Market stall holders are to get a lesson in how to inject some New York pizazz into their businesses.

Bermuda Economic Development Corporation staff Raymond Lambert and William Spriggs aim to pass on the lessons learnt at an international conference on public markets held in New York at a special seminar next month.

Mr Lambert said: “We went into a number of different topics in the classroom and had the opportunity to tour a number of the more popular markets in New York, both indoor and outdoor and we got a better understanding of the elements that make a successful market.”

Now the pair will share what they learnt with existing and aspiring vendors at a meeting at the Earl Cameron Theatre at City Hall in Hamilton on Tuesday, November 1.

Mr Lambert said: “First off, it’s a combination of the market itself having quality products and services and pairing that with locations that make sense, that are ideal for vendors, usually in areas where they have business going on around it.

“Parking is also important and entertainment is important — we have great locations in Bermuda, it’s just a question of leveraging these ideas together.”

He added that coordination of market opportunities was also a vital factor in ensuring the success of the sector.

Mr Lambert explained: “Bermuda is a small place — on a Saturday, there could be five or six different markets happening at the same time — it’s scheduling, it’s the variety of services, signage and how things are displayed.

“Our vendors have some nice displays, but they have five seconds to basically sell a product. In that five seconds a person waking through a market makes up their mind whether they will stop and sample their wares.

“It’s these experiences we want to display to our public to get them thinking of ways to improve themselves.

“The big thing is creativity — New York is a big place and there is competition going on all the time.”

Mr Lambert added that craftspeople in Bermuda tended to wait until they could afford a bricks and mortar presence before taking the plunge into their own business when they could use a market-type environment to judge the market and refine their product, as well as making cash in the interim.

He said: “There is a feeling they’re not able to start before they have a bricks and mortar place — maybe there are ways to start vending and get feedback before they have a full-time shop.”

Mr Lambert and Mr Spriggs visited several markets in Manhattan and the Bronx, including the Union Square Green Market.

Mr Lambert said: “There was a lady selling hibiscus tea. It was great and tasted really nice. We have hibiscus plants around the island — there could be a hibiscus tea someone could vend as a Bermuda product.”

He added: “Creativity is something we are never done learning and the more you see, the more you see things that can be applied here in Bermuda.”

The BEDC team also spotted a young couple who made ice cream at home and sold it from a cooler at a market.

Mr Lambert said: Some of these products aren’t exactly new, but there are so many ideas people can do from home.

“They don’t have to wait until they get the big shop — it’s really about starting and that’s our message to smaller businesses.”

The seminar, which costs $20, will be held between 6pm and 8pm next Tuesday.

For more information, go to www.bedc.bm.