4th Avenue Spring Fair

Friday was really fun, I got to take a trip to Tucson with my boss and another co-worker to see what we could learn about the 4th Avenue Spring Fair. The event is celebrating it's 40th year- with nearly 300,000 attendees! The event is run by a the 4th Avenue Association, a small office of 3 people that produce more than 24 events a year on 4th Avenue, a street in Tucson with a lot of unique shops and restaurants. We were invited by the event producer as guests to learn how they do things at the event. Here is a picture from their website, this is exactly what it looks like, only the tents continue going! (http://www.fourthavenue.org/)

It was interesting to walk through the event with Nikki, Glendale's vendor manager and see the fair through her eyes- she noticed so many things that I didn't see- an empty spot where a vendor didn't show up, signs placed on the ground, how to spot a good vendor, etc. Although we came away with a wealth of information, we won't be able to implement all of it since the 4th Avenue Association is private and has a lot more flexibility than a city event does. My assignment (from my boss) for Monday was to come up with a list of 5 thing I learned from the event, here it goes...

1. Latex signs on the pavement are a great way to give directions AND get sponsors involved.
2. Charging a higher base price for vendor booths (rather than a lower price PLUS percentage fees) keeps things simple without the stress of implementing a new method to track vendor sales.
3. Small groups of street vendors (like 2 high school violinists) are a way to incorporate the community and keep activity going in all places of the event as you move away from the main stages.
4. A great way to get rid of pesky groups trying to take advantage of the event and not pay the vendor fee is to place a terrible musician next to them!
5. Be wary of giving a vendor several different spaces throughout the event- if they decide not to show-up, you'll have a big hole!