Blue Magpie Contemporary Craft Fair

Online Registration - March 2025

Timings: 

Saturday 22nd March 10.30 - 4.00pm

Sunday 23rd March 10.30 - 4.00pm

Application Deadline: Friday 3rd January 2025 (Midnight)

Hello!

Following on from the success of November's Blue Magpie, we're delighted to be now be opening up applications for March 2025's pre-Mothering Sunday Blue Magpie Craft Fair.

The Spring fair is two days over the weekend of Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd March (with set up available on Friday 21st); is a really lovely interlude in what is otherwise a quiet period of Fair activity generally - and possibly because of that, we've always found that it's very popular. 

Having an excuse for gift-buying also helps focus the mind of visitors, and so please do bear in mind that we will be choosing makers to specifically meet the criteria for gifts for ladies of all ages.

And as Spring is in the air - to help us promote the fair we'd love to see photos channelling elements of Spring - and by this we really mean - please try to include where possible, Spring flowers or accents of seasonal colours in your photos - it's not essential in order to apply - but for marketing purposes, it really helps us sell the idea visually.

The deadline for applications closes at midnight on Friday January 3rd and we look forward to receiving your applications.

With thanks and best wishes

Anna & The Blue Magpie Team - Charlotte, Ruth & Louise x

 

THE FEE & WHAT YOU GET

 

The cost of a table per day is £55.00 - so that's £55 for one day, £110 for two days, etc. NB - we will only be asking for payment from successful applicants, and much nearer the time, to secure your place.

Your fee goes to fund the advertising, marketing and promotion of the Fair, which, year on year gets more ambitious; we also now produce an A5 brochure that visitors take away and contains your product photo and website details. We will continue offering advertising to Makers  in our brochure as this element seems to be working well.

In exchange for the relatively low cost to you, we ask that everyone involved in the Fair also helps to promote the event on their own website, Facebook page, Instagram and any and all other social media platforms out there. We provide a marketing toolkit to successful applicants to utilise closer to the fair.

Blue Magpie is a family-run event within a family home and business. We really do care about the footfall and we also want for everyone exhibiting to be finanically successful too, so we also mind about the levels of your sales. It's not simply business - it's personal for us too, and, as an exhibitor, you automatically become an extention of our team. The more people that get involved, the more footfall we can hopefully attract. This, we hope, will translate into sales and is, therefore, a win-win situation for everyone. 

Your £55.00 also gets you:

A 6ft x 2ft trestle table with white floor-length cloth

A chair (or two)

An entry band to the fair for your chosen plus one/guest/partner, etc.

Vouchers each day for a slice of Elmslie House's famous cake and a tea/coffee. 

Access to power sockets (if required)

Access to a Gallery hanging system (if required)

Maker profiles and product images on the Blue Magpie website - which features a permanent online directory for makers.

Regular Facebook & Instagram posts - both of all individual makers and also group posts - with your product images accessible to the Elmslie House (@elmsliehousemalvern) and Blue Magpie FB followers and Instagram followers too (@bluemagpiecraft)

Weekly emails to our extensive mailing lists which will feature each Maker in their discipline group (Metal, Textiles and so forth)

Regional and National advertising in local newspapers, journals and websites, and other publications (i.e The Simple Things). If anyone has any suggestions as to where else we can look to advertise, then any ideas would be gratefully received

We look forward to reading your applications. 

March Dates: 

Saturday 22nd March 2025: 10.30 - 4.00pm

Sunday 23rd March 2025: 10.30 - 4.00pm

Where: Elmslie House, 8 Avenue Road, Malvern WR14 3AG

 

Please note: It is crucial that you fill out the below details correctly with the right spellings; we use this form to promote you and your work on all our social media platforms, so if your business name or wesbite name is typed incorrectly it will be incorrect when it goes out in the world! We do try out best to catch typos but it is not always possible. Please endeavour to type things correctly. 

Many thanks

Your work

IMAGES

Please read CAREFULLY!

As with other craft events, Blue Magpie regularly utilises images on the web and on social media. It is of vital importance that you provide images as specified below. Although it may seem a faff to you - we will have - literally - hundreds of supplied images to look through, and so it really helps us if they are labelled correctly for us to easily identify which ones are yours - which in turn allows us to effectively promote each individual maker.

Only successful applicants will be asked for high-res files, and only if required.

Please send photos that are of a professional standard as we do use them all for different marketing, social media and print purposes. NB - there have been previous occasions when we have not been able to accept a makers application solely because their supplied photographs were simply not good enough for us to use. We work in a creative field and your images create an immediate impression - they need to look good!

Please could you name each image WITH YOUR NAME so they are easily identifiable.

Please include at least one image THAT IS SQUARE in shape for use on Instagram.

Please include one image of your STANDARD STALL SET-UP (does not need to be high res). If you have not done a fair before, please stage a likeness of what you plan to do at Blue Magpie).

For at least one image - please could you choose something that is either:

Spring themed. (For example; a piece of jewelery with a Spring flower beside it or a ceramic item with flowers in, etc)

OR

Spring Colours (pastels, etc)

OR

You have actual work that depicts something Spring-like. (a spring scene, flowers, blooming buds, and so forth)

We understand not everything can be exactly tailored to this but if you can do your best, we most apprecate it!

Please note that we sometimes use multiple images so if you send us a particular image, we would always recommend that you bring similar items with you if your application is successful. 

Please take a moment to tell us what you need from the space that will be allocated to you. Please note: if you are allocated wall hanging space, you must use it. Our standard set up is a 6 x2 ft trestle table, white tablecoth with a chair and access to a power outlet.

If you feel you need to deviate from this or have large items (tables, stools, etc); please contact us after a successful applicantion with details but we cannot guarentee to accomodate this. 

Please note - this will be prioritised for those needing to hang their artwork on the wall (rather than for banners, or other incidentials). We use in STAS system (http://www.picture-rail.co.uk). Using the hanging system at Elmslie, means getting up ladders to hang your work, the walls are talllllllll.

If you have success with your application, please let us know if you will require help in using the hanging system and we can do our best to accommodate you.

FINAL BITS to CHECK

This does not commit you - it just gives us an idea of numbers. If you have selected any of these options we will be in touch nearer the time, once successful applicants have been selected. If you decide to go ahead and attedend, you will be invoiced with your stall fee a month or so beforehand. 

Many thanks for taking the time to complete this form.

 

We would be grateful if you know of other makers who might also be interested in taking part, that you forward them the link to this form.

 

With thanks and best wishes

The Blue Magpie team at Elmslie House

 

 

The DEADLINE for this application is midnight on Friday 3rd January 2025

All applicants will be notified of their application status no later than

 Friday 17th January 2025 (end of day).