04/06/2026
Finally got around to my wrap up of The Big Design Market, one of the biggest design events in Melbourne. I love the atmosphere and being in the iconic Royal Exhibition Buildings for 3 full days.
There were many hours of prep work behind the scenes and so how did it go?
• It was one of my quietest market events sales-wise. So that was a little disappointing. Lots of people came by, but many walked past or looked like they might purchase something but then didn't.
• The crowds were definitely still there, so hats off to the team for still bringing in the people. Overall it feels like people had less to spend and with cost of living pressures, that wasn't a surprise.
• I had 58 sales and a bit of everything sold. This makes it hard to know what to make more or less of for next time. Things I thought I would start to phase out (my key rings) were still selling well!
• It can be hard to stand out, especially as the stall was towards the back. There are so many incredible businesses doing so many creative things. I think I will re-jig my display, I realised having displays at the front of the table are often hard to see or difficult for people to bend down and look at it.
• Despite not being massive sales-wise, I did get a wholesale and licensing enquiry and of course met many new customers and reconnected with people I know. Always grateful to those who decide to spend their hard earned money on my products ❤️
• The reality is the cost of doing market events is huge! I used to be able to do most of the big markets in Melbourne, but with the sales not what they were for me, I'm just doing the next Big Design Market in December. I'm hoping this one goes well 🤞🏼
Anything else you're keen to know about the market or markets in genera? Drop it into the comments.
