Our first Trade Fair

8/04/2014

On Easter Monday we will be setting up our first trade fair stand at a Point-to-Point in Somerset. For those of you who don’t know, a point-to-point is a cross country horse race for amateur riders and hunting horses. It is a big event with lots of locals turning out for a fun day and as well as the racing there is often a trade fare FTB (full to bursting) with food stalls, beer tents, equine paraphernalia, and this year, a County Roots stand!  Now that we are booked in and have our 3 meter space we have been thinking about the presentation of our wares and all the organisation that goes with attending an event like this.

We have to get liability insurance and although that in itself is not a problem, picking one insurance company out of many hundreds is a bit of a rotten job (please excuse my language). Still there are other bits to get swept away with, for example, I am going to make bunting using Somerset colours, Pip is busy researching quotes for promotional merchandise bits and bobs and Ollie is off in France drinking beer. I jest, though he is, but when he gets back he will be taking the lead on the aesthetics of the stand and how it will POP to those, ever-so slightly inebriated, passers by.

The question is, will it rain? Currently we don’t have any sort of plans for a gazebo type thing, but I am thinking it might be a good idea. If you know us and you have a gazebo then please click here to email us, kindly letting us know that we may borrow it. The thing is, is that as a small start-up company you’ve got to accept help when it is offered. And so we appreciate you in advance for that!  We must thank Mum and Dad for the use of their camper van, which will be the chariot we take to Somerset and proceed to deck out in bunting, photos, straw, etc etc That reminds me, I need to let them know we’ll be using it that day.

At this point (wink) we’d like to give a shout out to Matt Dusting. His family run this particular Point-to-Point and we’re very grateful to be attending! Matt started his own company M-24, a few years ago.  He turns old lorry curtains into very cool and durable luggage. We think they are great  and have added a link to his website above so you can go and check them out too.

We are very much looking forward to our first trade event and learning what people think about our ideas, and hope to get our T-shirts out there and on people.  It’s going to be a great day and a real landmark on our County Roots journey. I think we can safely say that County Roots has broken cover – A VIEW HALOO! (hunting terminology, we know the lingo)

Thanks for reading

Izi