At any event, the devil is in the details. The sights, the sounds, the scents, the tastes, the textures, even the mood and the body language of the people present all create a certain vibe. And every small experience, every little thing, can amplify or detract from the overall experience.

This is something Danielle Djokic understands better than most. Each element of her styled-to-perfection Boho Luxe Markets – from the tribal rugs and Moroccan ottomans to the floaty kimonos, felt hats and feathers – has been carefully curated for maximum effect.

“The vibe of the market is the key to its ongoing success and loyal community,” Danielle tells me via email. “It is a vibe that is hard to translate into one word – I like to call it the ‘Byron Bay vibe’! We strive hard to create the feeling of being in Byron, strolling the shops, listening to some buskers, chilling out, sipping a cool drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic – no judgement here).”

Stalls drip with macrame wall hangings and chic vintage threads. There are colourful crystals and creative workshops, flower crowns and food trucks. It’s a bohemian rhapsody of conscious creativity.

Sitting on an idea

Back when she was a stallholder selling bohemian homewares, Danielle often felt frustrated by the lack of vibe in the small, local markets she frequented. For years, she dreamed of starting her own market – one that offered a real, holistic experience to shoppers and stallholders alike.

When she finally took the plunge and booked The Atrium at Melbourne’s Federation Square for her first Boho Luxe Market in April 2017, she couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout. It was a smash-hit, and within a few months, she says, they’d “booked The Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, for a massive three-day weekend – an even BIGGER event”. Since then, Boho Luxe has branched out to Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, and will debut in Sydney this year.

It’s all happened much faster than Danielle expected.

Building a community

Danielle says that she wanted to create something “new and super cool that the Melbourne public hadn’t seen before”, but she also wanted to champion community values, including a commitment to ethical, conscious consumption.

“I wanted to start this event with strong values and beliefs, not only for our creative vision but to create awareness of sustainability, culture and everything the bohemian lifestyle stands for,” she says. “It goes without saying we only select brands who make their products in a conscious and environmentally friendly way. Because our choices affect our future, it’s that simple.”

As a result, the Boxo Luxe Markets showcase, “an amazing array of designers both locally and interstate who are not only at the forefront of ethical and responsible manufacture, but their designs and creations are next-level,” Danielle says. “We have searched the unique, the cool the different – those earthy tones, the beachy vibes, the bohemian approach.”

Catering to different tastes

Scroll through a few definitions of “bohemian” and you will spot some common themes. In particular, the words “unconventional”, “artistic” and “vagabond” pop up a lot.

But when you think about it, there are a lot of different ways to be “unconventional” – which makes bohemians as a target market kind of tricky to pin down. Danielle gets around this by offering a range of unique and beautiful experiences to suit different tastes.

“Boho Luxe Market is all about the market experience for our exhibitors and market visitors,” Danielle emphasises. “We host creative workshops, sound healings, health and wellbeing talks, live music, mobile bars, photo booths and healthy food trucks. We also have a Boho Bride, Glamping, Vegan, and Psychic and Wellbeing element at the market to really cater for as many demographics as possible.”

Switching to a ticketed system during COVID

Naturally, the outbreak of the pandemic threw a huge spanner in the works for the Boho Luxe Markets, as it did for so many other events. “We had to cancel all our Melbourne events in 2020 and 2021 due to the Victorian lockdowns,” Danielle recalls. “But we managed to go ahead with our Brisbane and Adelaide events over this time with a COVIDSafe Plan in place.”

Part of Boho Luxe’s COVIDSafe Plan included switching to a ticketed system, and Danielle was pleasantly surprised to find that “Eventbrite is an excellent way to sell tickets and collect data”.

“In 2020, we had to look at a ticketing system as part of our COVID-Safe Plan and Eventbrite was super easy to set up and manage,” she says. “We also use Eventbrite to sell our creative workshop and sound healing tickets. We are definitely moving towards a more ticketed system, so Eventbrite has been perfect!”

Since their first market in 2017, the Boho Luxe marketing strategy has relied heavily on Facebook, but, according to Danielle, the platform “has changed a lot over the years and is a lot more challenging to use”.

Still, they “have a strong social media campaign and run ads with links to Eventbrite,” she says, which “makes it super easy to pre-purchase a ticket”. They also “run radio ads and connect with local bloggers who we feel align with our brand.”

Moments of pure Poetry

Danielle says one of the most “magical” Boho Luxe moments so far was when “Kasey Chambers showcased her fashion label Poetry at our Melbourne event in 2019 and sang a few of her songs.” But the recognition and gratitude the team receives from their exhibitors is another highlight, as is watching the Boho Luxe community meet, mingle and grow.

“It is always so rewarding to have our exhibitors thank us after each event with their success stories and to be appreciated for all the hours and hard work we put into each event,” Danielle says. “We love seeing our exhibitors network with each other and make friendships and connections.”

Less cash, no plastic, more passion

In terms of event trends, “There is definitely a move towards sustainability and more conscious consumption,” Danielle observes. Which, among other things, means “zero plastic and re-usable cups.” She’s also noticed less cash changing hands and more online ticket sales.

Apart from that, her advice to anyone dreaming of creating their own events is to: “Start small, create a vibe, and have fun!” But make sure you have a genuine passion for what you’re doing too.

“Be prepared to put your heart and soul into the event or don’t bother – and really believe in what you’re doing!” she says. “I’ve seen too many other event organisers fail because they just didn’t do the hard work and didn’t understand what was expected of them.”

As for her own events, Danielle plans to make the Boho Luxe Markets even “bigger and better” in the future, with “more amazing experiences”. Travel is definitely on the cards, as they branch out to more states and cities across Australia, and eventually maybe international locations as well. Fortune, after all, favours the bold.

Want to stock up on dreamcatchers? Follow Boho Luxe Market on Eventbrite to be alerted when new events are added.

Feeling inspired by Danielle’s story? Start planning your next event here.