You Need To Know How To Barter

Bartering opens up a lot of discussion.

Every event tries to trade for needed equipment and supplies. Hopefully, your event is strong enough to have a demand for tickets or some other items. If people want to be at your event because of the venue or the event has been sold out, then tickets are worth a great deal in trade.

Necessary items, such as television sets, copiers and faxes, vehicles, rental equipment, radios, generators, portable restrooms, restroom trailers, bottled water, lockers, flags and banners, landscaping, and furniture might all have trade value if the dollar amounts are high enough to be worth trading for tickets.

The number of tickets you can trade depends upon your event and the policies set.The cost of some of the items you need may so high that you may need to trade a hospitality venue to accommodate a fair trade value.

Some events trade on-site advertising or signage. In tennis, the center court is the location that receives most television coverage. You might be inclined to sell the space on the tee markers for a golf event; car displays are not uncommon at others.

Space for a vendor to display product is another way to trade, value for value. Not all events are the same. Some don’t allow any advertising whatsoever; others will sell space for anything with a value. Allowing trade is a business decision based on sources of revenue and level of expenses incurred.

When the printed program deal is structured, reserve a number of pages to trade for items of equal value. At times you will need to be creative to get what you need for the event. There is really no right or wrong way for bartering, but don’t allow the site look-like a circus. You need to maintain some decorum while reaching your goals

The items to be traded should be determined well in advance of the event, so that there is time to structure the right deals.

The 3rd edition of my book, Operationally Speaking, will be available soon.  From cover to cover, it is your bible for