toysnz wrote:GHOSTHUNTER wrote:The toy fair organizer will provide an extra table for £5 if you need one.
Ghosthunter.
That seems fair - over here all the swapmeets charge a fixed price per table (usually $15 - $20 each) and you only get a "back up" if there is a spare table left and even then it still cost you the original price.
Ian
Hi Ian,
I hear you...but...
I think the difference is for us that we have a limited amount of space, we aim to fill that space with tables that are covered in toys, not rows of empty tables. Prior to the fair, we are oversubscribed for sellers, spend hours planning to fit everyone in, then inevitably 2 things happen:
1. a bunch of sellers that booked tables don't turn up on the day, or turn up 5 minutes before the doors open to the public
2. a different bunch of sellers turn up wanting 3 tables more than they originally booked
So these cancel each other out, but in the end, if we have sellers wanting a total of 95 tables, but only room for 80 tables, we aren't in a position to offer anyone a cheaper table, as your extra table could be sold to someone else for $20. And we are also mindful that what both sellers and punters want is a big, busy fair with plenty of goodies to choose from. So unfortunately, as long as we are oversubscribed with people wanting tables, we won't be in a position to offer discounts based on the number of tables. That said, we do try to give our regular sellers that have supported us all along (such as yourself Ian) larger tables in better positions in the venue at no extra cost.
We are on a knife-edge in terms of operating costs. Cost of the venue, the tables and the advertising required to make the event a success means that we can only just break even with our current pricing structure. If our costs go up, and we get bad weather like we did a couple of years back and people can't make it, we run the risk of operating the fair at a loss, which then comes out of our own pockets. We have not taken any profit from the fair for several years now, and what profit we made in the past was either reinvested to make improvements at the next fair, or donated back to the school. We might be able to operate this year without a price increase to either stallholders or the public, but sooner or later (probably sooner) either or both will have to increase.
It's people like you, Ian, that make our fair a success, and I for one greatly appreciate all the support you have given us over the years.
I think I speak for all of us involved in organising our fair in saying that for the price we charge both sellers and buyers, we offer a great day out for very little outlay. Long may that continue! And sorry for the long rant to make a minor point - being that the economics of running fairs in NZ are very different to those in the UK.
Cheers,
Gavin
Faceless Bureaucrats have feelings too...
