Getting Started: How to run a pride stall

Attending a pride event as a representative of a part of the bi+ community is a great way to advertise a new or existing bi+ group, bring visibility to the community and start conversations about bi+ issues and experiences. It can also be a lot to take on, especially if you’ve never done it before. Our tips will guide you through the process. If you’ve got any questions, please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.

• Apply in advance

There is limited space at pride events. Outdoor events may have a whole park - or in the case of London, several squares and streets - to fill, but indoor events are much smaller. Apply as soon as you can. Most local pride events will have a form online, or an email address to contact. If they don’t, try social media or email their general contact address.

• Consider your potential costs

Some events charge a flat fee to attend. Others may have a sliding scale depending on who you are, and others still don’t charge a fee at all.

It can be tempting to spend money on things like a banner, or bunting, but they can both be made at home cheaply and it’s worth considering if you’re attending a single event. You can repurpose things you already own as decoration for your stall, and cut up a sheet for a home made flag if you don’t want to spend too much.

Don’t forget to factor in your on-the-day costs like transport, parking or lunch from a vendor.

Some larger prides have community access funds or other small grants available, or may be able to waive fees. Since you’re likely to be the only bi+ stall they have you’re in a good position to negotiate.

• Recruit volunteers

You could run a stall by yourself, but we really don’t advise it. You’ll need at least one other person to sit behind your stall so it’s still covered if one of you needs to go to the loo or wants a break. Ideally, you would spilt the day into two or more shifts, and have a few people helping out.

When you arrive you’ll need people who are able to carry your set up. If your pitch is outdoors and you’re arriving by car you may not be able to drive right up to your table, and in venues like parks the distance from the car park can be significant. A wheeled suitcase or trolley may prove very helpful!

During the day chattier people are what’s best. The people sitting behind your stall will not generally have to move around a lot, but they’ll need a full social battery.

• Decide your layout in advance

There’s nothing worse than arriving to your table to discover you’ve brought far too much with you, or you’ve got a big empty space.

It is usual for prides to supply a table and a couple of chairs for an indoor event, and a gazebo too if the event is outdoors. Some events can also provide poster boards, but it’s likely that if you want to use one of those you’ll have to provide your own.

If the event hasn’t told you the size of your pitch or your table, feel free to ask. Ideally you’d be able to find a table of the same size to decide your layout with, but we like to mark a square on the floor with tape and do it that way.

• Include an interactive element that will draw people to your stallt

If you want people to stop at your stall, you need to give them a reason to. It was once common to have sweets, sickers or small items of merchandise but littering and sustainability concerns have meant that not all prides allow them.

Having a freebie is a great way to get people to your stall, but it’s also expensive. Attendees will love a badge they can take home but they’ll also stop for a game, a cheekily controversial question or to add a message to a collaborative art project.

• Include relevant local information

If you’ve got a meet up group, now’s a good time to produce a stack of flyers. If you’re not a designer by nature, Canva is a great free tool to use. Printing them at home may not be as cost effective as you think: compare the cost of a new cartridge of ink and ream of paper to a stack of 500 professionally printed A7 flyers. Ask any other local groups or events if they’d like to send you some flyers too. They might even want to volunteer behind the stall.

Biscuit will also provide resources, including postcards, flyers and booklets.

• Be prepared to handle biphobia

It’s a sad fact that while things are much better than they used to be, you might still experience biphobic incidents and attitudes at pride. When you arrive, make a note of where security are situated. You probably won’t need them, but it’s always handy to know.

You do not have to accept abuse or bigotry and you are within your rights to ask someone to move away from your stall. If they refuse to do so you are within your rights to escalate to the pride team.

Packing Checklist