders are creating a benefit for the host location. They are paying to provide the hosts with an attraction that brings in punters for the host location. So why are the stallholders paying? Seems like the stallholders should be paid by the host location.

General Comments: The event itself....One stallholder was hidden behind a display unit. To get to her stand you had to struggle through a small gap between the display unit and someone else's stall. For some reason people weren't interested in visiting her stall. She was in the most ridiculous position imaginable and she'd paid for the privilege. Now that really strikes me as insane. Is this person so desperate to display her wares that she'd accept a location that precludes the punters from seeing her stall? Mad or desperate? You decide.

Many of the stalls were wedged into the odd nook and cranny between the permanent exhibits. That looked, to me, very unprofessional. I was also left with the impression that it was a matter of pot-luck whether you got a good or bad location to sell your wares. There was a room full of craft stands at the far end of the building, next to the café.

Conclusion: Water's Edge is quite a nice nature reserve, if lacking suitable maps. The visitors centre is a bit of a futuristic carbuncle but considering that the Humber Bridge is the backdrop it could have been worse. As a location for an art/craft fair? It makes a good doorstop. I, personally, wouldn't consider it as a good sales location. 

ADDITIONAL: Comment overheard at craft/art fair at Waters' Edge "this is a bit expensive". Overheard comment from one young lady to another whilst they were contemplating an item with a price tag of 50 pence!