We have had the most fulfilling and amazing weekend. Just before we went to the US, Paula wrote a press release to tell the community about the up coming indoor market that we were organising in Tuggeranong.
So we toddled off to the Affiliate Marketing Convention in Miami and left our friend Jennine to carry on with the arrangements for the market back home.
We received an email saying that she was inudated with requests from stallholders and had settled on around 36-38 with the rest going on a waiting list. I was really concerned as the room we had been able to book was in no way going to hold this many stallholders.
When Paula and I returned home we went to venue to measure the room and sure enough it was way too small. We had thought we would be lucky to get around 10 responses.
This just shows the power of press releases. The local paper ran the release on 10 July and again the week before the event. We had also emailed the the local radio stations and Jennine ended up being interviewed on two occassions to tell the community about the market.
The Manager of the Tuggeranong Community Centre contacted Jennine to offer us the main hall as he was at the centre when people kept coming in to see where they would be setting up and others who were wanting to book. The main hall is usually the venue for the Samoan church and they very kindly agreed to move to the smaller hall for the day.
At 7:30 on Sunday 29th, Paula and I went to the hall to measure out the spaces. Well it didn’t take long before we realised that nobody was going to be able to have a 3mtr X 3 mtr stall and the spaces were cut down to 2.5 X 1.8. Even then we could only fit 29 stallholders in the hall.
So a few, including ourselves had to be set up in the lobby.
There were an estimated 2000 buyers through the market, so the stall holders were happy. Getting the people in is one of the most important aspects, otherwise the sellers become disgruntled. Many have booked for the next one!!!! We hadn’t intended to continue this on a monthly basis but it looks like an indoor market is certainly needed in Tuggeranong. Escpecially when the winters are freezing and the summers dry, hot and dusty at the usual market places.
So all in all a successful weekend.
Anonymous
Well Done Ladies
A top day and well organised especially since it was the first market, looking forward to the next one