Hot Tomato Ltd.’s Post

What can change in 11 years?    As summer fades, the fair season is just around the corner. And as always, it’s taking me back to my very first exhibition in 2013.    The difference is remarkable - not just in how our stand looks, but in how much we all have learned. Today, we know what to expect and the results a successful fair can bring.    It was in Sial 2013 that I met some of the most trusted business partners that we are still working with today.    But back in 2013, I attended it with a mix of excitement and worry. As an introvert, the idea of talking to so many people from around the world for five days straight felt daunting and even a little frightening. Add a language barrier, and the challenge seemed even greater.    Now, 11 years and countless fairs later - whether it's Sial, Anuga, or Expo West - I’ve come to appreciate the chaos, vibrancy, and long days. Instead of dread, I now look forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and building new partnerships.    Sial is just over a month away, and I’m eager to see what it holds for us this year. #FairSeason #CareLabDivas #InternationalBusiness

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When I first started doing craft fairs 25 years ago I thought it was the size of the fair that was the pinnacle of success. But like everything in this world, size doesn't matter! My first fair was at a huge steam rally and cost stupid amounts of money for the pitch fee. But I thought that I might as well start as I meant to go on and aim high! I sold 3 things and made less than a quarter of the pitch fee. But still I carried on booking big fairs because I thought that the bigger the fair the better I would do and the more money I'd make. I was totally wrong! I learnt the hard way, but it was a lesson well learnt because after those early days I started thinking about the location and type of fairs, finding the right ones, identifying my target audience and making more money. Nowadays I concentrate on doing fairs where I know my target audience will be. I do specific types of fairs that are pertinent to the type of products I make. But mainly I avoid huge fairs. Do you want to know why? When you do huge fairs you're a small fish in a huge pond of other craft stalls. People go to craft fairs to look at gorgeous things, they don't necessarily go to buy unless they see something they love, especially at the moment where people have to prioritise getting what they need rather than what they want. But with all the variety of a 40+ stall, enormous event visitors are spoilt for choice, they might not even see you and your stall lost in among all the others. Huge fairs dilute your chances of getting infront of your target audience as there are so many visitors. Over the years I've realised that it's much better to be a big fish in a smaller pond, at an event where we know our target audience will be. That's where the money is! If you'd like to learn more of these tips why not sign up to receive my newsletter and to go on the wait list for my Craft Fair Academy. The doors re-open in the summer! The link is here: https://bit.ly/3wx0JC7 Lots of love Sue xxxx

I just love flea markets and second-hand fairs. They offer an opportunity to dive into a stranger’s life, find out about their hobbies and habits, engage in thrilling conversations about items they are selling and on top of it all – you’re more than welcome to do all these things! From a seller’s perspective, besides cleaning up the clutter, you get to put on display all of the sides you may have kept for yourself up until now, letting random people view your book collection, parts of your wardrobe or even your grandma’s old tea kettle set. The last time I visited one of these, I bought some new plants, got the chance to speak about a band I really like with someone who was selling a t-shirt with their name on it, and I came across a book so fascinating and deep, that it shifted my perspectives on a lot of important matters. I even got free shots to drink with the sellers at one of the stands! And to think I would have missed out on all these fun and exciting experiences if I had skipped this seemingly ordinary and potentially boring event. I’d like to think that opening ourselves to various interactions and getting to know the depths of one another’s lives could only benefit everyone involved. You could meet a new friend, get into new communities, find ideas for new adventures or even just get free alcohol. Sounds like a win-win if you ask me. Apart from all these, it’s a chance for us to look around and say thanks for what we have, also for what we haven’t yet achieved. Say thanks for being physically able to attend, thanks for smelling the flowers, thanks for gathering the confidence (or for building it up for next time) to talk to strangers and get familiar with new lifestyles, and most importantly thanks for making the conscious choice to expose ourselves to the universe, acknowledging all the great stuff it has in store for us. So next time you stumble upon an ad for a local flea market, let yourself feel free and realize you don’t really have anything to lose by attending. After all, you know what they say about people’s trash and treasures. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up writing about it while boarding the train home, having just finished reading an amazing book you got from a complete stranger. :) #fleamarket #grateful #payostories

I know, sometimes it happens to me. I always try to paint everything beautiful, exciting, with more lights than the April Fair in Seville (Spain). And the truth is that yes, but no. The first days are sometimes difficult. They make you dizzy, they produce uncertainty and you will need time to see if you have got it right or if it will help you. And don't be scared, but they never end. You are always going to face situations like this, you are always going to feel those nerves and besides, the first days create more first days. And if you think about it, that's a wonderful thing. It didn't take long for my optimistic side to take control again, because if you think about it, the best things that have happened to you in your life started with the first day. There was a first day of driving school, thinking that people were not born to put a metal box with wheels at more than 100 per hour, but then there was a first car trip with friends. There was a first day of working up the courage to talk to that someone that is followed by an endless list of great first days. And yes, there was also a day when a genius decided that the April Fair could be extended until May. Surely he had his doubts on the first day, but he was right. Do you know something? If you want, there will soon be a free "first day" of the course for you. You will meet new colleagues, you will feel a little lost, you will doubt, you will learn... And much better ones will follow: you will have your first day in a new job that excites you, you will live the first day of buying yourself a treat with a better salary and if you ride well, you will have your first class dinner to take advantage of the good weather. Seen this way, are you up for your next "first day"?

Do You Know? Friendships forged on the fairway are unlike any other. Here’s why celebrating them matters: 1️⃣ A Bond Beyond the Game: Golf isn’t just a sport; it’s a shared journey of challenges, triumphs, and learning. Spending hours together strengthens connections in ways few other activities can. 2️⃣ Conversations That Count: The fairway fosters deep, meaningful conversations—whether about life, business, or dreams—far from the noise of daily distractions. 3️⃣ A Network Like No Other: Many lasting personal and professional relationships are built on the greens, turning casual rounds into invaluable opportunities. 4️⃣ Celebrating Wins, Big or Small: Whether sinking a perfect putt or just enjoying the camaraderie, every moment on the course is a reason to celebrate with those who matter. So next time you hit the fairway, take a moment to appreciate the friendships you’ve built and the memories yet to come. _Tag your golf buddy and share why they make the game unforgettable! #PSAGAmembers #PSAGA

😱 You did your best before a fair, but right after it you feel underwhelmed by poor results? Then you've probably successfully (and unintentionally) applied our "6 bulletproof strategies to come back from a fair empty-handed". In our new series on trade show marketing we aim to explore why your fair experience may not go how you’d imagined.   But before you consider already throwing in your towel, we will provide you with marketing solutions that will help you perform your best at the next industry fair. 👍   Today we’d like to make our first point:  If you want to 100% return from a fair with no leads, then come without any type of plan. No social media plan, no marketing plan, no plan of the fairgrounds. 🤷♂️ Don't explain why you are at the fair, just be as vague as possible on your social media posts. Only talk about your solution, not problems or challenges that your potential customers run into.  👻 To be fair (no pun intended), that’s the worst-case scenario. Most companies move between that and our best case scenario. So let us show you what you need to do to get your desired leads following our article that is linked below. 👇 #eworld #tradefairmarketing #eworldlikeaboss #howNOTtotradefair

Merge's marketing team gets me (and integrations) on such a deep level. To take it one step further for my #swifties on LinkedIn: Building in-house integrations is like being in a relationship thinking "I can Fix Him (No Really I can)." But after hundreds of hours of implementing ONE single integration, you realize not only do you have another 3 integrations to build but you also have to maintain and manage them in-house. Merge has written "The Manuscript" on offering third-party integrations at scale. Your team only needs to spend a "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)" to build into our unified APIs to offer hundreds of integrations. You're engineering team will be feeling "Fresh out the Slammer" with how seamless building and maintaining integrations can be. Once you start using Merge, you'll be thinking we're the "loml." The good news is, you don't have to wait until April 19th to hear more. DM me for a demo! 😉 #mergeapi #unifiedAPI #swifties #thetorturedpoetsdepartment #taylorswift #Integrations #integrationsolutions