A couple of months ago, we received an invitation from Ms. Deirdre de Padua of the UP Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA) to a bazaar (called, "BUY PINOY: A Charity Bazaar for Filipinos") scheduled last September. We understand that the even was a success. Ms. de Padua graciously provided us with the following tips on how to hold a successful bazaar. Hopefully these tips would be of help to Pinoy Entrepreneurs.  (first of two parts; read Part II here).

Define your target market. Determine the object of the bazaar, the audience you want to attract from the very beginning. All succeeding decisions should be consistent with this target market. Choose a venue that is accessible to this market. Invite concessionaires that sell products this market will be interested in buying.

Choose the date of your bazaar carefully. Bazaar enthusiasts, customers and concessionaires alike, will flock to the more known, more established bazaars. So be sure to choose your date properly. As much as possible, choose a weekend with no competition from other bazaars.

Get the full support of the venue administration. The administration can help promote the bazaar by giving out fliers, posting tarps and streamers, etc. Getting the support of the administration can also spell the difference between a big and a small down payment for the venue.

Have other activities during the bazaar to entertain the attendees. Entertain the customers to make the bazaar a more fun experience for all. Try renting inflatable playground equipment or having a fashion show for your guests. Other bazaars have cooking demos, arts and crafts, car shows, etc.

Screen the merchandise of possible concessionaires. Offering a wide variety of merchandise that all appeal to your target market at the bazaar is ideal. Have something for everybody. Also, concessionaires don’t want other booths selling products similar to their own merchandise.

Keep a concessionaires database. Stay organized by maintaining an up-to-date list of concessionaires already contacted about participating in your bazaar, and of concessionaires that have already agreed to participate. This is especially important if more than one person is assigned to approaching concessionaires. Indicate the name of the team member who contacted the concessionaire.

Keep concessionaires informed. Email or text the concessionaires regularly, keeping them informed on your progress. They will appreciate the updates and they can even help you if you have any problems. They can help get more concessionaires or invite more people to come to the bazaar. (Click here to read Part II; Discussion transferred to Blog.Pinoy-Business.com)