Vendor Resources
QUADM Checklist
2. Contract
3. Vendor Meet-Up
4. Vendor Video Series
5. Elevated Experience
6. Outlets
7 Out of Town Vendors
8. Vendor Spaces-Backdrops
9. Backdrops in Detail
Congratulations on booking your booth! This page has everything you need to know for the Market! Please use it as a checklist.
Event Info:
QUADM SOCAL EID + SUMMER VIBES EVENT
Date - Sunday May 24th
ADDRESS - NH Community Center
Address: 10 Marconi, Irvine
MARKET HOURS - 11am - 7pm
SETUP - 7am-11amm , BREAKDOWN 7pm - 9PM
**SIZE OF YOUR SPACE DEPENDS ON YOUR LOCATION. PLEASE BRING EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO REALLY TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE TO YOUR STOREFRONT, INCLUDING TABLE if you need it
Please join the WhatsApp group below so as not to miss any important reminders and communication from us. Please note this is not an open discussion group. Only admin messages will be posted so that no one misses any important information. Please join the whatsapp for the Market you are signed up for.
QUADM Dallas ‘25 WhatsApp chat
2.SIGN CONTRACT -
Vendors- CLICK HERE
Parking Lot- CLICK HERE
3. Vendor Enrichment Call Date and Time TBD
We’re looking to connect with you all go over all you need to know about what to expect! Date and Time will be announced on our chat.
In an effort to grow, we aim to provide you valuable information we learned through the years in a video series! Our time behind the Rustik Home and QUADM has offered us some insight on what works and what does not and we're here to help make your lives a bit simpler through our experience. We'd love to pass along what we've learned in short videos with topics that include , "What is QUADM?" and "My Space, My Storefront" and more. We will walk you through how to be successful at QUADM and beyond, in sha Allah!
"What do you expect from me, the vendor?
One of our most popular features we have at QUADM is the Elevated Experience. Our Elevated Experience is an opportunity for a limited amount of guests to indulge in shopping earlier than the crowds and enjoy exclusive gifts. Our Elevated Experience Patrons are usually our high end attendees who value a more exclusive and memorable experience. This is an incredible marketing opportunity to expose your brand to potentially loyal customers, especially for those who are looking to acquire a new clientele and grow their customer base. We are curating a high end package and have extremely limited spots. If you’d like to be including in the submissions, please email us at quadmstaff@gmail.com with what you’d like to contribute and we will get back to you if it fits the package this year!
QUADM FOOD TOUR PARTICIPATION FOR FOOD & DRINK VENDORS
We are thrilled to share an exciting opportunity to be part of something historic for our community! QUADM Collective is launching the Elevated Experience Food Tour: Roots & Bites - a first-of-its-kind experience where your business will be showcased to 150 high-profile, influential guests. Your role is simple: provide signature bites, ready to hand out when guests visit your booth with their exclusive guest card (which will feature your contact information). In return, you'll receive social media features, a website listing, and direct exposure to exactly the kind of community members who love to entertain and support local businesses.
Please come prepared with portable chargers, fully charged devices, and anything else you may need.
Airports:
SNA (closest to venue)
ONT
LAX
***If you need to ship your items to someone in Socal we will do our best to buddy you up with a vendor in Socal so please email us to ask.
8. Vendor Spaces (backdrops & more!)
We cannot stress enough that your space should be treated as your STOREFRONT. In many of our cases, we have online businesses that do not have the option of being a brick and mortar. This is your opportunity to imagine what your store would look like in the near future, in sha Allah. We grow when we ask "how can we push ourselves a little more?"A backdrop can help define your space and communicate to your customer what your brand is about. We've put together some tips and ideas on how to execute this using minimal effort, giving you maximum results! Links and resources below.
9. BACKDROPS
- simple drape: this can be achieved with a photo stand or a DIY pvc stand and some fabric or curtains. Pay attention to details and cover up metal peeking through with greenery, twinkle lights, etc. (links below)
- panels: panels can take place of a "wall". These can be made of foam board or wooden wall panels that you can paint or cover in wallpaper! (Link for frame to hold board below)
-signage: customers need to know your business! Make sure your business name is clearly displayed
- size of backdrop: your space will vary based on your location. Please confirm dimensions of your space before committing to the size of your backdrop.- ANY BACKDROP MUST BE ONE FOOT LESS IN WIDTH THAN TOTAL WIDTH OF YOUR BOOTH. For example, if your booth is 8ft wide, backdrop cannot exceed 7ft.
LAYOUT
Be creative: Do not limit yourself with the layout. Rather than the typical one table in the front and everything on the table, think pushing your table back, or to the side or in the middle! Think how can I draw people in.
COLORS/ENERGY/FEELING
How do I want my customer to feel when they enter my space?
-dramatic: dark and moody
-calm & relaxing: light and airy
-fun: bright and colorful
-universal: neutral tones
DISPLAY - not just tables!
-shelving: this can be a fun way to draw the eye up and down and organize your products by category
-baskets: always fun to rummage through baskets when you're a shopper but also a way to organize your inventory as a business
-pedestals: a way to create height and visual interest even if it's a basic table
Other Ideas!
grounding your space with area rug
creating a welcome, cozy feeling with props, not just products. Ex, plants, side table, chair, bench, etc.
ask yourself, boutique feeling or store feeling? Boutique is more about limited items displayed. Most inventory will be hidden and you grab the product for the customer. Store feeling is more like organized chaos. Products are displayed but does not feel like a gallery. Customers feel free to grab and shop.
How much stuff should I bring?
Here, you’ll find a generic formula on how much of your inventory to bring. You can also simply google what kind of business you run and what a good number of products you should bring to vend.
https://thepinkcrumbb.shop/blogs/the-blog/determining-inventory-for-a-farmers-market-or-pop-up
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
PVC DIY backdrop:
Backdrop Kits:
https://www.amazon.com/Backdrop-Adjustable-Photography-Background
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B429G4L8?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_7MFFNT5QXS7GP6RQY7AN&th=1
DIY Stand holders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy5xLTAdkYg
FAQ’S AND IMPORTANT INFO:
Welcome to the QUADM Family! We are excited about having your brand join us. Please read the email below very carefully so you have ALL the details and are fully prepared for the event!
Booth Size: VARIES. PLEASE REFER TO THE MAP
You must bring everything you need for your setup, this includes a table if that is part of your decor.
Vendors must stay within the booth space allotted. Vendors can bring whatever design elements they need as long as everything fits within their chosen space (including hardware, and backdrop and legs). Vendors are responsible for keeping their area clean throughout the event and for cleaning up their area and surrounding area after the event is over. No confetti allowed. Please help us get out in time by keeping your area clean.
Number of helpers at your booth:
Each booth can only have 2 women at a time - you and your female partner or female helper. No men will be allowed to help at your booth during Market hours. They can only help to set up or tear down. This is to ensure that your customers understand that the business is proudly and confidently female-owned and your booth does not already look crowded when your guests arrive.
Booth Decor
Think of your booth as your personal storefront. Vendors are welcome to design and plan their own booths or hire an event designer to design and set up their booth space. Remember that your booth can make a lasting impression on a customer and also help with brand recall for future purchases. Middle booths, you CAN have 8ft tall backdrops. Wall booths- know that if you are over 6ft, you may hit a sconce and be forced to bring it forward a foot or two, losing valuable real estate. That’s a decision you’ll need to make and decide if that will work for you.
Display, set up and break down
You are welcome to set up your space as you see fit as long as everything in your booth is safe for surrounding passersby and all your decor is free standing. Here are a few more parameters
- Tents cannot be staked into the ground. Please use sand bags.
-Mannequins must be approved by QUADM and you can have a max of 2 per booth.
- No large wire display racks that form the walls of the entire booth. Small racks are ok.
- No confetti or glitter.
- No music so as not to disrupt the booths around you.
- All signs need to fit inside your assigned space.
- No tents allowed for the indoor spaces.
- As a way to make QUADM environmentally friendly, we encourage no use of non-degradable materials like Styrofoam.
Collecting Payment from Customers:
Each vendor will need to collect the money for their own sales and provide bags for their guests if they do not have reusable bags. Vendors are encouraged to accept a variety of payment methods. We DO NOT keep any portion of your sales. All your sales are yours.
Attire:
Every vendor must wear modest professional attire for the event, including sleeves.
Sales
QUADM cannot guarantee sales; however, we are here to support you in any way we can. Please reach out to us if you'd like to discuss ideas or need a sounding board or guidance. Please also note that monetary value at this event is not a benchmark for your success. You will be gaining exposure, increasing your customer base, getting more followers, getting first hand feedback, helping your brand become a household name and most importantly, you will be making history by being a part of a Muslim Women's Lifestyle Market that supports Muslim Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovative spirit!
QUADM is a welcoming and encouraging place for all Muslim Women to showcase their talents and share ideas. We truly have worked hard to make this a memorable experience for all. Please join our social media pages and share them on yours. We are in this together!
FAQ’S:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ip2XGRLwJN6AZ8gH_NAj_wZfg8-YF_RhUAVz_uZz6f4/edit?tab=t.0
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Lubna + Shahzia .
For tips on how to setup for an event, one of our dedicated vendors, Maryam Faniyi from Maryam’s Corner, put together a list of things to keep in mind!
QUADM BUSINESS ENRICHMENT TIPS
Tip #1
5 MISSED Opportunities at in person markets
1. NOT GETTING YOUR CUSTOMERS' EMAIL. This is a huge missed opportunity for being able to target interested customers for future sales. If you want to continue selling well after the market, we recommend that you follow up with them immediately after the market telling them how great it was to meet them and also offering them a promotion or a continuation of your market prices for a few more days. Some people might give an additional 5% off a purchase if a customer registers for their email on their website at your booth or write down their email for you. For those who have a website, this is a built in feature in websites so if you do not have it activated, make sure you do before the market and if you do not have a website then we highly recommend that you create a simple one before the market if possible. Otherwise make it a goal in the near future.
2. GETTING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AND IDEAS - Pay close attention to your customer's requests and ideas. This gives you a pulse for what your customers are looking for and allows for planning new products and refine existing ones. When a customer offers a suggestion, even if you have no intention of taking the advice, validate them. Customer relations are very important.
3. NOT SMILING - I know this sounds simple, but it goes a LONG WAY with your customers. Make every single person who walks into your booth feel like they are the most important person there at the moment. This should be a genuine effort since every customer matters. A warm welcome makes them feel valued.
4. NOT DISPLAYING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA - Build your followers by listing your social media pages and having a QR code linking to your instagram page for people to know where to find you after the market. Whether that means a printed sign or a custom wood sign which is a great investment and a modern way to display your information.
5. NOT ACCEPTING A VARIETY OF PAYMENT OPTIONS Your customers have varying preferences when it comes to payment. Do not limit them to 1-2 payment methods. Offer a variety of payment options - credit card, cash, zelle, paypal etc. This will help make your business look professional and well managed. Make sure you have the correct card readers, order them ahead of time, make sure they are charged and test them before the market.
Tip #2
Have an Elevator Pitch! (Shoutout to @Sidra T from Jasmine + Marigold who taught us the importance of having an elevator pitch!
Imagine a customer walks into your space - you have 20-30 seconds to introduce yourself and your brand.
If you haven’t practiced this before most likely you were either stumped on what to say OR went into passionately long run on sentences about your brand because hey, we all love our own brands! So this tip is to encourage you to work on your Elevator Pitch before QUADM! Practice will make it sound genuine and not memorized or robotic.
Include the below -
- Your name and Brand Name.
- One sentence on what your brand is about.
- What problem does your brand address or what void does it fill.
- If you have time Point out a best selling item.
- Most importantly - smile when you’re giving a customer your elevator pitch!
Example -
Salaams! My name is Shahzia Rahman/Lubna Saadeh. Welcome to The Rustik Home. We believe in creating thoughtful and meaningful Islamic home decor that fits the aesthetic of modern Muslim homes and creates traditions with loved ones. This here is our Ramadan Garland and Alhamdulillah it’s our most popular item. Please let me know if you have any questions. :)
Tip #3
DO NOT LEAVE A MARKET EARLY
QUADM Vendors are not allowed to pack up and leave until the market closes at 5pm but let us explain - this is for your own benefit.
1. Bad Reputation with Shoppers - Imagine one of your loyal customers was only able to come and see you a hour before closing and to their dismay you were packed up and gone. Even if you are sold out, stay! You will get to meet them, connect with them and tell them when and where they can buy from you after the market.
2. Lost Sales - Shoppers who come by your booth and see you packing up are not going to feel welcome to shop and probably walk away. Being present at your shop means you may just gain a customer for life by just talking to them and telling them about your brand. Don't devalue the power of connecting with a potential customer.
3. Ruins relations with Organizers & Other Brands - The success of everyone involved means that we all have a collective responsibility to make the market shine from beginning to end. Packing up early is pretty much a guaranteed way to burn your bridges with event organizers and most likely your neighboring brands whose aesthetic is affected by you packing and leaving and the disruption it caused for their customers.
During the event, vendors are focused on setting up and selling. But after the event, vendors and organizers are more relaxed and have time to chat. You can make some really great connections, get some good advice and even make lifelong friends. There are many benefits to staying until the end. Please do come find us at The Rustik Home Booth to say goodbye and give us a hug!
Good Luck! You got this!
Love,
Shahzia & Lubna