Create a stall 'back office'

Christmas fair countdown tip

Create a tidy stall 'back office'

It's easy to spend so long concentrating on what the fair visitors will see on your stall, that's it's easy to forget about behind your stall.

If you have a mess of boxes, bags and stock that you have to clamber over each time you need to get up, you aren't going to look very professional. In a similar vein, if you have to fumble around to find change or your receipt book, you aren't presenting yourself in the best light and could lose out on future sales.

So while you absolutely have to spend the most time thinking about your stall display, at least spend a bit of time thinking about the back. How about taking a small folding table to put your bags, receipt book and some business cards on? That way you can pop a card in each bag along with the sold item.

Take some clips or clamps along and use them to gather up any overhanging cloth at the back. That way you can easily place any boxes or bags used to transport your stock under the table. And it also means if you have to get any extra stock out, you don't risk getting tangled in the tablecloth and bringing the whole display crashing down!

If you have display props, it might be that you can adapt these to hold your essential items. It could only be a price list to refer to, but it all helps to keep a tidy work station!