A week ago, we were packing up the Dog Owners Guide stand after two very long, slightly sticky and very fun days at Dogstival. I’d spent months planning it.
The gazebo had finally arrived. The signs were printed. The goodie bags were packed. We had activities planned, freebies organised and what I thought was a pretty solid strategy. As it turns out, there were still a few things I hadn’t considered…
If you’re thinking about exhibiting at a dog event, or you’re just curious about what goes on behind the scenes, here’s what I learnt from my first proper year as a Dogstival stallholder.
People don’t like QR Codes
Or at least not as much as I thought they did.
I had QR codes on signs, business cards, leaflets and posters… Looking back, it was a bit overload.
Some people loved them. However, I would watch others try to scan them and repeatedly press the cross button rather than clicking through to the link. I just wanted to take over and press it 😅
So my advice is, don’t rely on QR codes alone. If collecting leads, entries or recommendations is important to you, have another option available too.
Internet isn’t Guaranteed
This was a lesson I learnt fairly quickly. Even trying to follow people on social media wasn’t possible, so I had to take screenshots, or photos of their screen, to then have a look when I got home.
On reflection, thousands of people in one field will do that. Even if an event provides WiFi, don’t assume it will always work perfectly. If your stand relies on internet access, have a backup plan. Luckily, we had an iPad and an offline form on standby, so we quickly switched to this.
There will always be a queue for free stuff
We gave away Naturo goodie bags each day, as well as hosting a dog pic’n’mix station on the Sunday.
The queue was brilliant. The dogs were delighted. The humans were excited. Walking around myself, I noticed that there weren’t many brands giving out free products this year, so it gave our stall the edge.
However, it is difficult when you have a queue (and effectively a job to do) but also want to chat to people and say hi to the dogs. Not a bad problem to have, but definitely something to consider if you’re planning a giveaway or free samples. Make sure you’re organised and have a production line in place to speed things up.
Dogs will pee on things
This one probably doesn’t need much explanation.
If you’re exhibiting at a dog event, assume that at some point a dog will wee on something. Make sure anything soft or decorative can survive it. Make sure that anything expensive is out of reach. Also bare in mind that bigger dogs have good reach, so I wouldn’t recommend putting anything too close to the edge of tables.
You’ll thank me later.
Be prepared to change your plan
I had a whole vision for how the day would work. Some of it went exactly as planned. Some of it really didn’t and we had to pivot.
I left my backdrop at home (which is another lesson). I also didn’t have control over what was behind the gazebo, so at one point I turned my set up around to use a decorative wall at the side. I also planned to get people on their phones, visiting the website and recommending their favourite dog friendly places. The lack of internet meant that wasn’t working, so I had to pivot to a offline Zoho Form (which luckily I had pre prepared).
You can plan all you like, but once the gates open, you’ll figure out what works. It’s important to be open to changing the plan!
Print is harder than it looks
As somebody who cares a lot about branding, this was probably the lesson that frustrated me most.
I designed both the Dog Owners Guide gazebo and our event flag myself. The colours were exactly the same. The files were exactly the same. Yet when they arrived, the two products looked completely different. The flag was actually very close to the colours I’d intended, while the gazebo looked noticeably different.
Apparently different materials, different printers and different production methods all affect colour in ways I’d never really appreciated before.
Creases are not my friend
Nobody talks about this enough.
I spent months thinking about the big things – the gazebo, the branding, the activities and the freebies. What I didn’t spend enough time thinking about was creases.
Every banner, tablecloth and fabric backdrop seemed determined to crease the moment it came out of its bag. The annoying thing is that most people probably didn’t notice them, but I certainly did. Once you’ve spotted a crease, it’s impossible to stop seeing it. Trying to get everything looking polished in the middle of a field without access to electricity is easier said than done.
That said, a few people on socials have since recommended Lenor Crease Releaser Spray, which apparently works wonders on event materials and clothing. I’ve never tried it before, but I’ve already added it to my shopping list and will definitely be testing it before the next event.
People are amazing
More than anything else, what I’ll remember from Dogstival is the people.
Throughout the weekend, people stopped to share recommendations, tell us about their favourite dog friendly places and chat about their adventures with their dogs. Some had followed Dog Owners Guide for years, while others were discovering us for the first time.
A couple of people even bought me and the dogs a gift, which was such a thoughtful thing to do.
When you spend most of your time behind a laptop working on a website, it’s easy to forget that there are real people behind every review, every comment and every website visit. Events like Dogstival bring that to life in a way that social media and analytics never can.
Would I do it all again?
Absolutely! There are plenty of things I’d tweak next time. I’d improve some of our lead collection methods, rethink a few elements of the stand and just be a bit more organised. But overall, it was a brilliant experience and one that taught me a huge amount.
Finally, a huge thank you to Naturo and Petgevity. Quite simply, Dog Owners Guide wouldn’t have had a presence at Dogstival without their support. Their sponsorship helped us create the set up, run activities throughout the weekend and give away lots of freebies to the DOG community. We’re incredibly grateful for their support and belief in what we’re building.
After two days surrounded by thousands of dogs, I can safely say we’ll be back.
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