This year Sunriver Metal Works committed to do 7 trade shows. We display products and custom pieces we have created. All of our work is designed, cut, ground, and finished by us. We’re just two people that enjoy creating metal work that people can use in their home.
Our first show.
2013 – First Trade Show
The first show we did was the Sunriver Fish Festival in 2013, sponsored by The Hook in Sunriver. We had a great response from attendees and several custom orders that followed. Just prior to the show, we had completed our largest custom installation – the Custom Metal Fish Themed Loft Railing. We had fun, we learned something about displaying our work, and we had many suggestions for new products. We did one more show that year – Sunriver Traditions – where we had even more feedback on how best to display our work.
Come see us at the Sunriver Quilt Show!
2014
Learning from our mistakes, at the start of 2014 we added white peg board to better display our products. The show required that we have weights on the corner of the booth in case we had wind gusts. Another helpful addition to the booth. With each show, we became more efficient at setup and take down. (Of course – take down ALWAYS went much faster!)
We have generally stayed with the local, smaller shows with booth fees ranging from $25 to $75. After trying a larger show in the Willamette Valley in 2014 with $400 booth fees, we barely broke even after all expenses were added in. So, we decided smaller was better for us.
2015
2015 has brought more custom business our way, mostly through internet searches. Getting ready for shows seems to be more challenging as we try to keep up with the custom work. Plus you constantly need to add new products to keep people interested. Not to mention being physically exhausted after each show (which is always on a weekend). Yes, being your own boss means you can set your schedule, but scheduling time off (i. e. no money coming in) versus accepting new jobs ($$) is not always an easy choice.
Thus, our dilemma. So, we love meeting people at the shows. But do the benefits of having a booth at the show outweigh the work involved in getting there. We’re not sure. It’s one of the decisions we’ll be making at the start of 2016. Do we focus solely on custom work generated from the internet, or do we continue to try to maintain the status quo and do both? Only time will tell.