Carpathia Club Easter Festival 2019

April 2019

I enjoyed my time at this event.  The event was well planned-out, super-affordable, with a nice diversity of vendors.  There were three book tables (mine and two others), spaced well throughout the room, which worked to everyone's benefit, I think.  There was plenty of space for people to walk about without feeling claustrophobic, and nice table neighbors.  An added bonus, there was the opportunity for families to bring their children to have photos taken with the Easter Bunny.  This event had everything going for it, except there was one major problem... a lack of marketing common sense.

The only place I saw any promotion at all was on Facebook, and there wasn't very much of it.  I shared whenever I could, but the organizers should have done more.  I'm a member of LOTS of online resources to list events in Michigan, and I didn't see this event listed anywhere.  

The event was held at a very nice German Community Club, the facilities were wonderful, clean, warm, with food available and lots of parking... but not one sign out front to let people driving by know that there was something exciting happening inside.  The club is situated in Sterling Heights, off Utica Road, with lots of free parking, and plenty of traffic going by, but no one was turning in because no one knew that we were there!  There was an "A" frame sign out front advertising the club's Friday Fish Fry, but no sign advertising this event.  The event organizers put a hand-written sign on the front door - but no one could see that from the road.

The fact that it was the day before Easter, and a particularly rainy day, didn't help the declining visitors... but certainly, there would have been more people visiting had they known the event was happening.  Many vendors were frustrated and went home early - which is never a good sign.

I sold some books, some people signed up for my newsletter, and I had a lovely conversation with my table neighbor... but I'm not sure I will attend this event if they host it next year.  At least, not unless they promise to do some more promotion.  It has lovely potential, but potential doesn't become real without marketing.