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Post by traveler on Apr 3, 2010 19:53:18 GMT -5
Has anyone ever attempted to do the Texas State Fair, and if so how was it? What was your take on the demographics of the crowd?
It is 24 days long, gets over 7 million people, and costs $2,400.00 for a 10X10 space! (plus all the additional fees insurance parking entry fees... etc!!!)
My husband & I drove there to just check it out. The day we went was the day before "Oprah" was there. I would say that being wand-ed down at the gate and having my purse and stroller closely inspected was not a great start, but the demographics we observed seemed to be mainly for the rides that were 5 dollars each!
Some of the vendors I saw, were selling Howard Miller Clocks for 10,000 a piece.. All the way to Corvette test dives. Some vendors had small items. not ones ~I~ would think could garner that sort of profit, but maybe I'm underestimating 7 million people.
I spoke with many vendors in Arizona and their main reason for avoiding it was the grueling hours or the inability to be gone for 24 days.
Anyone heard anything, or done this fair?
Thanks!
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Post by mcwier on Oct 5, 2010 19:01:38 GMT -5
Most all new fair food comes from the Texas state fair.
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Post by mcwier on Oct 5, 2010 19:07:57 GMT -5
if $2400 is the price that is very very cheep for 7 mill people, many state fairs we did were $250 to $400 a foot, and center loks were measured down front and side l.e 12x8 is money times 20 ft. Our last bill for the Iowa state fair was $11,000
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Post by suktexas on Oct 6, 2010 10:22:50 GMT -5
how many people visit Iowa State Fair? $11000 for a 12X8, is it open all 3 sides? how do you do it if you do the Iowa State Fair? what do you sell as you mention you sell a lot of different products? if $2400 is the price that is very very cheep for 7 mill people, many state fairs we did were $250 to $400 a foot, and center loks were measured down front and side l.e 12x8 is money times 20 ft. Our last bill for the Iowa state fair was $11,000 |
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Post by traveler on Oct 6, 2010 11:36:42 GMT -5
Hi McWeir & a HUGE welcome. I would love to sit and talk with you on your experience on shows etc. I am sitting at the Texas State Fair as we speak & The economy has taken it's toll on this as well, but not as bad as it has in the No. Cal. area. What I am finding out about this 7 million people is that the fair counts ALL people. Even those that stream in to the sold out "mega death and Rush concerts" the last 2 weekends that don't pay entry fee to the fair itself. For the Cotton Bowl game they boasted 200,000 people but we only did $400 +- in sales for the day. (unheard of!!!) They were there for the beer and game, and not to buy... EVEN after the game. Glad to have your experience here on the board! if $2400 is the price that is very very cheep for 7 mill people, many state fairs we did were $250 to $400 a foot, and center loks were measured down front and side l.e 12x8 is money times 20 ft. Our last bill for the Iowa state fair was $11,000 |
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Post by traveler on Oct 6, 2010 11:41:53 GMT -5
Good luck getting into Iowa!!! It is the "lead in" to the Minnesota State Fair and 99% of the people do them in tandem. I am on the dreaded waiting list for both. If Minnesota has higher daily attendances than Texas, but isn't as long, and is why Texas is #1. I've heard Clay County Iowa Fair is also quite popular. I had considered trying for that one after I do South Dakota next year. It wouldn't be a bad run South. how many people visit Iowa State Fair? $11000 for a 12X8, is it open all 3 sides? how do you do it if you do the Iowa State Fair? what do you sell as you mention you sell a lot of different products? |
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Post by traveler on Oct 6, 2010 11:45:42 GMT -5
Most all new fair food comes from the Texas state fair. Yes, I had to try the fried bacon (YUM!) and Texas fried Cavier (ICK!) which was fried black eyed peas. Fried Snickers, fried twinkies, and even fried butter! They get daring out here. No low fat tofu "foo foo" out here!!! You can buy the mondo turkey legs, and even fried alligator. Though you will pay DEARLY for it! Lots of fun! |
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Post by mcwier on Oct 6, 2010 14:03:18 GMT -5
The Tx State fair is very good at promotion (we do every thing bigger in TX) The Iowa State fair has about 1.5 mil I think. I was on the midway with Blue Grass shows, very expensive real estate. we had a 12x8 lemonade joint and 2 climbing walls the last year there, grossed about $30,000 a year there and total cost was about $14,000. however the last year I made a big mistake, had all my nephews and nieces as workers, and made the mistake of trusting them, and didn't supervise like I should have, and several thousand $ walked out the gate in gene pockets. one of the lessons in the book vending 101. Working the midway, the loke rent is just the beginning of expenses. With a mega midway you can take the loke rent and double it, that will be pretty close to your actual cost. We traveled the state fair rout for about 7 years with 14 state fairs.
We were at East Hampton on 9/11, fairs still haven't recovered. The effect was immediate, we never made a profit (to brag about) at state fairs after 9/11. If I had it all to do over again, I would stay small and do smaller family owned fairs, and festivals, when all was said and done, even though some years we grossed over $200,000 we made no more take home then we did when we started, with a whole lot more head aches. I believe show vendors need to view vending as a normal job, or micro business, with the same income, but with the freedom of being your own boss. In the old days $10,000 a day was not unusual in the big shows, but those days are pretty much gone. It used to be food was the big money, but with the any thing goes and the cost of food spots today, that is no longer true. Some gold mines are still out there but like oil, they are harder to find.
In show business it is easy to get caught up in ego, and lose sight of the real goal, to make a living. I Have many friends still in food, because their food is sooooo much better then any one else's, well think about that for a minute, does any one coming in the gate know that !
Ego and money are two different things, that's why they call most of us starving artists. Today it takes a minimum of $1000 a week gross just to get by, anything less is an ad-vocation, or a hobby, not a vocation. There are ways to sell those ego boosting hand made earrings, or, neat hand made cloths, but still make money. That feeds both, the ego and, the kitty
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