1st bazaar: FAILED - right product, wrong battlefield
Hi! We’re a start-up food bazaar merchant serving Filipino merienda and recently joined a running event. The organizer mentioned that around 6,000–7,000 participants were registered, so we prepared enough food for at least 600 customers — which, in hindsight, was our first mistake.
We also sponsored meals for the entire staff/crew and for the event winners in exchange for exposure.
In return, they provided one promotional post on both Facebook and Instagram, plus an email blast. During the event, they also announced that there were only three merchants available for post-run meals, including us.
Unfortunately, sales did not go as expected. There were too many sponsors around the venue, and the area was very open, so not all participants were able to pass by our booth.
A lot of runners also assumed we were giving away free food because our booth was placed beside two sponsor booths, one of which was distributing free snacks.
Our booth fee was ₱25k (discounted because of the sponsored meals): ₱15k paid before the event, and ₱10k to be settled during or after the event. We’re still waiting for their message whether to fully settle the remaining balance based on the outcome of the event.
Would love to know your trusted organizers, recommended bazaars or running events, and locations with good foot traffic for food merchants. We’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share as we continue learning and growing in this industry. :)