UK Guitar Shows - My first time, Advice?

RyanNoisyHammer · June 2020

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice and feedback from this rad hivemind.
Im looking to take my small business to a few guitar shows next year across the uk.
And I was interested in which you all prefer, recommend, avoid?

Anything stories you could share good or bad would help as I have never exhibited before and would love to not completely mess it up.

Thanks in advance

Ryan -Noisy Hammer Cabs

Jason · June 2020

Hi, I’m biased :-) but happy to answer any questions honestly. Let me know if you need any info. J

RiftAmps · June 2020

I've been exhibiting for 4 years now and I find they offer one of the best RoI for advertising. Print and online advertising are good, but exhibiting is by far superior from that perspective.

The small 'tabletop' shows are great fun but require the same amount of effort to exhibit as the bigger shows for only a single day. Then again, at around £75 per 6ft table they are great value.

spark240 · June 2020

The Mojo shows are ok, some are little small, depends what your flogging I guess...tables start around £40

But of course....@Jason is the best ;-)

sixstringsupplies · June 2020

The table top shows are great for value. Circa £75 a table, as long as I cover the costs of getting there (ie. petrol and hotel if required to stay the night before) then I'm happy. As others have mentioned, its generally about marketing and networking. I try and get rid of as many business cards as I can and meet customers, guitar builders, potential customer etc...If you go to a show and don't sell anything, I wouldn't worry. It' about getting your brand out there.

I hope to go to @Jason show next year for the first time having done the table top circuits for a while.

Bristol show is very very good, as is Kempton, as is Haydock.

Jason · June 2020

spark240 said:

The Mojo shows are ok, some are little small, depends what your flogging I guess...tables start around £40

But of course....@Jason is the best ;-)

Cheers mate :-)

RyanNoisyHammer · June 2020

Thanks everyone, this is so much great knowledge and feedback. Definitely making a list of shows we want to hit. Balancing time, money and exposure. (and trying to keep a business running ha)

Flip · May 2022

I went to the recent Haydock guitar show, the first I've ever been to under any guise. This time it was with a view to participating next time with the guitars I make/fettle and my wife (an artist) uses as her canvases (www.guitar-art.co.uk also Instagram as guitarartdesigns).

I was struck at once by the dearth of young people. The audience had more in common with a motorbike show than a musicians' thrash. I spoke to a number of small scale participants at the show who were in our sort of business. All of them said it was worth the fee for the advertising exposure. None said they sold much if they sold anything at all.

The venue was mercifully quiet ie the hall where the groups etc were playing was quite separate. The show was on three floors. There were very few large dealers. PMT come to mind with a huge stand, well stocked. Another was Scan, the computer dealer who seems to have seen the light in (the end of) computing and moved into music. Not sure their staff were as knowledgeable as PMTs. I asked another of my big parts suppliers in the NW why they weren't there. The reason was simple - it took too long for them to collect together the stock to take and to re-stock it when they returned. This echoed the view that not much was sold.

The ground floor was heaving most of the time I was there (11-3) - mayhem really. The first floor was less busy though that was where the cafe was and the queues for that were almost continuous.

The second floor was less busy throughout.

Almost all the stallholders had time to talk and demonstrate and discuss. None was over-pushy. I saw no bargains, (one seller had brought a basic Tele that he'd accepted as part exchange some time ago and needed to be rid of. He sold it quickly for £65. Even the bits and pieces stall were selling at about the usual price so I saw no obvious 'show offers'. Very few leaflets or handouts.

The organisers seem to be doing their job - at least I heard people leaving the show with purchases to present their receipts. Pilferage would have been my big concern and they seemed to address that.

Finally, and I hope this isn't out of order, but in the more crowded areas and especially on the ground floor there seemed to be an unnecessary number of people who'd not showered that morning. I don't expect to be going next year as either a visitor or a stallholder.

mrkb · May 2022

^ unfortunately there’s skanky people in all walks of life. But having to share a common space with them is a bit grim. I’d be all for a BO check before they let us all in!!

prowla · May 2022

Take earplugs: if you don't need them, then no hassle, but if you do you'll be glad of them.
Get a receipt for anything you buy; I once got sent back from the exit by security because I didn't have one.

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UK Guitar Shows - My first time, Advice?

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