Please take a moment and tell us! Name of your booth: Your name: Your experience at SWEAs 2014 Christmas fair: Was the fair profitable for you?

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1 Please take a moment and tell us! Name of your booth: Your name: Your experience at SWEAs 2014 Christmas fair: Was the fair profitable for you? What we did right: What we should do better:

2 Please take a moment and tell us! Name of your booth: xxx Your name: xxxx Your experience at SWEAs 2014 Christmas fair: For me it was very good as you gave me an accessible space #3, whereas I would not have been able to go on stairs. Thank you. Was the fair profitable for you? yes What we did right: Advertised Able to accommodate a crowd Made good efforts Made good contacts with vendors What we should do better: Was not handicap accessible one woman carried her baby and large, awkward stroller down the steps and nearly tripped; one side of steps was narrow so people could hardly pass. Elevator was not sufficient for the size crowd Definitely needed better lighting Electrical was not set up when we arrived Suggestion: Check out auditorium in Long Beach Torrance Recreation Center (2 large rooms, kitchen; Armstrong Theatre adjacent) Hire a professional meeting planner as these people have contacts that the average person does not have and can negotiate excellent pricing

3 Hi Birgitta, I hope your recovered the stress of organizing the xmas fair. And I can imagine it must have been a challenge. My booth worked out fine but it was a challenge to get everything all the way down in the basement. The building was amazing and very historical! But it was not a perfect location for a venue the size like this! - No real parking for vendor with trucks! - No working elevator ( one of my staff members got stuck in the elevator) - the building was not up to ADA standards. And lots of people were stuck in the middle level on crutches or in wheel chairs. - Some vendors fell down the stairs. - just letting you know that emergency exits were barricaded off! ( see picture) SAFETY I'm happy nothing really bad happened, but it was not very comfortable being in the cellar with the amount of people at he venue and little airflow! I'm not sure if the turnout for 2015 will be as popular as this year! Thanks again for all the work you put into this venue, Xxx Yes! I guess I already answered the questions. As I said, sales were better than expected -- I sold 79 note cards, 8 prints (which I make from my paintings), and 2 original watercolors (one was to a lady on a TV show). Best Regards, xxx Hej, Jag tror det är helt fel venue för oss. Trappor, mörkt, varmt, brandfara, panik med folk som vällde nedför trapporna. Ett under att ingen föll. Familjer med barnvagnar, rullatorer, rullstolar, var helt förvånade. Vågade inte gå ned för trapporna. Vi har aldrig sålt så dåligt förr. Parkeringen inte kul, området inte kul om man går hem ensam i mörkret. Så många kom fram och klagade då de gick hem, svettades, Valet parking funkade inte så bra. Varför i hela världen har ni flyttat från Shrine, frågade alla. Jag vet inte orsaken men jag håller med. Kommer inte nästa år. Själva teatern var ju fin men vi som stog överallt fick ingen julkänsla när man inte ens såg eller hörde lucia. För mig har det alltid varit the kickoff för julen men inte i år. Jag vet att det är inte lätt att hitta lokal och att ni gjorde ett fint jobb med vad ni hade men Nej tack! Som tur var kom vi ner på lördagen. Inga nummer på borden, inga skyltar, inga namnskyltar för alla som jobbade etc. etc. Som tur är tog jag med mig en golflampa. Respektfullt, xxxx

4 Hej Birgitta, Gallande arets Jul bazaar sa ar vi inte helt nöjda med hur det hela blev. Vi hamnade uppe I Mezzanine och dit kom knappt halften av alla besokare. Hur fordelar ni platserna? Om alla betalar samma pris for borden hur gor ni da? Aven om lokalen var valdigt grandios sa var den inte pa nagot satt bekväm for varken alla vendors eller for besökarna. Det var valdigt varmt och uppe I mezzanine var det valdigt morkt. Med det laget sa fick vi betydligt mindre besökare an andra vendors, dock betalar vi samma pris? Och vi hade anda betalat for tva bord. Man kan tycka att vi borde ha fatt en battre plats. Jag hoppas verkligen det blir battre nasta ar, och mer jamfordelat mellan dom olika vendors. Om det blir samma lokal och vi far samma lage sa maste vi ta en intern diskussion om vi vill vara med nasta ar. Halsningar, Xxxx Birgitta, I have attached my mom s responses from SWEA Los Angeles. It was a tremendously beautiful theatre even though it did not work well. Happy New Year! xxxx

5 Please take a moment and tell us! Name of your booth:_xxxx Your name:_xxxxx Your experience at SWEAs 2014 Christmas fair Dear Birgitta This is not in any way a complaint about your work or for that matter any other of SWEAS hard working volunteers work I think that it is hard for a non vendor to understand how much work there is involved in running a sales booth at the SWEA Julbazar Unfortunately my booth was situated at the Basement level, with no elevator going down that deep!! That is the difference and a big one at that!! I have in my 35 years as a participant never had to work this hard. One has to experience what is involved to run up and down stairs with heavy equipment, to understand my view. Added to that was the uncomfortable heat in this building. I could not wear my special outfit due to the heat and I certainly did not feel fresh and alert in front of my customers. It was very annoying that visitors walked around with their purchased sticky foods and sat down to eat wherever it suited them.( stairs mostly and on the floor!) My exhibit table was full of cups with drinks. Was there not enough places at the table area for them to sit? You can maybe guess how many kids with food covered hands touched my exhibit items! I am sure that the Lucia Pageantry was beautiful; I did not see any of it. The inside of the building is indeed grand. So not the outside though, where you encounter, the lowest amongst low, depressing to say the least.!! I realize that had I had my booth at a higher level my opinion might have been more positive. But that was not my lot! The most positive of this event for me was the fact that we had Sat. to set up. Thank you. My special thanks to you Birgitta and Anna- Karin for your kind help with the dismantling of my booth. PS My Customers understand our dilemma and many of them still remembers when we at one time were forced to use the kitchen of a Hilton: " They sure did not know how to make Swedish meatballs!" were the comments! DS.

6 Was the fair profitable for you? Yes and no What we did right: I am sure that you did 99% of all your duties right. I am not in a position to know all what you had to do Proof of your good work was the fact the the Show went well and had no accidents, that I know of. What we should do better: If it is in your power please see to that no vendor has to go thru the hardship of stairs, especially when the vendor has heavy equipment to unload and load and take in concideration the age of the vendor, please.there were some young and strong SWEA girls who very well could have endured stairs, but did not have to. They were stationed at the street level!

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