We sat down with Danielle Cohen, founder of Urban Air Market, for a quick chat on creating her innovative pop-up marketplace. She's hired two team members through Localwise, and is looking for one more! Be sure to check to see if Urban Air Market has current job openings in a city near you.
Why did you start Urban Air Market?
After one year of assisting with that event, I purchased the company and changed the name to Urban Air Market, changed the focus and application process to include sustainable design, and started expanding the market into new cities.
I always wanted a way to showcase the work of artists and designers that I admire and Urban Air Market as a pop-up festival has proven to be the most successful way to do that.
What's it like having your own business, not to mention a fair?
What do you look for when hiring/building your team?
I've learned the hard way that just because someone has a great personality doesn’t mean they'll get the job done. So now, after the interview, I’ll ask for some references and always assign a brief homework assignment to get a feel for how the applicant presents themselves, and how they handle problems and deadlines.
I love using Localwise for hiring because I can easily view an applicant’s resume, cover letter, and personal profile (if they create one). And the applicants that come to Localwise for a job search seem to be higher quality than from Craigslist.
I’m proud to say that our Marketing Intern and our Sales Intern are both amazing team members that I found through Localwise!
What are 5 things people might not know about Urban Air Market?
- Our SF Bay Area HQ team is all women.
- 80% of our participating vendors are women- or minority-owned businesses.
- We work on-the-go and don’t have an office space, so our team meetings are via Google Hangouts or in person at a local brewery.
- We have a free gift called “The Smart Vendors Guide for Getting Real Buyers” available on our website.
- We are hoping to launch this year in Brooklyn and Austin.
What tips can you offer to someone looking to get into event production?
My first love of production came from joining the 48 Hour Film Project, a team building contest where you make a short movie in 2 days. It’s like a Production 101 crash course.
This month, Urban Air Market pops up in Oakland. What can we expect?
We’re actually having a giveaway contest for one free goodie bag filled with products from our Oakland vendors. You can enter to win here: urbanairmarket.com/oakland-tote-giveaway