I paid a lot of money ($2,500 to be exact) to participate as a vendor at Warner Center Park for the…read moreValley Cultural Center's Concerts on the Green for the Summer 2012 season. The $2,500 buy in was a HUGE hit for me as a small business owner; I took a big leap of faith when I signed on. If you are a food vendor that has been approached and might be considering participating for future seasons, run--far and fast! Here's why:
1. I was promised by Bob Austin that I would be one of only 5 dessert vendors the whole season. The dessert vendors were all on 'dessert row,' separated from the savory food vendors. No one told me there would also be Italian Brain Freeze, Funnel Cakes and Kettle Corn in the section with the savory food. These products all compete for dessert dollars. I'm sure you can also see how completely unfair it is for those products to be placed in the same section as the savory food, so everyone sees only those vendors when they go to purchase their dinner. And then return to those vendors when they are ready for dessert. In fact on July 4th, a large group of people walked by my booth, all carrying funnel cakes, and commented on how they didn't know there were other desserts on site. Completely unfair to the rest of us in dessert row.
2. The vendors were told that the weeks leading up to July 4th were a bit sleepy, but if we hadn't already made back our initial investment by the 4th, that was the day it would happen. It was also strongly advised that we bring at least 3 times more product than we had been bringing prior to July 4th, because everyone sells out on July 4th. I had high hopes for July 4th, especially after hearing that there would be 24,000 + people in the park, all of the food vendors sell out, and this event is the one that helps all of the vendors re-coup their initial investment. I didn't sell out nor did I re-coup my initial investment. I grossed $750 that day; after expenses and paying an employee to work with me that day, I lost.
3. The savory food vendors--two barbecue vendors were booked for the summer. Classic!
4. The plain and simple truth is that there are just too many food vendors per the ratio of people that come for the concerts in the park seeking dining options. Yes, a lot of people flock to the park for the concerts, this much is true. However most of them don't buy dinner and desserts at the park.
5. The organization does a prerecorded introduction thanking its sponsors and food vendors that gets used the whole summer. My company name got botched--recorded incorrectly. No one bothered double checking their work before it was considered final, nor was I aware that this component was being developed. Had I known, I might have been proactive to ensure that my business/brand was represented correctly.
5. This group has been planning and executing this program for 38 years. They know what works and what doesn't work out there. It's a well-oiled machine, and they just want your money so that they can continue to bring in the bands. The sad thing is they will do and say anything to get you to sign on the dotted line. I can't emphasize enough--DON'T DO IT! Save your time, money and resources.
When I think about the trust I placed in the Valley Cultural Center, and the leap of faith I took, it brings tears to my eyes. I did ask the Valley Cultural Center for some of my investment back, and this is the response that I got:
Dear Tonya,
Thank you for your email. We are sorry you did not have a good experience at Valley Cultural Center's Concerts on the Green. We can not guarantee what will sell well. We are upfront on that fact. None of us can predict that. Often vendors do well on July 4th. That too is no guarantee. Some sell out. Some do not. It sounds like you did all you could with Facebook, Twitter and Email campaigns.
We apologize if you feel there was some inaccurate information given to you at the time of securing your place at Concerts on the Green. We will look into that. There was no intent of misleading you. We want all the vendors to do well.
Some of the vendors have been with us for many years. Some only come for a year or two. Some join forces with another vendor they know and share a booth. It is a business decision each individual makes.
We understand that you question your choice about participating with us since it did not go as well for you as you had hoped. It is not that we are untrustworthy. It's just the nature of the economy and the risk any business operator takes. Unfortunately it didn't work out to your level of expectation and desire. We would like to have seen you succeed too.
We are a non profit 501 (c) 3. We operate on a fairly tight budget each year, and the recent economy has made that even tighter. We are not in a position to be able to reimburse anyone.
Again, we are truly sorry you did not have a good experience with Concerts on the Green.
Sincerely,
--
Wendi Gladstone