Yes, We’re Having a Summer Indoor Craft Show

We are excited to announce our summer crafting event, Simply Crafted Hickory. Beat the heat (and maybe even the rain) and join us inside at the Hickory Metro Convention Center.

Call for Exhibitors

Simply Crafted Hickory is now open for applications and booth assignments.

Here are some details on the show:

• The show dates are Saturday and Sunday, July 27-28, 2024.
• The location is the Hickory Metro Convention Center
• Move-in days will be Thursday and Friday, July 25-26.
• The show times will be 9-5 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday
• The show will consist of 100% handmade items, specialty foods and boutiques. There will be no MLM’s or direct sales companies.

Show Design & Floorplan:

• Drapes – The show will be draped just like the Christmas Show, with 8’ charcoal backdrops and 3’ side curtains. However, if you have a display that extends to the front of your booth and is tall, please let us know because we may experiment with some booths that have 8’ side walls.
• Signage – We will have aisle signs, overhead signage, entry kiosks, etc. just like the Christmas Show. However, we will not carpet the aisles.
• Advertising – We are going to advertise extensively via our email database (we have a great base from the Christmas Show that we can reach), radio, social media, and directly from attending and exhibiting at area events. We are not going to implement the affiliate program with vendor promo codes like we did with the Christmas Show, however, we do ask all vendors to help promote the event through their channels.
• New Booth Sizes – When you go to the floorplan you will see a lot more booth types available than we had for the Christmas show. Some of the changes we made were in the entry concourse. We made all the booths on the right hand side 8’ deep instead of 10’ deep. We also added some 6’ deep booths in the adjacent concourse for those who maybe just need a small table, a chair and a backdrop banner.
• Power in Booths – You will also see that some booths say “w PWR” and that means there is an outlet behind the backdrop in your booth. We were not aware before the Christmas Show so we did not charge for power in those booths then, but we did get charged for those. This is why these booths are higher than those that do not have an outlet.
• Sharing Power – One other thing as it relates to power is that in the booths that are not on the wall (ones in the center), power drops are $75 and are individual
  for that booth. We do realize this is costly and we want to let you know that you can share the power drop with a booth next to you. There are 4 outlets on each drop so one drop can conceivably supply 4 booths. We really have no way of setting this up logistically, but if you would like power in your booth and your booth does not already have it and you are willing to share, reach out to those around you and ask them. It is an easy way to share the cost.
• Entertainment & Attractions – Also on the floorplan you will see Hickory Shows Entertainment Area. In this area we plan to have a stage and some seating for some attractions. We are brainstorming some ideas right now with what those attractions will be but some of the ideas we are floating around include:
  • Christmas tree decorating competition (it is Christmas in July here right?!?) Plus, those trees will be on display at the Christmas Show in December.
  • A painting class with something fun on canvas like a Highland cow or seasonal scene.
  • DIY crafting class where an attendee can make something and take home with them.
  • DIY class on refinishing a piece of furniture, etc.

So first of all if you have any ideas or connections please let us know, we are all ears. Second, we do not plan to have attractions that make a lot of noise, however, we would advise if you do not want to be around general chatter and commotion that you pick a booth away from the stage. However, if you do not mind this, we expect the stage area will be a high traffic area.

• Other Floorplan Changes – Some of the other additions, changes, etc. that we made from the Christmas show are:
  • We added a center aisle to allow easier flow from one side of the show to the other.
  • We added booths in the conference rooms.
  • We will utilize the concession stand window in the concourse either in addition to, or instead of, the main area.
  • Added a lot more tables and seating.
  • Added booths on the left side wall.
• New Vendor Option – In the past, we were unable to include food vendors who offered food items meant to be consumed onsite.  However, we just got the approval to add a larger variety of specialty foods – even those meant to be consumed onsite. This opens exciting possibilities for food, so if you know of anyone that would be a great addition to this category, please let them know.
• Pick Your Spot – You will be able to choose your location on the floorplan just as you did for the Christmas Show.  However, we will monitor vendors within the same categories and if we determine that there is not enough of a proximity balance we will move vendors.
• Combining Booths – When you are ready to select your booth and you decide you would like more than one booth, and that size is not on the floorplan (such as a 20×20 or 20×30), please let us know.  We would be happy to combine multiple booths into one larger booth for you. (Plus, larger booths are offered at a slightly discounted price per square foot).
• Your Products – When filling out the application, please list every type of product that you plan to sell at the event. If you sell only one type of item, like soap or candles, that makes it easy for us to balance the numbers in each category. However, it gets more difficult when someone applies and they list soap but then at the show they sell honey, freeze-dried candy and candles as well. This caused a variety of issues with vendors at the Christmas Show. We are not saying that a vendor has to sell only one thing, but we need to know all of your items so that we can ensure that vendors in each category are spaced out evenly as well as balancing the numbers. We reserve the right to approve you for only certain items and we will be clear on that during the approval process.