In recent years, Ooligan Press has not tabled at events as frequently as we used to—another aspect of in-person publicity that was impacted by the pandemic and is slowly returning to resemble the before times.

The marketing and publicity department at Ooligan is interested in helping revitalize this aspect of the position. So when one of our authors was interested in tabling at the Portland Night Market, we decided to go for it!

Tabling at an event for the first time comes with all sorts of factors to consider, many that you need to get a head start on. Ooligan is familiar with the tabling practices at the events we attend annually, such as the Portland Book Fest, and knows well what to expect.

Working with a new venue, however, is a whole different ball game. It was a learning experience for sure! In starting fresh somewhere new, there’s only so much you can figure out in advance. After you’ve got a handle on the logistics, transportation, etc., it’s time for the unexpected.

Here are a few factors to consider when tabling at a new event for the first time: 

• Volunteer Shifts: As a student-run press, we table events in shifts. Volunteer Oolies take turns representing our press at the booth, so our corner repeatedly cycles through different friendly faces. Thus, determining how the vendor passes or wristbands function is one factor to figure out ahead of time. Factors like how many are needed, how to acquire them, if you can rotate between shifts or if we need to have enough for everyone, etc. These practices may vary by event, and ours is often a unique case having so many people alternate throughout the day, so it helps to reach out in advance to clarify this aspect.
• Tabling Setup: If you are able to take a look at your designated area in advance of setting up your table or booth, we’d definitely recommend it! Will you be able to fit one table or two? Where will the extra merch best fit? What’s the chair situation? Consider also what decor you’ve planned to add some pizzazz to your booth. Folks from our design department worked on a beautiful new vinyl banner to elevate our booth at events—we were grateful our booth slot was against a side wall, so we were able to properly display it. Consider what small elements you can incorporate into your display to amplify your products; we trailed fairy lights in between our stacks. Without prioritizing looks over our books, it was nice to decorate our table in ways that enhanced the focus, instead of taking away from it.
• Collateral: Our event bin has all kinds of tricks on hand for tabling, from books stands to name tags. Most importantly, it contains multitudes of bookmarks, postcards, and coasters—collateral from our titles. Whether you bring business cards or bookmarks or both, take advantage of these handouts as tangible reminders of your booth. Bonus points if you reassess your collateral! Do make sure all info and links are up to date and relevant.

There’s a lot that goes into event planning, and it often begins far in advance of the event itself. But no matter how much you prepare, there will always be some aspects that come up at the last minute.

Our advice is to over prepare, and expect the unexpected. Set up earlier than you think you need to. Throw that “just in case” item in the event bin; you might need it. And as we all know, the thing that goes wrong isn’t going to be the thing you expect to go wrong. 

So at the end of the day, consider anything minor that goes amiss a lesson you’ve now learned. And be sure to make note of it so that the next round of tabling knows better. Pay it forward!

Written by Aurora (Rory) Miner.