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In other words, "How time fly's".

 It has been a month since I attended the Zapplication Conference. Due to life's busyness and a family funeral, I am finally fulfilling a promise to Art Fair Insider/Connie Mettler in writing a report. I helped support the pledge drive for this forum and was awarded a free admittance ticket to Zapp 7th Annual Arts Festival Conference, and what an excellent award it was!

It was held in Kansas City, Mo. Sept. 24-25 2015, strategically planned on the same weekend as the famous Plaza Art Fair.  

Attending the conference was a mix of new artist and veteran artist who have been in the art fair business for over 20 Yrs. Also attending were art show administrators. Some very experienced and some just learning.

The Zapp personnel, artist and show promoters all agreed we need each other to continue having successful Art Fairs.

As an Artist, I attended the sessions for the artist,but also wishing I could have listened to the sessions for promoter too.

In the end we came together as a whole and discussed the business with a  Q& A time of understanding what we each go through.

For example; a promoter has many 'balls to juggle in the air" before, during and after a show. Advertising, selecting a jury, sending out applications, providing food venders, selecting music performers, clean up crews, practical location, parking issues, city ordinance, safety ordinance,  being a weather expert, and so on.

 Then on the other side of the  picture is the Artist. Their issues can follow the similar concerns. Is the show well advertised, is the fees to expensive, are the hours too long, will the set up and tare down go smoothly, will there be a clean bathroom near by, what kind of audience attend and how many to expect, will the weather be perfect, is there too many of one kind of art and so on. The bottom line was that we all need to "put ourselves in each others shoes."

I hate to make such a long post but there was so much good information.

One session was How To Market to the Millennials?

They are young adults born between 1980 - 2000s which represent 1/3 of the total U.S. population in 2013. It's now 2015! They are your new buyers.

They are computer savvy. They live on, by and with their smart phones! They network, research, multi task, take risk, and not afraid to  buy online. They are confident, impatient, adaptable, reactionable, and sociable and on the go. They snap chat, twit, Google, skyp, pin, tumble, flick, all on their devices. Bottom line is, how do you get them to look up when they are looking down?

Just remember they are human too and they want to be valued and loved.

Another session was the jury process and what makes a good booth shot.

So many opinions to this. What I learned was, yes a booth shot is very important. The jury wants to see all 3 sides (inside) your booth. They don't want to see a distraction from the over all image. A well balance, well lit and classy presentation is a must.  A jury has only seconds to make a judgment. Don't give them a easy reason to throw you work out at a glance. 
Then the copyright and fair use for visual arts was covered. But you need to think like an attorney and I am not one. But what I got from this session is, there is a very gray area of how an artist can be protected from copy right infringement. I have too many questions and too many scenarios, still.

One other session of many was, A Successful Entrepreneur. If it is your business, treat it as a business. Be prepared for opportunities to move forward. Have a "press folder'' of your shows, bio, web site, a catalog to promote what you do. Do your best. Doing 'almost' gets you 'almost'.

I learn so much, and now I have to apply it. It was a great opportunity to be amongst the Zapp personnel, other professional artist, and to net work with show promoters. Being from the Midwest, and Zapp chose to come to Kansas City, I am very grateful to attend the conference compliments to Art Fair Insiders!

Thank You.

PS: I didn't get to say how successful the Plaza Art Fair is. Maybe this photo of the first night will say it all.