by: Julie Fauble and Sue Gallagher
Administrative Stuff (What you need to make the sale today)
Pens
Pencils and Eraser (had a request from a dealer for both items – when he purchased two pricey books, he immediately erased and repriced)
Receipt book
Credit card slips and imprinter (aka “knuckle cruncher”)
Calculator
Tax sheet for quick reference
Change for cash customers
Box or some other place to keep the cash, checks and credit card receipts
Marketing (What you need to make more sales down the road)
Business cards
Bookmarks
Notebook or cards for collecting customer contact information and wants.
Stapler – keep from losing those pesky little business cards that customers give you – staple them in the notebook.
Flyers with information about your business and/or upcoming events
Booth Organization and Decor (What you need to get people into your booth)
Collapsible shelving – Getting harder to find sturdy ones – rumor has it that Linen ‘n Things now has them
Labels for shelves (A one-time investment in a good label maker is a good idea)
Card tents (place cards – especially if you have a locked case)
3-4 Lights (the ones with clamps and movable extenders)
Bulbs
Extension cords
Magic marker and cardstock (for making the labels you forgot)
Tape or push pins
Table covers
Easels/book stands
Decorative elements that make you stand out (Object d’art that fit the genre such as spurs, old fashioned spectacles, theme bookends, posters)
Candy for customers
Sign showing which credit cards you accept
Exhibitor Comfort (What you need to survive the whole experience)
Comfortable shoes
Bottled water
Quick energy snacks
Breath mints
Aspirin, ibuprofen or pain reliever of choice (preferably legal)
Post-fair relaxing agent of choice (preferably legal)
More handy stuff
Scissors
Utility knife
Extra boxes
Price guides
Extra dust jacket covers
Cleaning stuff (travel-sized babywipes work nicely)
Pocket-sized reference books
Magnifying glass
Feather duster, if you’re outside
Camera – capture your progress
We didn’t come up with all of this on our own. The above list was developed from years of listening to people much smarter than we are and taking notes when something particularly useful crossed our paths. Among the people we’d like to thank for long ago sharing their wisdom on this particular topic are: Lynn DeWeese-Parkinson, Forrest Proper, Linda Keele and Sasha of Neetstuff.
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