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gaynor

Organisation

Sales

Communication

Atmosphere

Took a stand in the Artisan Market – food and drink. Only 20 in there and we were like the poor relations to the handmade marquee! They had lovely wide aisles, carpeted floor, and lovely space to work in – we had a wooden floor that wasn’t carpeted, literally no room to get out at the side of your stall, – had a 2m x 2m for over £500, and for me there were 4 others selling more or less the same as me so ridiculous duplication of stands. Would not recommend it. They were charging £6 to park on top of the ticket price! Also expected you to stand for 3 days – Friday is a waste of time, from 9.15 to 6.15 in the evening – no thanks!
3 years ago
Lucy

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I was in the shopping village for this event and had a great time. The organisation was very good and the team were receptive and seemed genuinely concerned about how we were finding the event each day they came round to chat to us.
It is an expensive event but it has exactly the right audience for handmade creations.
There were other home fragrance sellers there but their products were different to Lubylu ones so that’s fine and gives consumers choice.
I will be back next year, not sure what space I’ll have but the event was worth the money.
3 years ago
maggie

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We were in the shopping marquee and had a fantastic show. Organisation excellent. Audience exactly right. We have re-booked and also for The Hampton Court show in September.
3 years ago
Shelley's Vintage Cottage

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We had a small shell scheme as this was our first large event. Met Kirstie on the Friday and she seemed very interested in what and how I made my creations. the team were on hand at all times and looked after us very well. We were in the main marquee which was carpeted and cleaned every night. The event was well organised and marketed, my only niggle was the location which is totally inaccessible to non drivers with no transportation available from the local train station.
3 years ago
paul bevis American cookie co

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had a stand in the artisan market with American cookie co ,show was well organised ground crew were super helpful .the pitch itself was 2 meters wide and probably 3 meters deep which was excellent loads of room for stock . Sold out of stock by 2 oclock on sunday although friday was the best day .Sat and sunday seemed pretty quiet ,location was probably a bad choice as no public transport ,The pitch was a tad over £500 which considering we make the same volume of sales from a £30 car boot pitch its not something I would re book at that venue put the show on in central stratford by the canal basin might be a different story .So all in all really well organised show although not financially viable
3 years ago
Jane

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Atmosphere

I had a small stand in the Shopping Village, 2m x 1.5m cost about £680, electrics were another £100 and wifi £30. For me it didn’t work – too expensive and not enough people. By 4.00pm there was hardly anyone there apart from other stallholders but we had to stay until 6.00pm. Not all the stands were selling items that had been made by them which I think is wrong. Kirsty was only there on the Friday and she never came near our side of the tent. She puts her name to this Fair, she should be there not Liz Earle and Patrick Grant on the other days. People came on Saturday & Sunday to see her and were annoyed when I said she wasn’t there. Some stalls did well but lots of others like me, didn’t. This was my first major fair and so probably I’m naive but I didn’t realise, and wasn’t told when I booked it, that electrics were extra – had I known I wouldn’t have gone ahead. I had to nag to get my name up on the website three weeks after booking it. The tickets are expensive and car parking at £6 when there is no other way of getting there is just a rip-off especially as the visitors had to walk a long way. I won’t be booking it again.
3 years ago
Lisa Pike

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Atmosphere

We had a stand in the Artisan Market, the show was very well organised and everyone was so helpful. Great customer base. If I was going to be critical for the cost of over £500 the space layout was poor and too many duplication’s of the same product. We did well as we are long established and sell on our reputation however for such a big show we should have done alot more. See you at Hampton Court
3 years ago
Jane Moore

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I had a small stand in the Shopping Village 2m x 1.5m. It cost about £680 inc vat. I found this to be very expensive all things considered but thought that I would give it a go. Kirsty is certainly a draw but she was there for such a short time!! She came no where near me!! I design and HAND MAKE all my jewellery!! I was horrified to find on the stand opposite they were selling jewellery that clearly had been mass produced and certainly not made by the stall holder. The price difference was huge. I began to ask what is this Hand made Fair about. The audience was perfect for me. I found the organisers delightful and seemed to take on board my concerns. Despite everything I did cover my costs and will be back as long as I am no where near or associated with imported cheap goods.

The customers I spoke to were very annoyed about the £6 parking charge.
3 years ago
Ellen Boylin

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3 of us from Handcrafted Delights shared a 4mx2m space. To be 100% honest, this was the only way any of us could even think about attending this event due to the very high costs. Our space cost us just over £1800 and I am now really regretting the decision to attend what was marketed as a highly prestigious event, one that would be selling handmade goods made by the artist/craftsperson selling them. How wrong could we be? We were horrified to find goods on sale that were very obviously not handmade and also lots of franchise stalls. What part of ‘Handmade’ do the organisers – and Kirstie herself – not understand? We were not asked for any photos of our work, so presumably they just took the word from people who said it was handmade. It totally undermines what the rest of us are trying to do – we sit at home or in our studios creating items with love and care and, very often, a few tears along the way. Two of us made a massive loss at this event due to there being 17 other jewellery stalls – 17 honestly that is far too many for any event – even The Handmade Fair. We host & run our own handmade craft fairs here in Warwickshire and we insist on having photos from our stallholders and they have to sign our booking form to say that the item is handmade by them – or a very close family member (ie mother, father, brother, sister) who they are happy to vouch for. Would we attend again? I have to be honest again and say we could not afford to now. We know – from speaking to other stallholders, that there were a lot of unhappy people but maybe not everyone has had time to complain. Also our visitors all complained about the price of the car parking. Someone, somewhere made a small fortune out of that weekend but certainly not the stallholders we spoke to.
3 years ago
1. Tim
  
  Your jewellery is very different from other exhibitors there, I’m not sure they could be seen as competitors. You seem to be complaining about lots of things but really that you didn’t make enough sales. It was a well attended event and well managed on the day, visitor feedback was very positive.
  Too hot
  Too cold
  Too wet
  Too dry
  Too many people
  Not enough people
  There is always an excuse.
  But ask yourself why you didn’t make enough sales on your stand and learn from that
  3 years ago
Neena Shilvock

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Atmosphere

These are my thoughts on The Handmade Fair, Ragley Hall
http://www.capriliciousjewellery.com/the-caprilicious-jewellery-blog/after-the-ball-is-over-reflections-on-the-handmade-fair-ragley-hall-2017
3 years ago
Vixie

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Atmosphere

I had a great time at the Handmade Fair and almost entirely disagree with these negative reviews. As I have re-booked, I can see that OVER 50% of the stallholders have already re-booked so it can’t have been anywhere near as bad as these reviews are making out. I agree that there were non-handmade stalls, and this should be addressed for future events, but the organising team were a delight as always and made sure to check up on us numerous times a day to make sure things were going OK. I had a lovely chat with Kirstie on the Friday as she stopped and talked to me at my stall, as she did a lot of other stalls in my vicinity. I had one of the slightly larger stalls (3m x 1.5m – roughly £1000) and although I was 1 of the 17 jewellery stalls, my products are interesting and unique enough that I believe that was how I was able to make a comfortable profit.
3 years ago
sophie

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We made no money, the cost of the stand was extortionate in hindsight and comparison to other things we have done and are booked in to do later in the year. Not one person approached me until the last day when asked if I wanted to book again. The production team were FANTASTIC helping me organise a delivery to the site as I ran out of stock. As for those ‘non-handmade stool’ haters… just because we didn’t make everything ourselves doesn’t mean we did not hand pick every one of our items for its unique way in which it has been made by very skilled artisans around the world. The appreciation is not lost here, it is kept alive.
3 years ago
Anonymous

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The worst show financially for us in two years of trading and exhibiting at many large shows (including the three Handmade Fairs at Hampton Court). I think the main problem was the volume of visitors. We were told at set up the pre-show ticket sales were only 10,000 whereas Hampton Court sells around 20,000 (and the cost to exhibit is only marginally more expensive at Hampton Court). For us it needed to be bigger and have many more visitors (plus the marquees were empty after 4pm despite the show being open until 6.00pm). We weren’t selling handmade items but haberdashery and kits for people to create their own handmade treasures. Another downside was the fact that Kirstie was only there on the Friday which meant she didn’t get a chance to see all stall holders. I personally feel this is part of the ‘package’ and to get ‘that photo’ for social media & PR etc! We heard many customers say it was much smaller than they imagined and that they were horrified by the car parking costs. However, the organisation was great, the look of the show was great and there was a lovely atmosphere. We made a significant loss and therefore won’t be doing the show again unless it grows larger and attracts double the amount of visitors.
3 years ago
Amanda Cope

Organisation

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Atmosphere

I knew this was a new event in this area and so understood that it can take time to build up the hype about the new show. With this in my mind I had hoped I would make a small profit and gain some new costumers who would fall in love with the work I make. I was happy with the amount of sales I made. There was a nice flow of people and yes it was a bit quite at times. There was a nice selection of work on offer in jewellery and other mediums. I think the main thing I heard from customers was that they would have liked to have seen a few more stockiest of supplies for creating there own work.
I will be returning next year as I had a nice experience. The staff, vibe and show was a success in my eyes and wish only that if it was not for all that attended then maybe next year you will see a difference if you try it again. It is a first show and normally this can affect the numbers attending. New shows can be scary for makers to try as it is an unknown. I do hope that if you are considering attending in the future that you will give it a go. Although it is important to me and my business to make a profit it is also important to meet people and enjoy your time while at a show, as well as sharing ideas with other exhibitors and customers to inspire people and to be inspired. I look forward to the next show and hope it is as lovely as the last one I did at Hampton Court. Please feel free to stop by and say hello and have a chat as this is the best bit about a show like this, meeting people and creating smiles.
3 years ago
Nat

Organisation

Sales

Communication

Atmosphere

I attended the fair in May it was really well organised the set up was as expected, plenty of space in between the aisles for access with wheelchairs and buggies and people who stop to chat ???? It was a lot of hard work and prep and having never done a fair at this scale I learnt a lot from it (mainly measure the table better and that 20cm is NOT enough gap for my ass) I didn’t make a massive profit but it wasn’t a loss, if you think of half the cost as Just advertising it really got my name out there and I now have a mailing list. I’ve booked for next year but I am really hoping for it to get bigger and better. The feedback from customers was encouraging those that attended the workshops really loved it, those that didn’t found it smaller than expected. It would be good to have something more on between 3-6pm as it was really quiet then! Fingers crossed it’s the start of something magnificent. Also I too would have liked to see more of the VIPs wandering around not a quick whiz round just as it opens but hey ho busy people! ????
3 years ago
amanda.jalland

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Atmosphere

We took a bit of a gamble on this event but we had a quiet weekend and it really paid off.
Ragley as a venue can be hit and miss but there was a sold audience with the right demographic. What was really positive for us was that the Friday was really strong, what we so often find is a Friday is there to justify the cost of the weekend and it is not unusual for us to lose money then spend the Saturday & Sunday trying to catch up!
3 years ago
Pippa - The Pip House

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Atmosphere

Had a fantastic time!
My first big show (I have attended local fairs for over a decade for different reasons). So pleased when I noticed The Handmade Fair was to launch in the midlands. I could travel from home, so much more convenient than London for example.
Loads of prepping beforehand to make sure had enough stock. I sold products ranging in price from £4.50-£65. By far my best seller was £16. Made a great profit. (my space -1.5x2metres- had cost approx. £680.)
Apart from making a profit and briefly meeting Kirstie, by far the best part of the show was the appreciation from customers of Handmade products and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from so many.
For balance, two points with room for improvement- 1. cost of the car park for customers, 2. need something interesting to happen in the last 2 hours of each day, as it went rather quiet!
However, I loved it and have signed up for next year-so hope to see you there!!
3 years ago
Michelle Gregory

Organisation

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Atmosphere

I did this show the first year and it was great but this year was a completely different story. The events team made a big deal of selling people the same stand as the previous year and then changed the entire layout of the village. The attendance and spend was nothing like the previous year and everyone I spoke to had made big losses – I was across from a woman who sold nothing on the Saturday even though she had really attractive items.

The layout of the village was not conducive to shopping – in fact there were two walkways that actually went around the tent from the entrance.

This year some of the businesses were pile it high, sell it cheap which sucked money away from smaller producers which this show is supposed to be targeted at.

The team who organise this were unresponsive to any feedback I gave them – no response to a number of emails – and instead of doing anything for vendors who lost a lot of money at the show, they target new people every year.

I would recommend people avoid this show at all costs as it went down hill this year and I doubt it will make a recovery next year. I even had trouble giving away my complimentary tickets.
2 years ago

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The Handmade Fair – Warwickshire

The Handmade Fair – Warwickshire

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