Continuing on with its success, Auckland Fair launched today Friends of the Fair, and to celebrate, we’re giving away a membership to one lucky Home Scene reader.

Friends of the Fair was established as a way for the already loyal (and totally rad) community to stay connected to the Auckland Fair, not only during event time, but between each event while they wait for the next Auckland Fair to happen. It enables these little champions, these enablers of ingenuity and good folks to help support the Fair to continue to help the Makers in a practical way providing more resources and allowing the event to grow.

Not only will you be getting all the warm fuzzies of being a pal, but some super sweet deals that will be constantly added to (this is just the beginning!) but you will be helping support the Auckland Fair to keep going and have more time, energy and resources to help the Makers. After all, the Auckland Fair isn’t just an event, it’s a supportive resource for New Zealand’s creative community!

Most importantly, Friends of the Fair isn’t location based. Anyone who wants to be a Friend of the Fair can join and get almost every benefit currently offer, without having to be in Auckland.

Friends cards last for 12 months from the date they are issued and are just $95 each (or 26c a day) for all that value and feel good factor! Plus they make a great pressie for someone near and dear to you.
+ Benefits

• A personalised Friend of the Fair card
• Free entry into the Auckland Fair on the day
• Entry via the priority queue at the main doors.
• A limited edition A5 print from one of 2 artists (Sarah Walden from Tales at Sea and Dane Laugesen from With the Wolves) with designs that are exclusive to the Auckland Fair, printed by The Print Room.
• 10% off hot drinks at all Mojo Coffee cafes.
• Your Home & Garden Magazine very generous subscription discount of $29.99 for 6 issues (saving 37%) or $58.99 for 12 issues (saving 38% off the retail price).
• The first 5 cardholders issued each month will also get a copy of the latest Your Home & Garden, delivered with their Friends pack.
• 15% off at The Bread & Butter Letter, both online and in-store.
• I Love Pies $1 discount voucher on their new Gluten Free pies; redeemable from supermarkets, nationwide.
• An exclusive Friends of the Fair newsletter once a month.
• Early bird registration and discounts on Auckland Fair creative workshops (launching soon.)
• Surprise treats on your birthday
• Special discounts and offers on the day of the Fair from our Makers.

To enter this awesome giveaway, head to our Facebook page. Entries close 12pm, Wednesday 23rd September 2015.

If you miss out on the giveaway we are running, you can still be part of the awesome community by purchasing your own Friends of the Fair membership for $95 (incl GST). Each card will be personalised with the cardholders name, membership number and expiry date and are valid for 12 months from the shipped date.

Auckland Fair 14th June 2015 from Auckland Fair on Vimeo.

The post Friends of the Fair launches appeared first on The Home Scene.

As a lover of those who are creatively gifted, having a market such as the Auckland Fair is important for both small businesses and for the community to have the opportunity to fall in love with new brands and crafters they may not have been aware of , to add that special touch of difference to your home. One off or handmade pieces that aren’t produced for the masses are items you’ll cherish for a long time as those it-trend items pass.

I talked to Jessica Whiting, the brains and passion behind the Auckland Fair to give you an insight on where it all started and what to expect on June 14th.

What inspired you to start Auckland Fair?

The concept was derived from my own experience at markets in Auckland, I had been making my own products and selling them while I was studying full time, there were lots of monthly markets around and I was meeting fabulously creative and talented people and while the markets were good, they weren’t quite enough. A friend of mine came to me wanting to create yet another market, which I wasn’t really keen to do (why compete with people who were already doing a good job?) so I wanted to create something with a point of difference, that makers, such as myself, could aspire to.

The aim was to raise the profile of handmade, that it wasn’t cheap trash and trinkets; there was skill involved, quality materials that gave us items that not everyone else had, and these were worth paying good money for. I started to list out all the ideas that I wanted to include and together we created the Fair, I managed to find a venue (with the only catch, it was available in 3 weeks) so threw everything I had into it and organised the first one single handedly, pulling out every favour I could find! This was really the blueprint for every Fair since!

What separates it from other local markets or fairs?

There are a few different elements to the Fair, it’s not a standard, off the peg style of market! It’s definitely the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to what you have on offer on the day for a visitor, every Maker involved I hand choose from those that apply to be part of the day, I host between 130-150 Makers each event, so there is plenty of great stuff to choose from.  Along with the talent for visitors to check out, there are fun things to do and prizes you can win on the day, it’s definitely a great experience.

Behind the scenes, I also support each of the Makers involved to help their businesses grow, I source and write business articles for a special log-in resource, organise networking evenings for them to attend before the day, promote them in whatever way I can in the lead up and of course am there for many questions and lots of advice!

Since it began in 2010, did you dream it would have grown to what it is today in just 5 short years?

I love it how you say ‘5 short years’! Those 5 years (at times) have felt very, very long. I knew that there was the potential, but I’ve really tapped into this in the last 12 months following a total rebrand, new venue and a complete over haul on the organisation process; and it’s clearly working! I’m thrilled with the growth that the event has seen, and even though it’s been vast, the Auckland Fair is really only on the crest of the next chapter. I’m so grateful that I get to do what I love each day, that 5 years of hard work, trying to do the Fair around full time work (for no pay!) is starting to pay off and I do still have to pinch myself sometimes.

What are you looking forward to seeing at Auckland Fair this year?

This June I’m so excited to share the activations and experiences that I have been working on to compliment the event (the Yellow® Backyard Cinema, life size Pinterest wall with Felt.co.nz) and of course the diversity of the Makers that are participating. There are lots of new brands making their debut, so it is exciting to see them experience the Fair for the first time.

Why host it at Shed 10?

When I went to scope out Shed 10, I walked in and just thought “YES!” it really was perfect. Even though it’s essentially just a tin shed, I could see the potential to create the Fair’s new home. Aotea was great and had been a really important part of the Fair journey, but the event had long grown out of the space.

With Shed 10, the Fair fills every little corner, it’s an electric atmosphere, you feel like you have arrived at an exciting event that you can’t wait to get in and see. Shed 10 has been respectfully restored and it really works to compliment the Fair. Aside from all the aesthetic reasons, being in a vibrant part of the city, close to public transport and lots of parking for visitors were all important factors too.

What can visitors expect to see/experience at Auckland Fair?

So much! All the Makers, delicious food, the Yellow® Backyard Cinema, Felt’s pinterest wall (pin and win! Need I say more?), kids crafting area with I Love Pies, the Photo Booth inside a restored Kombi van, yummy food and Coffee thanks to Picnic Box and Mojo…. SO much!

You have some fantastic partners supporting Auckland Fair this year, how crucial is it to have their support as a small business?

I do, and I would be lost without them! Yellow® has been absolutely amazing as they are all about supporting local businesses, Your Home & Garden, Mojo Coffee, I Love Pies, Felt… everyone, and by helping the Fair, they not only help me, but they help everyone that is involved as a Maker too. What I love about having this kind of support is that everyone works in partnership to back the Fair, and they really are backing an important part of Auckland’s creative community.

Head along to Shed 10 in Auckland on June 14th to be a part of the fun – Kelly

The post Behind the Scenes of Auckland Fair appeared first on The Home Scene.