hello, hot sauce shows are generally small, even when they advertise that they are the biggest. when comparing to other events in the country, they are small. a big 5k person hotsauce event is very, very small when there are 400k+ people festivals and countless 100k+ people non hotsauce festivals. making bank at these non-hotsauce festivals is fun! we meet thousands of NEW people from every walk of life at every event. We have learned sooo much about people. this is what we learn; 55% of people like spicy! Every person knows at least 10 people, out of that 10 people they know at least four who like it spicy. so.... for every one person you meet there is 4 more potential customers. those are good numbers if your trying to advertise or market your business. ive found that the numbers speak more loudly in a non-hotsauce themed festival. if your into education or enlightening of others..... the festival goer is ready to listen to some chile talk, especially on the science and health benefits. not so much at hotsauce events wheas the potential customer is usually pretty verses in their chile knowledge. granted, hot sauce shows are filled generally with hot sauce lovers and chileheads increasing your chance of sales based on the actual theme of the event. but....most times, the event goer is looking to buy for themselves or someone very very close to them, or looking for a new product to carry at their store. the people are very much into taste testing every single item the vendors have and most times, leave with just a few items. whereas with regular festivals, people feel compelled to purchase items for friends, colleagues, family, co-workers or their children as if its a last chance buy. especially for xmas gifts. being a chile company at a generic event makes you stand out too. customers easily become the coolest co-worker bringing into work some hot spicy candies or a dried reaper pod for that crazy IT specialist to try or some seeds to grow. your going to increase your odds of marketing much more than a 5k person hot sauce event that usually is double if not triple the cost of a much bigger crowded festival. just my experience and our companies experience. numbers dont lie either. the week after we do a huge festival we see a peak of 20% more online sales, which then levels out to about a 10% sales increase yearly. do three or four huge festivals a year and a whopping 40% sales increase ytd. im pretty certain devoted hotsauce festivals dont even come close to those numbers for their vendors. if they do its shared by only a few vendors. keep in mind this years 400k person festival costs us $1650 for a 10x10 booth! crazy crazy expensive but.....the end profit is crazy too....like $15k crazy! These events are really nothing special besides the amount of people it draws. other than that you can find any 100k+ person festival in any half decent city/ town across the usa for around $300 a booth if not much cheaper. with seasonal festivals, if you hit the niche, the profit speaks!!! Brand recognition comes when your brand flys and not just sits in a fridge or cabinet. when you venture into the common world and not stick to a certain group you dont restrict your marketing.
i just felt compelled to share our companies experience. good luck on your venture
