Who can apply for Black Brighton Market?
Black Brighton Market is for Black people, Asian people and People of Colour to trade. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the day! To read the origin story of why it’s called ‘Black’ Brighton, head to the ‘About’ page for blog posts.
Is this event ticketed? Do you still do raffles?
Black Brighton Market has lots of features that make it different from all the other markets, one of which is a raffle. When the event was ticketed, each customer would get a raffle ticket with every entry. Now that it’s a free event, the structure for the raffle had to change. I asked the traders and makers through a poll, if they would still be happy and want to donate an item to continue the raffle element of the day, and it was a unanimous ‘Yes!’. We will only hold the raffle when we do markets at our permanent residency; The Actors pub, the raffle will be called at 4pm after our headline performance.
How long will it take for Black Brighton Market to contact me after the first step of my application?
After an application has been submitted on the ‘Get Involved’ site page, the Black Brighton Market Administrator will read and submit your application. Up to 5-10 working days you will receive an email with the Black Brighton Market terms of agreement to sign alongside a request for an artist/business logo, business address and to supply any and all proof of trade, including Public Liability insurance, and any other paperwork you might need that is specific to your business and/or product.
How will I know what event dates I will be trading at?
The Black Brighton calendar consists of confirmed dates, each of these will take place at the market’s permanent residency The Actors pub. There are plans for pop-ups in which dates will be confirmed as the year proceeds. As dates are confirmed, you will be contacted via email where you will then be able to respond with your availability, which once confirmed, you will be sent an invoice with a fee.
What is The Community?
The community is an online platform where business owners, artists and performers can showcase their work and/or shop as well as promote events and key dates. You do not have to have been a vendor at the market to be a part of The Community.
So why did we decided to start The Community? On a monthly basis BBM is contacted through email and social media, with requests of vendors, artists and business owners. By taking part in The Community, you can increase the opportunity brand awareness, sales both off and online and events, as well as opportunities to network and collaborate.
Fees: There are two types of payments; monthly will be a direct debit of £4. Or a one-off payment for 12 months of £40 which is discounted to paying on a monthly basis.
Features: The Community will have an advertisement banner on all email campaigns. It will feature on the home page with a changing slide of images and information.
There will be other promotional campaign opportunities. We also want to open this to performers who might want to advertise a new release of performance (tickets) they would like to promote. So vendor or performer, you can feature!
Do I need to provide my own table?
All tables at the permanent residency – The Actors – will be provided, if however you have a particular set-up and want to bring your own, please discuss this with the organiser once you are all signed up! If it is possible for us to provide tables at pop-ups, we will, but this is not guaranteed and subject to availability.
What do I need to sell at the Market? (some items are subject to your product and market venue)
– Table cloth
– Signage: banners, price signs and branding material
– Products: sufficient stock
– Price tags: clearly labelled prices on all products
– Display items: easels, stands, racks, baskets
– Promo: flyers, brochures, business cards
– Cash float: change
– Card reader: fully charged with necessary apps downloaded and updated
– Phone with payment app
– Notebook and pen
– Electricals fully charged with chargers
– Snacks and Water
– Weather gear: Umbrella, plastic sheet for table coverage, jumper and waterproofs
– extra bag for rubbish
– Trestle table and gazebo
Do you sell hot food at Black Brighton Market?
Unfortunately we cannot currently have food vendors at our permanent residency at The Actors. This is due to it not having the right policies in place to sell hot food at the moment. The venue is currently working towards making it so we can have food vendors, we are determined to have all traders who apply to BBM at as many markets as we can. We can sell packaged cold items and we have traders that sell sauces and juices. We hope that we can make space for hot food vendors at pop-ups, but this also depends on the type. of collaboration and the location of our pop-ups.
Do I need Public Liability Insurance to trade at the Market?
Public liability protection covers injuries and damage claims brought against your business by a third party (customer), whether caused at your own workplace, a customer’s workplace or elsewhere. Protection against these claims is at the very heart of this type of insurance.
Is there wheelchair access?
This event does not have step free access, the markets current permanent venue is an inclusivity-focused space and are working hard to raise funds and getting planning permissions to create better access to all parts of the venue. There will be Black Brighton Market pop-up events that do have access for all, so please keep an eye on the official website for pop-up dates and locations. It is important to us that everyone can come without barriers.
What can you expect from trading at the market, what is the footfall, how is it structured in the background?
There is always a level of uncertainty on how each event might turn out, it can be weather dependent, it can be dependent on if there’s other events going on in town, it could be dependent on the headliner that’s booked and the reach that they might have on socials and how much the vendors themselves help to promote the day. Black Brighton Market is in its third year and is currently run by one founder who does all the admin, booking, web development, communications, organising, graphic design, promotions and social media, so there are always slight changes that are being made to make the process and the experience smoother each market for both the organiser, the trader and our potential customers. In 2023 the market was ticketed and the hours were longer and it was 10 months out of the year. It has now developed to be on special occasions, It opens at 12 for customers and 11 for traders to set up, which gives enough time for people outside the city to get here in good time to set up, and it’s free entry (compared to previous years), which means our footfall has increased, but with it being occasional, we don’t yet have enough data to tell you exactly how much of an increase in footfall that is yet. Our founder does her best to be transparent. You are already making your money back, and/or saving money for how affordable the markets are (at our permanent residency it’s £20 but that differs with pop-ups), you have tables supplied, business advice from the founder and we occasionally get LUSH products donated to us. So even with the petrol money or parking fees, Jade will do her utmost with all that is within her power, to drive as many customers to you and make the event as enjoyable, practical and profitable for you as she can!
Can I apply for the market If I haven’t been trading/business planning for less than 9 months?
We ask that you have started your business at least 9 months or more prior to applying, this means we know you are committed, motivated and passionate about your business. We never measure your success in that time and want to provide all traders that sign up the opportunity to learn and grow not only from Jade – the founder, who will be giving advice at each market to all the vendors – but from your fellow creators who also sell at the market. Whether you’ve made 0 sales or 1 or 10 or 100, that doesn’t matter, your success is not measured in revenue but in your commitment and love for your craft. Keep on going! We will be sure to keep an eye out for your application when the time comes. In the meantime, we ask that you come and check out the space and the vibe of the market your support means a lot and is a great way for you to understand how we work, and an opportunity for us to meet you!
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