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Welcome to Shop to Give! We have rebranded our newsletter to emphasize our motto - Shop to Give - to remind everyone that shopping at our member charity fairs and buying from our stallholder members generates money for UK charities! CFA members proudly donated over £1.4 million to charities in 2016!
This year has passed so quickly since I took on the role of chairman. I was keenly aware that I had some very impressive footsteps to follow. The CFA has over 400 members that make up a very diverse group! We not only have two core member categories, and a huge range of member experience, but we also cover the entire country.
I am seeing the completion of many long-term projects started by my predecessors, Caroline Cary and Roger Williams, to improve and modernise the CFA experience. We have not only worked to expand our member support, but much work has been done on internal systems and IT. I am sure our members have noted the rolling renewals and expanded website, to name just two. In looking at these accomplishments, I would be remiss not to mention the work of our amazing Administrator, Annabel Peckham.
Just as I took over the chair, we lost our Treasurer. One of my first tasks was to find a replacement. I feel that our new Treasurer Sonia Ranger is a major addition to our management committee! Sonia and Annabel have managed a very smooth transition and Sonia is busy updating our accounting system and moving us to improve reporting and ease information flow with the Administrator.
Attendance at our AGM in Henley grows each year. The whole programme is designed to educate our members and maximize interaction between stallholders and fair organisers. The speed presentations allow existing stallholders to market their products to a large number of fair organisers at just one venue in a short amount to time. Adding to the excitement of the day is the new stallholders exhibitions that are available for viewing.
We are aware that Henley can be far to travel for some of our members. To address this, we have just held our first Northern Meeting at a fabulous venue in Harrogate at Ripley Castle and we hope to do a regional meeting every year. At Ripley over 30 members attended a day of workshops. We had new and experienced fair organisers and stallholders. It was the first time we have run workshops with both member groups working together. It was an amazing learning opportunity for all of us! I found it satisfying to be able to share some of my experiences with my group, but I feel that I also
benefitted! I came away with several pages of notes and new ideas!
Our current focus is to provide more guidance and reference points for our members. First, we are currently updating the CFA Guide. Originally only one guide, the entire CFA committee has worked to update and expand the information into two guides, one for stallholders and one for fair organisers.
Another advantage of CFA membership is access to a pool of incredibly experienced stallholders and fair organisers. Members often come to the committee with questions that remind us of current issues faced by the membership. Sometimes the question is something that a committee member can answer. Sometimes the question becomes a presentation topic at the AGM. An example of this would be the data protection presentation at the last AGM. Note, the CFA does NOT act for, nor provide legal advice, to members. What we strive to do is work to keep our members up to date on important issues.
Finally, we continue to develop our member workshops and conferences. Annabel Peckham has been instrumental in developing programmes including social media training and mock sessions for fair organisers and stallholders. In one mock fair organiser session, attendees (both real fair organisers and stallholders) select stallholders for an imaginary fair. I have joined the groups in this seemingly simple exercise. The discussion and interplay was astounding and I think everyone gained from the experience.
For this article I reviewed the last chairman’s comments. Just like Roger, I still feel there is a lot to do. (Some things never change!) We need to expand our networking, build the CFA profile and support our members. To that end, I see another busy year! The CFA management committee is fabulous to work with. We would not have our current success without the entire team! We all benefit from their willingness to share their expertise and their time!
Have a good summer and let’s all work to a successful fair season!
FROM THE CHAIRMANMelissa Taylor
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Chair - Melissa Taylor(Friends of Trinity Hospice Fair - Wandsworth)
Treasurer - Sonia Ranger
Administrator – Annabel Peckham
Susie Palmer (SusieP Accessories)
Christina Tomlinson (Armadillo Jewellery)
Nicky Squire (Fair Organiser (Retired)
Susie Wyld (Macmillan Christmas Shopping Fair)
Penny Lakin (Juniper Trading)
Michael Von Taubenheim (Hallmark Interiors)
Amanda Jalland (Hartington Creamery)
Management Committee
CONTENTS1 / ‘From the Chairman’Melissa Taylor
3 / ‘From the Hon. Treasurer’ Sonia Ranger
3 / ‘From the Administrator’ Annabel Peckham
5 / Managing Customer Data Christina Tomlinson
5 / How Fair Organisers track Stallholders Insurance Nicola Squire
6 / Communication between Fair Organisers and Stallholders Annabel Peckham
7 / Making Tax Digital Sonia Ranger
8 / The Northern Meeting/Workshop Kate Williams
9 / How to Take Payments Susie Palmer
10 / How to be a Good StallholderMichael Von Taubenheim
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Dates for your Diary
30/09/17 Insurance cover runs out for all those who joined the CFA before 1 March 2016. If you do not renew you will not be insured to do the fairs.
16/01/18 Annual Conference/AGM at Phyllis Court, Henley on Thames including New Members Gallery, Speed Pres-entations, issue of Fairs List and Stallholders Directory.
20/01/18 Fairs List/Calendar published on the website.
Spring/Summer 2018 Regional Meeting/Workshop with Stallholder Gallery Date and venue to be decided
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FOR SALE www.claremontclothing.com - established 1998.We have fairs booked for the Autumn as well as
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Call 07949 879343 or email [email protected]
9 Months to 31 March 2017
Firstly I would like to say that I am delighted to join the CFA as it’s new Hon Treasurer.
2017 has been a steady year with a small increase in stallholder memberships to 342 members (2016: 329) and a slight fall in fair memberships at 92 (2016:101). This has resulted in an increase in the income for the 9 months to March 17 to £46,461 (2016: £46,259).
Expenditure likewise has not changed significantly during the period at £39,209 (2016: 39,640). The website expenditure decreased in 2017 at £3,146 (2016: 6,770), however there was an increased spend in expenses for the Northern Recce and for photocopying and printing costs related to this.
The over all cash reserves of the CFA at the 31st March 2017 remain healthy at £49,319 (2016: £44,980).
Going forward, it is anticipated that as a result of the Northern Marketing campaign there will be an increase in membership income for 2018.
We are planning – in line with HMRC’s Making Tax Digital plans – on moving the CFA accounts on to a digital accounting platform for 2018.
May I wish you all a successful year ahead.
The end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 has been incredibly busy for the CFA in many ways and new territory has been trod!!!! From talking to our members 2016 was again a tricky trading year both for the fairs and the stallholders (SHs) and ever more ingenuous ways are being sought to attract punters and customers in the more competitive world. The CFA too are trying to keep ahead of the game for our members and offering ways or advice to combat the various difficulties out there as I will cover in this report. Despite all this, our fairs managed to donate over £1.4 million to their various Charites in 2016. Although slightly down on 2015 one of our major donating fairs only happens once every other year and it did not happen in 2016.
You will see the Summer Newsletter has a new look to it this year in that it now called SHOP TO GIVE 2017. This is because it has really got beyond a newsletter. As the ‘clue is now in the title’ hopefully it may attract more press interest as I send it out again to the media. The front cover is given over to our SHs this year. The request for logos to go on the front cover for free got more
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response than any email I have sent out (I can’t imagine why!!) with the first logo coming back before I had even finished the mail merge! Fantastic! We have also had a very good uptake on the advertising with our Gold, Silver and Bronze Star packages all being patronised. So watch out for Gold and Silver Star members having their adverts in the Stallholder Directory and the new look Fairs List in January. In addition, every new member joining the CFA will receive their flyer in their welcome packs. A great all year round reinforcement of their businesses.
Our SH numbers have increased, which is great; but not necessarily just through new people joining. More members are renewing which is fantastic as it shows we are offering more reasons for our SHs to remain members. The figures speak for themselves:01/09/14-31/08/15 247 renewed 75 joined01/09/15-31/08/16 267 renewed 62 joined
As we go to press we have 342 SH members. I am concerned as I have gone round to the fairs and chatted to our SHs, I can feel that there is a resentment that the CFA is growing in its SH numbers. They see this growth as making it more difficult to get into the fairs. I should remind everyone that actually non CFA members can and do apply for CFA fairs; Therefore whether they are a member or not, there is still competition. We are always looking for ways to improve our members’ package and these are the benefits you continue to have year after year as a CFA member:
A) Speed Presentations and networking at the conference – an invaluable opportunity to network with Fair Organisers (FOs) B) The invaluable Fairs List and contacts for all the member fairs C) Entry in the Stallholders Directory. Judging by the enthusiasm of the FOs to get their copy and indeed buy more copies, is a great publication for SH supportD) Very competitive insurance E) Annual meetings/workshops and future chances to display your stalls there to FOsF) Fairs, marketing, trading, social media, advice etc readily available through the newsletter, conference, networking among members and your ever trusty committee!
I mentioned that we are trying to help our members with the challenging times we are facing. Here is how!
Data protection is one of the most challenging aspects for FOs. Currently some are literally seeing their mailing lists shrinking before their eyes. However they are fighting back and coming up with all sorts of ways to work within the law and gather permission to send out email invites for the fairs. Christina Tomlinson (Armadillo Jewellery) gave a great presentation at the conference about this and has very kindly produced the article for the newsletter.
Tax systems are changing! Sonia, our new treasurer, has very kindly written a brief résumé of how this will work.
Taking payments is also changing. There are now
From The Hon TreasurerSonia Ranger
From The AdministratorAnnabel Peckham
many different options on ways to take money and trying to beat the frustration of failing Wi-Fi is ongoing. Susie Palmer (Susie P Accessories) has very kindly researched this and her article is here.
Insurance is always a concern. It is critical that our members are covered when doing the fairs. Nicola Squire (Ardingly October Charity Fair) has very kindly produced a system of checking her SHs are insured when they do her fair, which she has very kindly shared with us here.
Increasing footfall through Social Media is a battle for all fairs. All our fairs in 2016 went on our Face Book, Twitter and Website. This year we are doing a paid Face Book post boost for all our fairs. This is going very well. The reach for every fair is going up to between 1000-2000 with varying numbers of post clicks, likes and shares etc. I will be asking all the FOs if they wish to give incentives to help LIKES and SHARES. I usually target a 50 mile radius to the fair but this varies depending on the location of the fair.
The CFA Guide to Stallholders and Fair Organisers is having a serious revamp! We are working to bring the guides in line with the modern demands of our members – and yes “guides” as there will be one for fairs and one for SHs. The guides will include more advice on terms and conditions, health and safety, after sales service, fair application forms, etc
The applying for fairs process is always complex. As a result of the email I sent out on the subject of reply dates, it was very clear that this area is a minefield. We have therefore been working on suggestions to help the situation which is in my article later on.
Northern Meeting/Workshop this June was our first
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regional meeting/workshop and it proved so successful that we plan to continue this annually. This regional meeting was also the first time we brought together FOs and SHs in workshops targeting current issues facing our members. In addition, SHs set up their stalls to show their wares to the attending FOs. This all proved incredibly beneficial and it will be our model for next year as well. Kate Williams (Wirral Bazaar) has very kindly written a piece about it.
Name Badges the Committee has agreed that every member should be issued with a free name badge. Currently only new members joining are given one. This will have 2 purposes. Firstly it will help SHs to comply with Trading Standards in that they have their name on their stall. Secondly it will help members to be identified as part of the CFA. We hope this will help potential members be able to approach current members to ask for more information or even references if they are applying to join. These badges should be issued when our members next renew (apart from those who already have them).
I hope that this proves an interesting and informative newsletter for you and that you all have a very good trading year and may the punters flock to the fairs. Please do remember I am here to help and I am only at the end of a phone or email if you need anything. Your suggestions are always welcome and as you can see if they are workable we instigate them!
Bonnie and Grace networking with fair organisers in the New Members Gallery
Susie P Accessories doing the Speed Presentations to fair organisers-great opportunity for our existing members
AGM/CONFERENCE
* Thank you very much for all your work on the AGM, it was a great day, I learned alot, and met some great people (and companies!). (Fair organiser)
*A very heartfelt thank you for all you and your organisations hard work with the AGM and meeting at Henley. Very thoughtfully and comprehensively orchestrated, and extremely useful. (Stallholder)
*It really was impressive and despite seeming distracted was enthralled by info given out and prepared by you all plus happy to see friends plus terrified by speed dating (Stallholder)
*What a great day! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Brilliantly run, lovely to see familiar faces and to see some great new products. (Fair organiser)
NORTHERN MEETING/WORKSHOP
*The meeting was most helpful and SO well organised. Hopefully we have got some more nice stalls. It is not always easy being so far North (Fair organiser)
*Thank you for your support at the CFA meeting last Monday. As you know I had a rather good selling day and …. 3 invitations to Fairs !! (Stallholder)
*Having never attended a CFA event before, it was the perfect way to gain invaluable feedback from stallholders and share ideas with other fair organisers in a relaxed atmosphere (Fair organiser)
CFA Testimonials
By Christina Tomlinson
Collecting information about our customers or visitors is hugely beneficial. It helps us to grow our businesses and events by building relationships with these people and, depending upon the information we have about them, helps us target the message to their specific interests or needs.
The Data Protection Act that we currently use (or should use) was introduced in 1998 to protect the information each person shares about themselves with all businesses and organisations, whatever the size.
The act makes it mandatory for every ‘data controller’ (individual, organisation, shop or website that collects and processes personal information, such as a person’s name, address, phone number etc.) to adhere to a set of standards relating to how the data is kept and what is done with it.
In summary, the Data Protection Act states that Information about individuals must be:
• used fairly and lawfully
• used for limited and specifically stated purposes
• used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive
• accurate
• kept for no longer than absolutely necessary
• handled according to people’s data protection rights
• kept safe and secure
• not transferred outside the EU without adequate protection
Of course, since 1998 when it was introduced, there has been exponential growth of the internet and data that is shared, held, used (and abused) there. Consequently, in June 2018 the UK will be falling into line with a new European directive called the EU General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR); it can perhaps be summed up as “Data Protection with Teeth” in that every individual and all organisations who collect personal data will need to be compliant and to document their data trails or risk prosecution or fines.
There will be plenty of publicity and information available
so we all understand what needs to be done to ensure our compliance before next June. In the meantime, there are things that we can all look at to check we are towing the line of the current Data Protection Act so we can be better prepared for GDPR.
One of the key areas relates to Customer Consent relating what data we collect and how we store and use it.
In order to collect and keep/store an individual’s data, consent must be specifically sought by the gatherer and expressly given by the customer. Consent should never be assumed.To give a specific example, most customers will complete their personal details (name, address, email address etc) when making an online order. Their consent to use these details (eg to confirm the order and mail it out) relates to this transaction only and the operator of the website cannot use these details to make further contact with the customer unless the customer has in some way actively indicated that they are happy to receive further communication e.g. by checking a box to receive an emailed newsletter.
Taking this further, consent should be obtained for each type of content (email, phone, mail) and even before publishing customer reviews, including anonymously.
A customer’s information must never be sold on or shared with another organisation (even another part of the same company) unless consent has been expressly given.
Every individual who shares their information has the right to be forgotten (removed from database or mailing list) and it is the responsibility of the data user to actively provide opt-out methods, such as unsubscribe links on emails or contact numbers clearly shown on printed documents.
Ensuring that we are compliant in the area of consent, will advance us a long way towards being GDPR-ready. It is something we can all do from now by examining and amending/ refining the ways we collect and handle information about our customers/visitors.
The website ico.org.uk (Information Commissioners Office) has clear information on all aspects of data management and should provide an extremely useful resource for Fair Organisers and Stallholders alike as we prepare for GDPR.
MANAGING CUSTOMER DATA
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Christina Tomlinson tackling the issue of Managing Customer Data at the AGM/Conference 2017
IN 2016 OUR CHARITY FAIRS
DONATED NEARLY £1.4
MILLION BETWEEN THEM TO
THEIR CHARITIES
Andy Lannon doing the PAT testing at the AGM/Conference 2017
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By Nicola Squire (Ardingly October Charity Fair)
A great advantage of being a CFA member – insurance! All CFA stallholders (SHs) have Personal Accident Insurance as part of their membership. They can choose to take the insurance the CFA offers for PPEL (Personal, Public & Employers Liability) or go with another company.
This CFA insurance lapses when their membership is not renewed, so it is vital for you as fair organisers (FOs) to check SH insurance near to your event. Whilst you can ask SHs for their insurance details on the Booking Form or in the T&Cs, and require a copy of the valid insurance certificate, the insurance may well be out of date when the fair happens. Many fairs now require at the fair, presentation of the SHs’ valid insurance certificate and also require proof of valid ‘PAT testing’ if any electrical goods are used.
Fair Organisers need an easy way to track this. One way is if Fair Organizers’ have a spreadsheet ready as the applications/bookings are coming in, it is then easy to fill in the relevant details for referring to near the fair. You can include columns for ‘CFA member expiry’, ‘Insurance expiry’ and ‘PAT test expiry’ with the relevant dates. Highlight those dates that are before your fair. Include the email addresses in your spreadsheet to make it easy to email.
In your email be sure to put any one you are emailing in under ‘BCC’ to protect the names of email list. In fact, as a reminder, you should BCC for this and any other general mailing! Then no one you email will be able to see the others.
6 weeks before your fair, email a general letter to the relevant SHs and ask them to email copies of their new certificates to you. And again, don’t forget to BCC!
THE CFA GUIDE VERSION ON STALLHOLDER INSURANCE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FAIR ORGANISERS AND STALLHOLDERS AND HOW WE HOPE TO IMPROVE IT
Annabel Peckham – CFA Administrator
You may recognise these words in an email that I sent out to the membership. As a result I got many replies of support, complaints and suggestions. It is obviously a subject that our members feel passionately about and rightly so as it is key to a successful trading year and a well organised fair. We have acted on the many suggestions that were sent in and our actions to try to improve the situation are at the end of the article. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to reply with very constructive comments.
I receive a number of complaints each year from both SHs not hearing back from fairs they have applied for and FOs not hearing back from SHs who they have invited to come to their fair. This causes a lot of irritation on both sides and in fact can exacerbate the problem with both sides awaiting answers. It is important to realise that an application to a fair starts an entire cascade of communication not only between the specific FO to which the SH applied, but to many, many other FOs and SHs. As one can imagine, any delay in replies and acceptance or rejections or confirmation – even though the delay may be for a good reason – can slow communications and cause delays to everyone else.
To try to help the situation we have written an annex on communication between FOs and SHs to go in the CFA Guide for FOs and SHs which you get on joining the association. Here is the Annex below which you may like to read to help you understand why you might not be getting any answers!
STALLHOLDERSWhy SHs need prompt replies from FOs
* They can plan their diaries regarding other fairs whose dates clash – this is happening more frequently as fairs chase the most popular dates, in November especially. They may have held back applying to Fair B in the hope of an acceptance from Fair A. If it’s not forthcoming, they can then apply to Fair B* They can gauge/order the amount of stock they will be requiring for the season. The trade fairs start early in the year* If an SH is doubling up they can organise staff early and any extra display material and props etc* As more and more events are looking for early bookings, the diary for the year is generally planned before the end of February. Having all options available by then is important for planning
Why SHs may not be giving prompt answers to FOs
*They may be waiting for an answer from another fair on the same day*They may be a long way from the fair and therefore waiting to see if they are accepted for other fairs in the
NEARLY 3,500 VISITED THE
HOMEPAGE OF THE WEBSITE
FROM JAN-JUN 2017
area to make it worth the trip.*Often the accepting process involves full payment for the event, if they are delayed in sending in forms it could be due to juggling cash flow!
FAIR ORGANISERSWhy FOs may delay replying to SHs
*Balance of the fair - FOs have to construct the most attractive range of products to attract the maximum number of attendees. They therefore have to wait to hear from their first choices SHs before they can reply to their next SHs in the category
*FOs may have an unexpected change of venue and will have to redesign the layout or number of SHs
Why FOs need prompt replies from SHs* To ensure the balance of the fair, the FOs need commitment from the SHs as soon as possible
* The FO cannot reply to the secondary SH until they have heard from the first choice SH
EASIEST AND MOST COST EFFEECTIVE WAYS OF LETTING SHs KNOW THE ANSWER TO THEIR APPLICATION
A standard acceptance or rejection letter/email is key and there is an example of a rejection letter/email below. There is a sample of an acceptance letter at the back of the current CFA Guide for FOs and SHs. If all your SHs have sent in an SAE it is probably easiest and cheapest to print off a lot of the letters and just stuff the envelopes and send them off. If you are accepting email applications you will have the SH email addresses. If you can make a spreadsheet of all these and use mail merge or even just copying and pasting the email content, this could be a cheap and efficient way to do the task. It is appreciated that the number of stallholders each fair has to contact varies hugely but hopefully they can develop a system that works well for them.
EXAMPLE OF A REJECTION EMAIL/LETTER
Dear ……………………………………..
Very many thanks for applying to this year’s ABCDE Fair. As usual, the numerous applicants have given us an exciting choice.
Each year we like to change the mix of stalls to keep the fair fresh, fun and lively for our visitors – we are really sorry we cannot ask you this year.
Our annual fair is a major fund raiser for the Charity and hopefully we can encourage you to apply again next year. All the best for this year.
-
So it is all about FOs and SHs communicating with each other. Perhaps with more understanding of each groups’ requirements, more communication can be forthcoming and this will help the fair circuit to plan more effectively.
ACTIONS THE CFA ARE TAKING AS A RESULT OF YOUR SUGGESTIONS
1. ‘APPLY BY’ and ‘REPLY BY’ dates on the FOs renewal form will have more of an explanation so that the FOs understand what they are for. Currently there seems to be some confusion about them.
2. It was suggested that there are too many fairs on the same dates, particularly in November. Although this can be a perennial problem, the FOs renewal email will now have the dates of the bigger fairs on such as Spirit of Christmas, Country Living etc. FOs will also be invited to call me to check the dates for their fair against ones I might know about. Many of our fairs do not have flexibility on their dates for obvious reasons but for those that do, hopefully this will help.
3. There were complaints that there are too many different ways to apply to fairs, ie by post, email, application form. The format of the CFA FOs renewal form has been changed so that FOs can give their preferred options of applying to their fairs. These will show up on the Fairs List both on-line and in the hard copy.
4. SHs complain that they are told a fair is full before the fair’s ‘Apply by’ date. Unfortunately this is the way of the fairs world. The FOs, in order to book the SHs that do the best at their fair, will book them as soon as they can. If they waited till the ‘apply by’ date to start contacting SHs that SH may already be booked. Advice to the SHs will be to apply as early as possible and this will be written on both the on-line Fairs list and the hard copy.
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By Sonia Ranger CFA Treasurer
Making Tax Digital (MTD) is a key part of the government’s plans to make it easier for both individuals and businesses to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs. They will be able to register, file, pay tax and update their information online reducing the need to fill in an annual tax return. All self employed individuals, landlords and incorporated entities with business income over £10,000 will be required to keep digital records of all their income and expenditure and submit these records electronically to HMRC. Those in employment who have secondary income of more than £10,000 per year through self-employment or property will also be affected. Updates to HMRC will need to be made at least quarterly and taxpayers will have an option to pay based on their quarterly submissions if they wish. Any activity at the end of the year must be concluded and sent either by ten months after the last day of the accounting period, or by 31st January, whichever is sooner.
MAKING TAX DIGITAL - WHAT DOES IT MEAN? HOW WILL IT AFFECT ME?
MTD will mean many small business’s making changes to the way they keep their records as these will need to be done digitally using either the free HMRC software (for businesses with straightforward tax affairs) or a third party commercial (preferably cloud based) accounting software such as Sage, Quickbooks or Xero.
Although this can all be a bit daunting for those not currently keeping their records digitally there are definite benefits of MTD to small businesses: • Improved quality of record keeping• Reduced likelihood of error• More efficient management of business affairs• Less time gathering and inputting data The changes are being introduced gradually and the government has published a timetable of who will be affected when, as follows: April 2018 - Self-employed individuals and landlords with income over the VAT threshold (currently £85,000); those in employment who have a secondary income through self-employment or property more than the VAT threshold.
April 2019 - Self-employed individuals and landlords with income above £10,000 and less that the VAT threshold; Those in employment who have secondary income of more than £10,000 and less than the VAT threshold through self-employment or property; Self-employed individuals, landlords and incorporated entities who are registered for and pay VAT.
April 2020 - Incorporated entities who pay Corporation Tax.
There are some exemptions from MTD and these include:- • Small businesses, self-employed people and landlords with an annual turnover of less than £10,000 p.a.
• Those with a secondary income below £10,000 p.a.
• Charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs
• Digitally exempt (A person who is a practicing member
of a religious society or order whose beliefs are incompatible with the use of electronic communications; and persons for whom Making Tax Digital is not reasonably practicable for reasons of disability, age, remoteness of location, or any other reason). There is a wealth of information on-line about Making Tax Digital with maybe the first port of call being the HMRC website. The accounting software companies are looking at this as a real opportunity to increase their customer base and services and as such are offering lots of help, advice and ongoing support to all potential new customers wishing to buy their software or existing customers want to move to their cloud based systems. For further information:
www.gov.uk
www.sage.co.uk
www.quickbooks.co.uk
www.xero.com
By Kate Williams (Wirral Bazaar)
The CFA’s first northern meeting/workshop took place at Ripley Castle, with a number of northern Fair Organisers attending, along with a board range of Stallholders. It proved to be the perfect way to gain invaluable feedback from Stallholders and share ideas with other Fair Organisers in a relaxed atmosphere.
The morning’s session focused on assisting Fair Organisers increase footfall to their events, predominantly through the use of social media. It was recognised that this is a hugely valuable marketing tool, especially as it’s free, and it was interesting to hear how others use Facebook and Twitter to benefit their events. It was agreed that there was a value to “boosting” posts by paying a relatively small fee to advertise to a targeted audience. Interestingly, the Stallholders also advocated the use of paper flyers/invitations, and by sending these out to the Stallholders a few months in advance they could actively market the events to their existing customers and potential new visitors to the fairs.
After lunch and a change of groups, we reviewed Stallholders fair applications. This enabled Stallholders to understand how their applications are reviewed by committees. It was agreed that the descriptions of the goods that the Stallholder is selling needs to be clear and descriptive - anything too generic, such as “cashmere wraps” meant that the committees would be less likely to pick that application over another selling the same type of items. Stallholders also provided the Fair Organisers with ideas as to how the forms can be improved and made more user friendly. One of the most interesting outcomes was being able to see stalls “in the flesh” and how different they can be from their applications. It also allowed us all the opportunity to shop!
Having never attended a CFA meeting or workshop before, I would urge members to attend - thank you for organising such an interesting day.
THE NORTHERN MEETING/WORKSHOP, RIPLEY CASTLE JUNE ‘17
MCC Bazaar organisers enjoying banter with Tektrade and Magnetix Wellness in the corner
Armadillo Jewellery, Cardology and Tynedale Fair discussing what make a fair application stand out
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By Susie Palmer (Susie P Accessories)
At the recent AGM, there was a question from the floor which was close to all our hearts: namely how we can best prepare ourselves to take secure payments at the point of sale. We therefore thought that if we undertook a little research, it may clarify the options available to you. In no way do we propose to tell you what’s right for your own company and there are probably yet more options that we haven’t uncovered, but we hope we’ll give you an idea of what’s out there making it easier for you to further investigate yourselves.
Generally speaking, you can divide how you take your card payments into systems using either the mobile phone network or WiFi. Both require a terminal of some sort and most importantly, both will ensure that your payment is authorised before you part with your goods!
Using the Mobile Phone Network (GPRS not 3G or 4G)There are any number of companies that you could choose to work with. They will all provide you with a mobile terminal that sits on a charging station connected to power. The terminal will generally work for 12ish hours before needing to be recharged and it’s recommended that they sit on the charging station when not in use so that updates come through automatically.
Contract times and charges will vary but will generally involve a monthly rental for the terminal plus transaction fees based on which type of card has been used to make payment, an authorisation fee etc. Most cards will be accepted apart from American Express and you need to assess the quality and availability of their support and their security arrangements. Payment will be taken by magnetic strip, chip and pin or contactless (but check this last option).
As we all know, there are plenty of venues where the signal is weak, intermittent or non-existent, in which case you need to have a fall-back position. Typically, this involves taking card details and entering them when you have a signal again or, if you have a manual machine with slips, posting the slips for authorisation which with some companies, can attract higher charges than usual. Neither of these are secure and can lead to non-payment.
Companies to consider and talk to include:
Worldpay http://business.worldpay.com/Payzone https://www.payzone.co.uk/Chip & Pin Solutions http://www.chipandpinsolutions.co.uk/Card Machine Solutionshttp://www.cardmachinesolutions.co.uk/Barclaycard https://www2.barclaycard.co.uk/
TAKING SECURE PAYMENTS AS A STALLHOLDER
Using WiFiThe alternative to this is a terminal that works when connected to either WiFi or a 3G/4G network which are becoming more widely available now. Once you’ve chosen your merchant partner, you need to download their own free app to your device (be that your mobile phone or ipad) and you connect your terminal to your device by either cable or via Bluetooth. You then connect to the networks by having access to the venues password or by connecting to your own mobile hotspot.
iZettle and PayPal are the big players. Both operate in much the same way and are very reputable and well known. Both accept most credit cards and should take contactless payments but double check before you confirm anything. For example, iZettle’s Card Reader Lite does not do contactless. Magnetic swipe, chip & PIN or signature methods are usual. They have the advantage that customers’ emails can be obtained and - with their permission - be added to your database and by linking with an email marketing service such as MailChimp, used for future marketing campaigns. You can also email receipts and in some cases, produce sales reports, reports by item, sales person etc.
In terms of pricing, a one-off charge for the terminal is made – so no monthly rentals – plus transaction charges which are typically between 1% and 2.75% depending upon turnover. All terminals need to be kept fully charged via the docking station which is supplied with the terminal and once charged, should operate for up to 8 hours or between 100 and 200 transactions, depending upon the type of terminal.
Worldpay also offer a WiFi terminal on a monthly rental contract plus transaction charges so it’s worth talking to them too before you decide anything. However, be aware that emails cannot be gathered nor receipts emailed.
Useful contacts include:iZettle https://www.izettle.com/gb PayPal https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchantWorldpay http://business.worldpay.com/
Mobile Hotspots: These are useful devices when you find yourself in an area with neither a GPRS mobile phone nor WiFi connection. They come in the form of a small device (we’ll call it a dongle) that’s small enough to fit into your pocket or handbag or you can use your smartphone if it has the facility.
i) Dongles - such as those from Alcatel and Verizon - act as tiny, battery-powered WiFi base stations. Put simply, they act as portable hotspots that tap into 3G and/or 4G cellular networks, just like a smartphone does, and then wirelessly shares its data connection with other nearby (within 30 feet or so) WiFi-enabled gadgets—typically, between 3 and 8 or more at a time, depending on the device and the carrier. Dongles need to recharged regularly.
ii) Or, you can use your smartphone if it has the facility to act as a hotspot – go to settings and see if it has a ‘hotspot’ or ‘tethering’ option. It’ll use your mobile data
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The Truckle Cheese Company offer a range of Mature Ched-dar, Lancashire and Blue Truckle Cheeses as well as Chutneys,
Pate’s, Hampers and gift packs. Each year we introduce new products and 2017/18 is no exception with our new ‘Perfect
Six Pack’, our Celebration Wedding, Christening and Birthday Cheese Cakes and our new Sticky Figgy Chutney.
Orders can be placed on line from Mid August 2017 from www.trucklecheese.co.uk or [email protected]
VERY HAPPY TO DO FAIRS PLEASE CONTACT ADRIAN NICHOLS on 01386 760 000 / 07436 813542 or
[email protected] or [email protected] (from mid-August)
Facebook: TheTruckleCheeseCompanyTwitter: TruckleCheeseCo
allowance but having spoken to Vodafone, 2GB of data should be easily sufficient for a days’ usage if it’s only used for taking payment and not watching movies – fat chance I hear you say!
Just one very important point to remember if you take card payments and that is to make sure that you keep your customers’ data safe and that you and/or your merchant provider are PCI DSS compliant. PCI DSS is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and is a worldwide standard that was set up to help businesses process card payments securely and reduce card fraud. See http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/security/what_is_PCI%20DSS.asp for more information.
If only cash was still king we’d have little use for any of this information but we also know that by accepting card payments, we can increase our sales quite considerably! So, it makes sense to ensure that we all have the most reliable and cost-effective systems that will work for each of us, no matter what our business. Happy (and Safe) Selling to Everyone.
NB. Whilst this is based on research conducted to the best of our ability, we strongly suggest that you visit the individual websites and have discussions with any partners that you are considering working with before proceeding.
By Michael Von Taubenheim
BE POLITE - BE NICE - BE HONEST!
*Turn up on time at the right venue on the correct day……!
*Remember to park/unload as quickly as possible, removing your vehicle to the designated stallholder car park, leaving room close to the event for the buying public.
*Remember what size table you have booked. Six foot? Eight foot? Twelve foot? And did you book extra rail space too?
*Consider the layout of your stall. It is vital for it to be very portable, easy to set up and yet professional and enticing.
*Be respectful of your neighbour and your neighbour’s space.
*Good lighting (fully PAT tested each year) helps attract customers but make sure it doesn’t shine in your neighbour’s eyes.
*Always display your trading name (signboard on card, CFA name badge etc) which will then cover you for trading standards.
*Customers expect good service, good clean pricing, personal grooming and good manners are standard. Don’t be sitting down or on your phone and most importantly smile!
*Try to be on the stall yourself as a stand in never really hits the targets you would achieve yourself.
HOW TO BE A GOOD STALLHOLDER
*Make sure your insurances are in place for your stall and employees. Personal Accident plus Public, Product and Employers Liability (PPEL). Make sure your stock is insured (maybe on your house policy) and of course make sure your vehicle insurance covers you for both and business use and goods in transit.
*Whilst fair organisers try to inform customers that most stallholders only accept cash and cheques, it is really advisable to invest/rent a credit card machine for ‘the season’ making sure it has a roving mobile signal facility.
*You may want to do a mailing to potential and existing customers, if you are in their area, which will spur them on to come to the event and swell the numbers. You can use the relevant fair’s flyers for this.
*You are responsible for your own float/cashbox. Always bring more than you think you will need. The first sales of the morning always seem to involve a £50 note!
*Never pack up early, however tempting even if it hasn’t been as good a success as you had hoped. This reminds me of a couple who exited a Gloucestershire fair early through a window at the back of their stall…….
*Take your rubbish home with you and pay your commission promptly.
*Lastly be good humoured and remember to enjoy your day. You could be in a full time job and stuck on the M25 all day every day – not just coming to the fair that day!
Live Music
Steam Engines
Jumparoo
Sunday 6th August 10am-5pm Wilton Park
In aid of Salisbury Hospice Charity T: 01722 416353
E: [email protected] www.wessexcountryfair.co.uk
Stallholders Wanted: [email protected]
01722 416353
GOOD QUALITY CHARITY FAIRS WANTED TO JOIN OUR “SHOP TO GIVE” COMMUNITY
Last year all our fairs jointly donated £1.4 million – why not be a part of that?
*Marketing/Social media support therefore helping to increase footfall
*Pool of 340 vetted and insured stallholders*Listing on the CFA Fairs list
*Excellent Fair Organisers Guide with hints and tips
*Annual Conference, relevant workshops, networking
*Annual magazine ‘Shop to Give’ with current relevant articles
*Free support from Management committeeFairs of all sizes welcomed!
“Thank you to the CFA for the excellent directory of stallholders”
“The CFA has been an inspiration for me as a fair organiser with tips, ideas and so many great ways to run our event”
FOR CONTACT DETAILS SEE FRONT COVER
