2 hours ago, curls said:Thank you for the information @jmacnaughtan! When I read your original post, I misunderstood and thought the chocolatiers were handing out a month's worth of chocolates as free samples. I am glad to learn that is not the case.
Actually, big events do require a fair volume of samples, it might feel like a months worth of work!
8 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:
Good question. But the more different things you have to sample, the longer people will stay and the greater the chance they'll buy. That's my thinking, anyway, based on the last couple of shows.
The flip side of that is, the more samples you have out, the more people will eat. Yes, they may find something they like and buy, but some people just want as many free samples as possible. (Maybe it’s just Americans, I’ve never done the Paris show.). Kids especially tend to methodically shove one of everything in their mouths. Too many choices is also overwhelming, both for the customer to process and for you to manage. I’d say pick your top 3-5 items as your main samples and have tastes of others hidden in case people ask. You can also give pretty small samples. For filled bonbons I’ve seen chocolatiers dip a tiny tasting spoon into a tub of ganache instead of cutting filled pieces, which gets messy. I do cocoa-dusted truffles and cut them extra small on my guitar - regular size is 22.5 mm square, I cut those in quarters for samples.
Do the organizers give an idea of attendance? Do you have helpers? It takes time to talk to people!
