In person events – retail and wholesale events from food shows to farmer’s markets – are a major source of income for the Value-Added Food businesses in Vermont.

However, they are also a major commitment of both time and money that need to be properly managed to yield the best results.

To help you decide if any in-person selling event is the right addition to your marketing efforts we have created a simple, but effective 4-step process.

The Steps are as follows (each step has expanded information including questions to answer and steps to take when you click on the link):

Step One: Are you ready to sell your product at a show?

This step will help you answer both if your product is in-person event ready. And additionally if your marketing and production process is in place to support increased sales.

Step Two: Are in-person events right for your business?

The next step is to analyze the “big picture” of whether or not in-person events are a viable revenue stream for your business.

Step Three: Yes, in-person events are a good choice for my business…now what?

So you’ve decided that in-person events are the right choice so this step will allow you to analyze each potential event, create your in-person event schedule and then begin to prepare for and manage the events.

Step Four: Post event…what to do now?

Post event management goes beyond just fulfillment of the orders so we have created a list of to-dos that include on-going analysis of each event and its addition to your bottom line.


Resources

Culinary Costing Template

Pricing Info Sheet

The Online Presence Guide

Trade Show Gems (from your peers)

Individual Pre-Event Analyzer

How to Create Your Sell Sheet

Post–Show Analysis Spreadsheet