You can "Feng shui" an arts and crafts booth?

Many people use the term “feng shui” very loosely, but as a verb the implication is to do something that can change a space to attract more business to the seller. Although you can’t do the same, in a traditional sense, with something like a car, you can actually evaluate an Arts and Crafts position, if certain things are under your control.

For example, if a booth is going to be inside a convention center or in some interior environment, the booth will be like a work cubicle, where it will be part of the “big picture”. I once had a client doing shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and it was easy to identify the best parts of the building with a floor plan available to divide into directional sectors. Looking up when the building was built is also just a click away on the tax assessor’s website.

Once you have identified the best part of the building, there may or may not be a way to approach the area with elemental remedies, but simply being in the best part of a building can give someone an “advantage” or advantage in comparison with other providers.

Of course, there is also some environmental psychology at play, as some people like to be near the door and others notice more business when they are located near food vendors or restrooms. It’s strictly about visibility, and sometimes that alone can help you improve as a provider.

For outdoor locations, don’t consider a flying star map. This is the energy field that is captured within a building. But there may be some external signals in terms of how the qi flows better. This is where a feng shui consultant would attempt to determine the best qi flow arrangement, with the corridors between the booths as virtual pathways. The Yin-Yang Theory would also come into play and this includes many things that are common sense, such as not being in a dark and dreary area.

With the actual layout of the booth, there are a few design tricks that many seasoned marketers already know. These are things you can do to attract people to your booth and stay longer. Often times, a long table is placed on the “front” side of the booth and the items for sale are right on the edge of the booth perimeter. There is nothing wrong with this arrangement. But by creating a U-shape where the front side of the booth is open, potential customers are required to enter the booth area, literally, to see the items for sale on display deeper into the booth. This allows the salesperson to have an easier conversation with the customer. This alone can increase potential sales.