Is it MY turn yet?

Every day I get a summary of “wanted” searches on google. I ask google to send me anything that says “New Jersey” and “face painting.”

Rarely, I get a clip from a news article showing my artists providing services for a corporate event that was highlighted by a local publication. Usually, I get an announcement from all kinds of counties, villages and hamlets around the state that are hosting a festival or carnival featuring face painting. Apparently these two words are a common “lead magnet” to attract huge numbers of attendees to an event.

You probably are aware of this phenomenon also, and have paid good money to obtain a booth at said festival. If you have not participated in a “pay for face” event, then read on.

if you are experienced at PPF events, I encourage you to check out your prep list with mine. Then let me know if I forgot anything.

Whether you made money or not is not the issue (at least not for me…). What is important is that you have an enjoyable day of it, since fairs and festivals can be grueling, emotionally draining, physically taxing, and unpredictable. Since they are always held on the weekend, and you are giving up the potential of confirmed gigs that may land on that day, I can share some tips that might help you provide better customer service, and gain additional return on your investment.

Read on to see How-TO bring great customer service to a Fair or Festival.

Great customer service begins with the first contact people make with your business. This could be by phone, by mail, by seeing you on the way to a job, or by visiting your booth at a fair.

Great customer service is what keeps your business growing. Happy clients are your best form of advertising.

People see your work, and they subsequently see you. They want you to do an artistic creation on them or their child, making them feel special, like the center of the universe. And, they want it all in an instant. They prefer NOT to stand in line and wait. If the lines are long, they may become angry, frustrated, belligerent, or just silently fume. They don’t want to see time wasted by the artist working your booth, (eating lunch or chit chatting with other vendors) which makes the wait even more frustrating.

How can you speed up the line and make the wait time shorter, without compromising your art?

By giving the clients information, about the line and how it can be made shorter with their help. This gives them the opportunity to consider the wait, so they can make a more informed choice about whether to spend the time or not.

Face painting is a fun experience, and I want to enjoy my time with each guest. So I let everyone know that each child takes 3-5 minutes, and then they can judge the waiting time by the length of the line: multiplying the number of people in line by the 3-5 minute time period. The more artists in the booth, the faster the line proceeds.

Posted Policies

These are important to you and your clients, in order to manage expectations. At a booth, you can laminate and post them on your tent, and for private events, include them in the confirmation agreement. Some of the items to include are:

• how to remove the makeup, the glitter, the tattoo and the bling
• who you will not paint due to safety and hygiene (rashes, open wounds, new skin, etc)
• age limits on face painting (minimum and maximum if it is a children-only event)

Posting the policies in a positive manner will save a lot of repeating yourself (especially about removal instructions). Always be kind and positive as you explain your company’s policies. You have the child’s best interest at heart…there is a reason that he/she cannot be painted, so just explain it gently so parents become educated.

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Moving the Line Faster:

A fun sign dealing with waiting time can help inform parents of what they can do to help speed up the line. You do not want to paint faster, if it means that the quality will suffer. Asking the clients to help “ready” the child for face painting will give them some control over how fast the line moves, preoccupies them from being idle and frustrated AND can only aid in your artistic effort.

Some of the things you can include:

• having exact change if possible
• having child’s hair pulled or pinned back away from their face
• face is clean and dry
• removing food and drink from child
• pick design and favorite color in advance

Move Out Quickly:

Once you’ve done the “big reveal,” which is what we all live for, you need to be cognizant of the folks that are still waiting for their turn. Ask the parents of the “recently finished” guests to take photos outside of the booth, perhaps setting up an “Admiration Station” with a second mirror on the outside edge of your booth. This will quickly free up the chair for the next guest.

Clean Up Station:

Sometimes it does not suffice to tell parents to clean their child’s face before they go in the chair, you might need to provide supplies and area for them to do so. If you are working alone, this may be the end of your table, but otherwise it should be a separate area at the edge of your booth. The clean up station will save your chair and table from getting sticky fingers and goo all over it. You know how expensive our tall chairs are and they cannot cleaned easily. Also, what a joy to have the mom wipe the child’s face before you paint! The clean up station should include:

• station signage: explaining what it is and why…(“we like to work on a clean canvas”)
• a can of wipes
• a standing mirror
• a small trash receptacle (the tiny garbage cans at Staples are ideal), just for the dirty wipes– make it small so you don’t get cans, bottles and lunch trash
• plain bobby pins from the dollar store
• your business cards, or other promotional material
• notebook to sign up for your mailing list (if appropriate)

Don’t forget to say a BIG “thank you” as the child approaches you with a newly cleaned face, since that parent helped you “move the line,” and reduced waiting time for others!

In conclusion, it is a joy to make the children what they imagine themselves to be. Let’s be respectful of our art and use our time wisely. Let the parents help move the line along, and give them great customer service while they are doing it. After all, it is our customers’ referral that is our biggest advertisement.Thank you and happy painting!

I have created sample signage from my fairs and festivals and you can download it for FREE here.