Has anyone ever done a mall expo?

Just got a call to do a mall expo, booth fee is $250 for 3 days. The most I have ever paid is $150 so I am a little leery. However, it IS 3 weeks before school starts, and about 40,000 hit the mall in this area on the weekends (according to the guy doing the expo). Would you do it?

All day for 3 days for $250. With that many people at the mall, I'd so do it! Right before school starts means kids will be there, too! It's a win win!

I would think this through. Kids in the mall will most likely be doing school shopping, thus trying on clothes. I don't know if parents will want to risk having to pay for clothes they don't want or ruining clothes they do want.

The numbers sound awesome, just don't know if this will prevent them from paying.

Please let us know how it works if you do do it, for research purposes.

Thanks!
-Metina

To play devil's advocate...won't most parents taking their kids there already be in the in-buy supplies-buy clothes-LEAVE mindset? As opposed to it being a festival with 40,000 expecting to spend money on things that aren't 'needed'?

If I was a parent and had to spend money on supplies and school clothes I'm not sure I'd want to spend any more on things we didn't need, kwim?

Not saying it wouldn't be good to do, but offering another view on the event. I'm not sure if I'd do it, for $250!

Plus what Metina said

I think that might be the same Expo that I was contacted to do here. I declined for a couple of reasons:

1. As a parent, if I'm going to the mall (which I hate to do) to buy school clothes, the last thing I'm going to want is to have my kids face painted so that they can no longer try on the clothes without risk of staining them.

2. The very last thing I'll want to do is HANG OUT at the mall after the rigors of school shopping so that my kid can get painted...read...sore feet and a headache the size of Texas.

3. The $250 fee is very steep for the amount of risk you're taking. I've paid a fraction of that for much smaller events and made more than I think I'd make at the mall.

I walked away because it just didn't make sense for me to take that kind of risk just so an event could have a draw. I'm sure somebody did it, but it wasn't me.

if you decide to do it, I would offer more than face painting.. like glitter tats and stuff.. just sayin. wouldn't want to get there and not possibly have what the folks want, though honestly they aren't really there looking for face painting.. they are looking for back to school clothes.. mm.... idk. it's up to you. I would really push the "we do parties" side of your business and try to push your cards/pamphlets/brochures... have a digital frame rotating pics of happy kids with your faces on them... stuff like that. if nothing else you might be able to advertise a lot. you could do a raffle? idk.. just thinking.

I would be hesitant...

If I worked it out like this: $5 a face (that's what I charge and it's easy to compute ) would mean 40 faces just to break even.

If I painted 10 faces an hour that would mean 4 hours just to achieve the 40 faces....and that's if there's a steady line all the time.

That would mean that your first day is pretty much free (because there likely will be gaps between faces)... but you could make profit on the second and third days... however, the remarks above are pertinent - how many parents would be wanting to stop and get their childrens' faces painted amongst that kind of crowding and rush.

Maybe you could ask who painted faces last year and get their number - see what their experience was... or maybe you could work out a better deal with the shopping plaza - one day for $70 or something...? : less investment, less risk...

I work every other weekend in the only english speaking mall in the area and the only inside free play ground, I see lots of kids every weekend and I only charge $5, I have never paint more than 30 kids in 7 hours, moms always say :don't you prefer the Ice cream? or that toy you want so much? on the other hand I have some "re incidents" customers, they think is so much fun to come to the mall and get the face painting every weekend. Thanks God for their moms and dads.