Attending events is crucial for Hujaus, both in terms of building brand awareness and for myself as an entrepreneur. Although participating in events is always a major effort, they provide priceless customer interactions that help me better understand what our customers want and need. This blog post focuses on what event participation means for us.
We participate in several events each year. In 2025, we held two spring pop-up events together with another Finnish brand, Ommellinen, and we are organizing a joint pop-up in the autumn as well. We also participate annually in the Tampere Crafts Fair (Tampereen Kädentaitomessuille) every November.
Preparing for an event depends somewhat on whether I am co-organizing the event myself (pop-ups) or if it is a pre-arranged booth space, such as at a trade fair. Trade fair participation is more straightforward in itself, as I am purely responsible for my own booth, and planning focuses solely on that. I reserve my preferred spot and order necessary extras, such as electricity, carpet if needed, etc.
At pop-up events, we handle everything ourselves, from finding and renting the venue to Teosto music royalty fees and final cleaning. Pop-ups are also typically longer in duration, and if held in shopping centers, the opening hours can be quite long. However, organizing together with another brand goes smoothly, and having a fellow entrepreneur during the event is a huge help.
Of course, events need to be marketed so our customers can find them. Newsletters, social media posts, and potential paid advertising on Instagram and Facebook are part of the prep work—meaning creating materials, writing texts, and publishing content.
Regardless of the event format, designing the booth layout is part of my preparation. I draw a floor plan and arrange the placement of fixtures in advance. Our setup includes fitting rooms, lighting tracks and lights, a sales counter, clothing racks, and depending on the space, mannequins, mirrors, shelving, etc. I plan in advance which products go on which rack, as this speeds up booth assembly on-site. If I actually stuck to this plan on-site, setup would be seamless—but because plans always change on the fly, the display requires fine-tuning on location.
I also create a packing list for us, separating display products from backup inventory. That way, during setup, there is no need to guess what goes out and what stays in storage. During the planning phase, I also calculate how many products can fit, as space is always a limitation no matter where we are. Here, I also utilize sales reports from previous events to predict how much of each product or size is needed—so we don't run out, but also don't carry too much extra. Clothes and supplies are packed in boxes, garment bags, and rack covers. On the boxes, I write which rack the items belong to, and on inventory boxes, what is inside.
We drive to events in a van, as it fits the exact needs of one event. Event days start early with loading the van, followed by driving to the location and unloading the gear into the space. Assembling racks and fitting rooms, hanging clothes on hangers and steaming if necessary, organizing the stock area, installing lights, and hanging logos are all part of the setup day tasks. Finally, last-minute cleaning and washing mirrors, and we are ready for the sales day.
The actual event days always pass quickly—the more customers, the faster the hours fly by. I personally enjoy customer service, and it is a genuinely wonderful feeling when products I designed come to life on customers, seeing and hearing their reactions. I listen and ask questions attentively regarding customer wishes, and when time permits, engage in long conversations. I hope our customers realize how meaningful these interactions are for an entrepreneur. Seeing more and more familiar faces event after event is super awesome.
For example, at the Tripla pop-up coming up in a few weeks, the days are long. We are open 12 hours a day, plus opening and closing tasks for the retail space. Pop-ups are quite the hustle. On the other hand, because events are a clear change from the regular routine, I sometimes refer to them as a vacation.
On teardown day, the process is reversed: clothes into boxes, dismantling and packing fixtures, unloading the van at the warehouse, and returning the rental van. The following day at the warehouse begins the inventory check and organization, as well as cleaning and restocking clothes back into the online store inventory—which is one of the single biggest tasks. All clothing must be inspected thoroughly, as tried-on garments may have hair, dust, etc., and naturally need to be cleaned up. Finally, we ensure inventory levels are accurate, concluding the event on the product side.
During and after the event, we also evaluate whether sales expectations were met, what was sold, how much, why those specific products, whether we should prepare differently next time, etc. Tired but happy—that is always the bottom line, regardless of the event.
-Iina, Hujaus Entrepreneur
Were there any surprises, or would you like to ask something related to events? Comment below!