Exhibitor selection process
In our early years we were an invite only show. We would go to other shows to discover new exhibitors, chat to them, ask questions and sometimes make purchases (sort of secret shoppers!) If we felt that you were a good fit, with either a fabulous product, great personality or good customer service, we would then check out your online presence, see how far way you lived and if all things matched up you would get an invite (not everyone would accept it!) Sometimes we would have exhibitors recommended to us and we would check them out online or arrange to meet at the next event they were exhibiting at. We decided from the outset of our very first show as we are a small one day show that we would not diversify into other crafts and we would always remain as our event name states a “wool show”.
We are always interested to hear about new exhibitors, we like to support yarnie business particularly those in the local area or those with unusual or interesting products. We like to get to know the people behind the business, we have a reputation as a friendly show with exhibitors who are happy to share their passion and knowledge with visitors and we do not want this to change.
In 2020 we changed to an online open to all application process. This is not a first come, first served application. nor if you have exhibited with us previously does this guarantee a place. This process proved much harder as we did not know everyone personally who had applied, so we had to select exhibitors from the information and photos they provided, the following is the process by which we select exhibitors - please read if you are interested in applying
The first thing we look at is your application form. What are the images like, is there a stand photo so we can see what your business looks like, do you have a distinct branding, what stand construction do you use? We read how you describe your business for the show brochure, which gives us a good idea of what you sell and how you view your business.
We look at the final question – Further Comments – this is where you can sell yourself or convince us why you should be at the show. Some people used this section to offer to deliver a workshop, others talked about how other people had recommended our show or if they have attended the show themselves but not exhibited before and some tempted us with news of new products. We also like to see your personality in your application submission and it often shows in the responses you give to this question.
We look at your location, local businesses are preferred, but not essential especially if you have a unique product, you have applied despite the venue location and journey (you may know people who live in the south east that you could stay with, if this is the case, let us know!)
Then we look at your online presence. We look at your website or Etsy shop, again looking at your products and presentation. We look at your Social Media pages, we note how many followers you have, but more important is how often/regularly you post, and the engagement on posts, especially if your business is newer.
Each year we look very specifically at originality. If when we thought about a particular exhibitor, we couldn’t specify something distinctive about them, then we would think again about choosing them to exhibit even if they had exhibited with us before. That decision could have been made about their product range, their layout/stand or their business persona.
We also think about budgets, not everyone can spend a lot, so we make sure we have exhibitors that offer lower cost items, so every visitor can afford to have a little treat.
Once every application has been looked at carefully, we make a shortlist and have a look at how the show is balanced. We love independent hand-dyed yarn, and we are a wool show, so expect visitors will want to see a wide selection of yarn (we aim for 55% hand-dyed yarn to 45% other products including commercial yarn, spinning, felting and yarn related accessories such as buttons, beads, equipment and tools).
Then we check against visitor feedback forms (handwritten on show day or online after the event) paying particular attention to the answers to the question “What would you like to see at our next show?” and “Is there anything we can improve?”. We also check emails and social media posts from visitors relating to exhibitors to make sure we have selected exhibitors that have products that our visitors are interested in.
Next we start work on the room floor plans taking into account individual exhibitor requirements (grid wall is increasingly popular, but the height limits where we can place you in some locations) and check to see how well the different exhibitors work together, this is especially important in the smaller rooms to ensure a good mixture of products.
The right balance and diversity of products is paramount, it is as important to us that all our exhibitors have a successful day as it is for all our visitors to have an enjoyable one. This means ensuring we do not have too much duplication and similarity and offer a wide range of unique products from the fibre community, so we can ensure there is always something new, exciting and inspiring even if you visit our show every year.
Finally, when the list is confirmed, we contact exhibitors thanking them for taking the time to apply and letting them know our decisions and then announce our list of exhibitors for our next show on our website and social media pages.
We wish we were able to accept more exhibitors as the standard of applicants is very high, but unfortunately, we are limited by the space at the venue and we literally take over the whole hotel for the day already! If you were not successful this year, please do re-apply for next year.
We appreciate any comments about this procedure. Moving forward, we will continue with and refine our selection process.
Diana
We are always interested to hear about new exhibitors, we like to support yarnie business particularly those in the local area or those with unusual or interesting products. We like to get to know the people behind the business, we have a reputation as a friendly show with exhibitors who are happy to share their passion and knowledge with visitors and we do not want this to change.
In 2020 we changed to an online open to all application process. This is not a first come, first served application. nor if you have exhibited with us previously does this guarantee a place. This process proved much harder as we did not know everyone personally who had applied, so we had to select exhibitors from the information and photos they provided, the following is the process by which we select exhibitors - please read if you are interested in applying
The first thing we look at is your application form. What are the images like, is there a stand photo so we can see what your business looks like, do you have a distinct branding, what stand construction do you use? We read how you describe your business for the show brochure, which gives us a good idea of what you sell and how you view your business.
We look at the final question – Further Comments – this is where you can sell yourself or convince us why you should be at the show. Some people used this section to offer to deliver a workshop, others talked about how other people had recommended our show or if they have attended the show themselves but not exhibited before and some tempted us with news of new products. We also like to see your personality in your application submission and it often shows in the responses you give to this question.
We look at your location, local businesses are preferred, but not essential especially if you have a unique product, you have applied despite the venue location and journey (you may know people who live in the south east that you could stay with, if this is the case, let us know!)
Then we look at your online presence. We look at your website or Etsy shop, again looking at your products and presentation. We look at your Social Media pages, we note how many followers you have, but more important is how often/regularly you post, and the engagement on posts, especially if your business is newer.
Each year we look very specifically at originality. If when we thought about a particular exhibitor, we couldn’t specify something distinctive about them, then we would think again about choosing them to exhibit even if they had exhibited with us before. That decision could have been made about their product range, their layout/stand or their business persona.
We also think about budgets, not everyone can spend a lot, so we make sure we have exhibitors that offer lower cost items, so every visitor can afford to have a little treat.
Once every application has been looked at carefully, we make a shortlist and have a look at how the show is balanced. We love independent hand-dyed yarn, and we are a wool show, so expect visitors will want to see a wide selection of yarn (we aim for 55% hand-dyed yarn to 45% other products including commercial yarn, spinning, felting and yarn related accessories such as buttons, beads, equipment and tools).
Then we check against visitor feedback forms (handwritten on show day or online after the event) paying particular attention to the answers to the question “What would you like to see at our next show?” and “Is there anything we can improve?”. We also check emails and social media posts from visitors relating to exhibitors to make sure we have selected exhibitors that have products that our visitors are interested in.
Next we start work on the room floor plans taking into account individual exhibitor requirements (grid wall is increasingly popular, but the height limits where we can place you in some locations) and check to see how well the different exhibitors work together, this is especially important in the smaller rooms to ensure a good mixture of products.
The right balance and diversity of products is paramount, it is as important to us that all our exhibitors have a successful day as it is for all our visitors to have an enjoyable one. This means ensuring we do not have too much duplication and similarity and offer a wide range of unique products from the fibre community, so we can ensure there is always something new, exciting and inspiring even if you visit our show every year.
Finally, when the list is confirmed, we contact exhibitors thanking them for taking the time to apply and letting them know our decisions and then announce our list of exhibitors for our next show on our website and social media pages.
We wish we were able to accept more exhibitors as the standard of applicants is very high, but unfortunately, we are limited by the space at the venue and we literally take over the whole hotel for the day already! If you were not successful this year, please do re-apply for next year.
We appreciate any comments about this procedure. Moving forward, we will continue with and refine our selection process.
Diana