Learning by doing, FBLA members have turned annual Holiday Fair at Belmont High School into big success

BELMONT — Members of the Belmont High School (BHS) chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) will be hosting the Sixth Annual Holiday Fair at Belmont High School on Saturday, November 10th from 9 a.m. to 3 .pm.

Over 100 vendors are scheduled to attend, offering an incredible array of hand-crafted and holiday items. Many vendors, including Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Norwex, Scentsy, Tupperware, and Kettle Korn, will also be participating. A raffle will be held and include many crafted items, as well as gift certificates to local businesses and restaurants.

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be sold throughout the day by the FBLA and other student organizations. And donations of food and cash will be accepted for the Mix 94.1 Cash and Cans Drive (make checks payable to Mix Cash N Cans).

Since the FBLA students at Belmont High School assumed responsibility for the Holiday Fair in 2009, the event has experienced rapid growth. In their first year, the students hit the road, traveling to other craft fairs to increase their knowledge and network with crafters and vendors. They also implemented some basic marketing principles learned in class, doubled the number of vendors participating to approximately 40, and attracted 600 shoppers. Students engaged in some marketing research, soliciting feedback from shoppers and vendors regarding what they enjoyed about the fair, as well as what areas should be improved. Using this feedback and their experience from the 2009 fair as a foundation, the students have continued to improve the fair each year. Last year's fair included over 90 vendors and almost 2,000 shoppers in attendance, and the fair's reputation is spreading across the state.

"We had to turn away 30 or 40 vendors last year. We expanded our marketing efforts and invested in some new, professional signs, and the phone was ringing non-stop," FBLA President Emma Kotusky reported. "We just ran out of space, and we try to keep duplication of offerings at a reasonable level, in fairness to our vendors."

Kim Allen, who has moved on to UNH this year, was a four-year member of the FBLA, so she had a good perspective on how the fair has become something even bigger. "In our first year, we were learning, so we really put on an average event. But we spent a lot of time reading through the feedback and reflecting on what we might change, and in the second year, we doubled attendance. Last year, we had over 90 vendors. We were using the proceeds from the fair to attend NH-FBLA conferences and competitions, but we thought, with this many vendors, we can do more. Many of us were volunteering at the WLNH Children's Auction, so we decided to contribute $25 for every 100 people in attendance to the auction. It was a good feeling being able to help make the holidays a little better for other kids in the area."

"The community has been very supportive of our fair, so we have talked a lot about the importance of showing appreciation for that support," stated FBLA Adviser Ben Hill. "Giving back to the community, and especially in a way that impacted other kids, really resonated with the students."

Olivia Kotusky, former FBLA President, says she really learned a lot about business through her participation in FBLA and the Holiday Fair. "I learned a lot about organizing an event like the holiday fair and had a lot of fun working with the vendors. I was a little nervous the first year, but we got really excited about our success and the money coming in when more vendors started calling in the second year. But Mr. Hill taught us that we needed to think long-term and put some of the money into marketing and take care of our vendors so they would be successful and want to return in the future."