Children's Museum Pumpkin Patch Party
Sunday, October 23, 2022
12:00PM - 5:00PM
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About the fair
Children's Museum of the Highlands want to support the opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!
Kids develop a idea/brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace.
We will host kids booths at our 2nd annual Pumpkin Patch Party event at the Children's Museum and on North Ridgewood Drive street frontage on Sunday, October 23, 2022 from 12noon to 5pm.
This event is co-sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, and the generous support of our donors and volunteers. We all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation.
Whether an entrepreneur is famous like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey or they are one of the thousands of unsung business owners across this country, these are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs and serve their communities.
Hosted by
Kelly Dressel
🗓️ Started hosting in 2022
✅ Identity verified
⭐️ 4.6 (10)
The Children's Museum of the Highlands wants to encourage and support our children in learning about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way. We cannot wait to see our community of kids BIG idea!
11 booths participating
Macie's Cotton Candy
Will’s Paracord Unlimited
And 9 others.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.
How many businesses will you accept?
We will accept up to 36 kid ran businesses.
Where should I begin?
Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.
How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?
Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. No more than 3 participants per business.
What is the cost to participate?
Each participate business has a $10 registration fee that goes to booth space rental. Registration fee is due the day of the event before you set up.
What is on the application?
The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:
- What product or service do you plan to sell?
- What price will you charge for each product/service? How much will each product/service cost you?
- How will you pay for your startup costs? If someone is helping you with your startup costs, how will you pay that person back?
- How will you advertise/market your business before the fair?
- At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success?
What if someone else has the same business idea?
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an outdoor event with kid ran booths. Each business will be given a booth space to decorate as they wish. Tables, tents and chairs can be rented from the Children's Museum. Supplies limited.
The morning of the event you will check in with Children's Museum staff, pay your registration fee ($10) and get your booth location. Setup and check in will begin at 10am. We ask for all booths to be ready by 12noon. All participates are asked to stay with their booths until 4pm. Awards will be announced at 4:30pm.
The morning of the event you will check in with Children's Museum staff, pay your registration fee ($10) and get your booth location. Setup and check in will begin at 10am. We ask for all booths to be ready by 12noon. All participates are asked to stay with their booths until 4pm. Awards will be announced at 4:30pm.
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.
What are the rules?
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.
Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.
Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.
How did the Acton Children’s Business Fair get started?
Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.
