Edinburgh Market Prep
The Edinburgh Xmas Market begins on November 18th and requires a high level of logistics and prep work in order for Celtic Fusion to be represented there, so, Week 7 consisted entirely of market set-up. This particular market is one of the most popular Christmas attractions in the UK and Ireland and is sought after from all over the world. Because of this, the preparatory work that goes into setting up for an event of this magnitude is nothing short of intense.
The first thing that I helped to see through was packing boxes of stock and delivering it to the airport to be shipped so that we could meet it on the other side. This required enough knowledge of the customers at the market to be able to predict the items that would sell the best. The shipment was charged by weight, so we had to be as precise as possible. Regina knew from last year’s market that the wrist warmers, infinity hoods, and capes did very well, so we put the most effort into ensuring that we had plenty to bring along with us. We then chose the items that sold best on the website, including the Celtic knot-work shawls, waistcoats, and tweed skirts.
There are quite a lot of vendors that sell at the Christmas market, so having a display that draws people in is one of the most important factors of Celtic Fusion’s success. So, we looked at photos from last year’s stall and made a plan for what to improve and what to keep the same. Regina decided that she needed more shelf space for the displays, so I spent the past week staining new wood pieces to make sure they looked professional enough to fit the store’s space.
After we finished gathering pieces for the display, decided which items to ship over to Edinburgh ahead of time and which to keep with us, we set about loading the company van for our journey. This was a feat in and of itself and required a bit of ‘tetris-esque’ skills to make everything fit just right. Once we were loaded up and ready to go, we hopped in the van and headed off to the ferry to catch up with the rest of the stock on the other side.
This next week will consist entirely of stall setup and is the most important week of the entire market since things cannot be changed once it opens for the season, so I expect I will have lots to observe and learn.
