What are the primary responsibilities of a promoter or director?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Hoyt on August 12, 2009 at 7:52am

I'll give it a shot.

The main job of any promoter is to bring in PEOPLE through the gate. Their job is to have potential customers walk past my booth. It's MY job to turn them into buyers.

Advertising:
Every exhibitor has their own definition of what the promoter should do here. Radio? If the exhibitor is listening to a rock station and the promoter is advertising on the adult contemporary station, the exhibitor complains about "no advertising".
Newspapers? Readership is plummeting nationwide. So should promoters spend good money there? Many promoters do just that to placate the exhibitor who buys the local paper just to look for an ad.

Location, location, location:
Good real estate costs money. How much does the exhibitor want to spend for a space? Some venues can cost the promoter upwards of $10,000 PER DAY to rent. Then the exhibitor complains about the $500 booth fee.

Jury:
This is a sticky point with me. There are many excellent promoters who will pay jurors to do their job. And many do it well. But I have come across many promoters who troll shows handing out applications with a $15 jury fee telling the exhibitor to apply soon "as spaces are going fast". Meanwhile the show has been filled for months, but that $15 is "non refundable" so it was nothing more than a money grab!
Another annoyance is the show with a jury fee and they "jury by check!" Again, just another way to get more money.

Travel:
That is a choice made by the exhibitor. Some only stay at 3 star hotels while others stay in a motorhome or Motel 6. Many still sleep in their vans. If the exhibitor travels a long distance to do a show and doesn't do well, how can that be the promoter's fault?

Layout:
More exhibitors must realize not everyone can have the "Times Square" booth. Good promoters will lay out the show as well as they can. But somebody must be at the end of the row! Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not. The promoters I work with do their best to have an even traffic flow to every exhibitor.

Philosophy:
Promoters are in business to make money. 99% are Capitalists like me. But I read many reviews where the exhibitor complains about that. "They're just in it for the money." But how many of us are doing this for money? If you're not, you are in a small minority.
Now there are shows and exibitions that do it to showcase the artists. But for the normal exhibitor, that's not the case.

Opinion:
Again the promoter's main job is to bring people past my booth. And by that I mean people who will pay an admission to the event expecting to see exhibitors, not street fairs where people just come to eat.
I want the show to have a level of exhibitor professionalism so the show literally runs itself. Lately I have come across a promoter that comes by on a regular basis and will go get singles if you need them. That's far better than coffee and doughnuts any time! Which would you rather have? A free cup of coffee, or change in your register when you need it? I can stop for a cup of coffee on the way in.

I love setting up the day before the show! This is much more relaxed and you can meet your neighbors and reconnect with old friends. Setting up 250 exhibitors on Saturday morning can lead to disaster. Especially if it rained Friday night and nobody's allowed to drive on the field.

But then again the rain was the promoter's fault, right?

Now what are our duties?
Show up on time.
Don't block your neighbor's space with your van. S/he wants to set up too.
Don't park blocking the handicap ramps in the sidewalks or block entrance doors with your vehicle. It's not your personal unloading dock.
Help your neighbor if necessary open up the canopy.
Don't stack all your work in the aisle when setting up or tearing down. Others need to get through sometimes with a large display, and here we are blocking the aisle.
You're not the star of the show unless the promoter says you are. Once the gate opens, everybody is equal.
Don't disparage the work of your fellow exhibitors. They got into the exact same show you did.

And most of all, remember, promoters are people too. They make mistakes just like anybody else. Even us. Don't storm up to the promoter and say "I'm not coming back!" I did that once and the promoter replied:" Looks like we'll have to cancel the show then. Chris isn't coming back!" That was in 1985 when I was doing shows for about 5 years and thought I knew everything. I found out I was just beyond the beginner stage and had so much yet to learn.

Be flexible. Be friendly. Enjoy the show. Because if you enjoy it, the customers notice and you'll make better sales.

Chris in VT

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Sholund on August 12, 2009 at 9:06am

I agree with all that Chris said. This is one of those can of worm topics and I think many have an opinion on the topic as well as something that can be talked about any time of year and year after year.

I do feel the promoter has the job of that - promote an event. The event must live up to its name - art fair, art and craft show, vendor show, juried fine art, gift show, etc. They should break it down as to what they expect out of craft artists - this is how we jury, this is our rules and regulations, set-up times, when we will let you know when you are accepted, etc. As an artist, I need to be informed as I am sure promoters don't want to repeat themselves either.

Promoters have a big job of promoting/advertising an event and sometimes that means they need to be extra creative. I have seen some creative ways some promote too like an ad on the inside of a pizza box with the sponsorship from a pizza chain. Scouts that go to shows that lead up to their event to spread the word to actual show goers. Color print ads with coupons towards admission or press releases featuring artists that will be at the event. Info at tourism locales. Postcard/rack cards distributed by artists at shows they attend to their customers. Banners that stream across "Main Street". There are businesses round town that will sponsor a banner or help pay for postcards as long as they get a some "face time" on the ad. I also love seeing good road signs leading up to the venue so people can see where to park and where the main activity will be.

I think all the rest is fluff. Booth sitters - great to have but each person is responsible for their own booth - if they don't have the man power, then they need to do a smaller show. Coffee and donuts - again nice, but not necessary. I love having a bit of extra space around my booth so I am not butt up against neighbors regarding electrical cords or something along that line. Prizes - not necessary for me - I am there to sell my work, I am in business to make money - prizes can be the icing on the cake, but not necessary for me.

Lastly, to come through on promises. If there is going to be security - I would like to see security and not hear about how several vendors got their work stolen or how drunk people got out of hand if alcohol is being served. If the promoter has issues regarding set-up and pack up they need extra volunteers to make it go smooth - direct traffic, help unload stuff, etc. If it is going to be in the middle of Summer I kinda expect a cooling station in the shade with a large thermos of water for those who might keel over from heat exhaustion. Clean bathrooms - seeing 1-2 porta johns for a 50,000 crowd event with no place to wash hands is unsanitary.

I think this is about all I can think of. The job of a promoter may seem simple, but know first hand it isn't. It is a lot of delegating, patience, time, and trouble for little pay. IF a show doesn't go well for artists it doesn't go well for promoters too. Promoters do the job because of their love of art, wanting to support artists in their community to raise art awareness, and most likely are artists themselves or involved in the arts through the organization putting on the event. I believe this and for this reason give promoters a big hand for all their hard work. - Michelle, By the Bay Botanicals

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Permalink Reply by Dave Hinde on August 12, 2009 at 9:10am

I'll add one additional requirement: Look after the Artisits! Some shows we are completely ignored after we set up, others make sure we are doing OK. Here's some examples - a couple shows I do have Boy Scouts helping with the setup (in exchange for a booth). A few shows have a "goodies" wagon that circulates around carrying bottled water and snacks. This comes around a couple times a day. The Ocean View Art Show has "mini-chairs" assigned to every 7 or 8 artists. They relieve you for lunch and breaks, welcome you, and make sure you don't need anything.

Not all promoters are in it to make money, some just want to put together a show for the artists. Chesapeake Bay Art Assoc. is somewhere in the middle. Proceeds from the show go to an art scholarship fund, but the fees are kept low (under $100) so that everyone can afford to participate, even if you aren't big sellers.

A couple more responsibilities - be prepared!! It may rain, it may be very windy, or something else beyond their control.

Security - be clear with your vendors when security will be there and what their responsibilities will be. One show recently proudly told the artists they'd hired 12 security guards. What they failed to mention was that the guards worked one at a time! A friend lost several large paintings.

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