March and April saw more layout changes as my life got busier. Throughout those two months, life during and out of work and creating required more organization, especially with my three major projects so far. So now, I’m experimenting with my latest layout all the way through May. Taking away the Must-Do Tasks of the day in place of a single Focus of the Day ‘forced’ me to concentrate on a single task. That got me to a certain realization – My excitement for all my projects have caused me to cram my days with so much, I end up crashing for a few weeks and feeling guilty after. That being said, I'll say that this new layout helps to clear things up a little better. And I think it's quite safe to say that this shift doesn't make my to-do lists feel so overwhelming anymore. Check out my progress from my January and February post. 118 Days down, 247 Days to go for #hobonichi365.
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We’ve done a post on getting into events as a booth owner.
We’ve done a post on getting through events as a booth owner. So the doors have closed, you’ve collected your booth deposit, and you’re left with the heavily-browsed copies of your remaining stock, your booth deco, and your earnings for the event. Time to celebrate and indulge in your spoils! But what’s with this need for a ‘post-mortem’? To put it plainly, a post-mortem is when you take a step back after you’re done with your boothing event, and then take stock of what you’ve done and what you’d like to do moving forward. Personally, I just do a bit of reflection with the Tiger while we calculate what we’ve earned, but here are a few tips on what we and some of our friends do post-events: REST This is possibly the most important step. Unless you shared your booth and need to get payments / profits split the moment you close your booth, the first thing you’ll need to do is to put your stock aside and sit down for a well-deserved dinner and rest. My friends, after their first time together behind the booth at STGCC, stopped talking to each other the moment they started taking their booth down. And only realized they've been silent all the way only halfway through their dinner - when they felt the fatigue set in. Boothing is exhausting, especially if you’re not used to it, so take as much rest as you need first. TABULATE This is what I tend to do the couple of days after. Simply put, this is when we keep track of stock and how much you’ve earned from the event. There are also other things you might want to keep tabs on after the event, like the amount of contacts you’ve received, thank you notes, and even your own loot from the event itself. It’s just putting aside some time shortly after your event to look at how well you’ve done for yourself. (Note: You’ve already done well by being a booth owner regardless, so yes, well done.) REFLECT And this is what I ask myself as I look back:
And this marks the end of my trilogy of Boothing posts. I hope this helped you to gain some insight into our boothing experiences. We’ll see you at our next event! Last month, I wrote about getting into events for indie creators. The post covered pointers on how to get into conventions / festivals, and how to prepare your booths for the days you’ll be at the events.
This post will give a few tips on surviving behind the booth, especially if this is your first event. Rule number one when it comes to being a booth owner at a festival / convention: Event personnel are also usually volunteers or very frazzled full-timers who barely have time to sit down, so here are a few fundamentals to get you through the event without having to call for help: BE CLEAR ABOUT HOW MANY BOOTH PASSES YOU CAN HAVE / YOU NEED Confirm the number of people who will be able to man your booth while you’re registering. If it’s not possible to get more than one or two extra passes, make arrangements so that you won’t clog up the registration desks with your requests on the day itself. It’ll be a crazy day for the event staff, don’t make it crazier for them. MAKE YOUR TRANSACTIONS EASY The greatest factors in determining product price during my first time was follows:
It’s a good idea to visit the event site the day before or earlier to know where to head to for booth registration (and to collect your deposit). Again, this is to save yourself time and headache, especially when during the event – when it’s crowded and claustrophobic. PACK FOOD. ENOUGH FOR AN ARMY (ISH). One of the first things I learnt during my first boothing experience was that no one was going to serve you lunch, and that the food stand is not as accessible as you think it is. And while cookies are delicious, there are only so many that can last you the entire day. Personal tip: Pack dried foods / foods that can stay in an airtight container for a day or so – cut fruits which have been soaked in salt water, crackers and canned tuna, buns, onigiri etc… (I highly recommend good onigiri. Hehehe.) – and lots of water (1.5l at least). MAKE FRIENDS WITH BOOTH NEIGHBOURS This will help you a ton. If you need a quick run to the bathroom and there’s no one else to look after your booth for you – your neighbour can be there to help. It’ll also help you pass the time during “slower” periods. The ultimate plus point though, is that once you’re friends with your booth neighbours, your creative circle gets that much bigger. ENJOY YOURSELF At the end of the day, these creative events are organized not just for the enjoyment of the event visitors, but also for creators to meet one another and have fun. So yes, price your goods right, pay your booth rent, and hope to cover costs – but also remember that at the root of it, you create because you love to. Your first event will not be your be all and end all of your creative career, so embrace the experience and enjoy yourself. |
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November 2018
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