set up for onsite selling

firststring74firststring74 Registered Users Posts: 114 Major grins
edited June 7, 2009 in Digital Darkroom
I am not sure this is the right place for this question, but it seems to fit the best. I want to start selling event photo on-site instead of just website driven. I have someone to man the booth, and I need to know what kind of set up would work best. Would you suggest a laptop (possibly two)? Or a hard drive attached to two screens? What software would work best to show the photos (I use Lightroom at home) on the computer(s)? I want to make it easy on the competitors, but also easy on the staff manning the booths. I also want the set up to work well when I eventually expand to having a trailer with multiple viewing screens. I am planning on accepting credit cards on site to expedite sales. Any advice? TIA
www.photosbyinthemoment.com

Comments

  • Rocketman766Rocketman766 Registered Users Posts: 332 Major grins
    edited June 5, 2009
    There are a few threads that cover this topic. I have tried this once, and after a total disaster, am still rethinking the process. I personally think one of the biggest obstacles (sp?) to overcome is the amount of time it takes to get the images from your camera to the monitors in front of the customers. I don't know what type of event you are covering, or the size of your expected audience. Make sure the person working the booth is computer savvy and can figure things out without having to ask you every two minutes... one of the problems I ran into. By no means do I have the right answer yet, but I think about this topic alot, so I hope when someone hits the nail on the head, they share it with everyone else.
  • MadisonPhotographyMadisonPhotography Registered Users Posts: 56 Big grins
    edited June 7, 2009
    On site printing
    We tried this, once, twice, three times...got better each time...workflow is the key along with having more than one computer.

    We used:

    A Mac Book Pro laptop with external hard drive. and two additional 17" (bigger would have been better) monitors and a a Sony printer. Many of our early events were swimming or soccer...swimming was/is a disaster for us....good sales but also lots of reprints from lost photos, wet photos, folded photos...hard to tell someone you are not going to reprint an image...

    We use Aperture as our workflow and it works well......was a learning curve for us but we figured it out, simply. In addition to a booth we had two "runners" (our kids) bringing flash cards back to the booth...

    When all was said and done it comes down to how well the event host is willing to help you with getting the word out. Emails to participants are vital and pre-event signup is important. We began by taking lots of shots and hoped we sold them but went to pre event signup and a credit towards purchases...much better result.

    What we do now is only work with events that will post on their website that we will betaking photos. That post needs to be a link back to our site

    http://www.capitolviewtriathlon.com/


    .....we no longer have a table at any event....web sales work well for us..

    Nick
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