Application Dealbreakers

Comment by Robin Ragsdale on January 22, 2012 at 11:31pm

I agree it's ridiculous for a show to expect an artist to pay the entire booth fee at the time of application. As a rule, artists don't have extra income they can tie up for weeks without knowing if they are accepted or not. And if you aren't accepted, how long does it take to get a check for that amount back? There is a show close by that I would love to do, but won't apply for that very reason. Stupid.

Robin Ragsdale

www.evenbetterimages.com

Comment by Alison Thomas on January 23, 2012 at 7:33am

I don't mind paying the booth fee with the application fee.  I don't apply to those shows unless I'm sure I want to do the show.  I do mind when they want both booth and application fee in one check which they cash right away.  But it still comes down to how badly I want to do the show and how well it fits in my schedule.  I am, however, much more likely to take a chance on a show if I can accept or decline if I have been accepted.

Comment by Nancy Grimsley on January 23, 2012 at 8:05am

I don't understand why artists apply to shows if they are "unsure" they want to do them.  They get in, screw others out of getting in and then don't pay for the show because they changed their mind.  Everyone should do their homework and apply to shows they intend on actually doing.  I think 90 percent of the shows I apply to expect the booth fee.  As for refunds, that's just not gonna happen.

Comment by Larry Berman on January 23, 2012 at 8:23am

Just like shows choose which artists they accept, sometimes artists are in a position to choose which shows they want to do. But it's virtually impossible to have your first choice of show acceptances. That's why artists sometimes need to apply to two, three or sometimes even more shows on a given weekend and do the show that they get into.

The weekend before Ann Arbor is the most applied to weekend of the year. There are probably ten shows that compete for our applications, depending on where the show is located and how far you are willing to travel.

Living in Western PA, I used to apply to State College and Ann Arbor and sometimes Krasl. And when I lived in New York, I applied to Wickford and State College. Getting on the wait list would almost guaranty an acceptance when the other shows sent their acceptances out and artists declined and accepted their first choice.

That being said. Any show that asks for the booth fee with application is probably investing your money, trying to make a profit from artists not even accepted to their show. Besides not applying to shows like that, you should contact the show and explain why they are not getting your money.

I did call a show once and explain about how artists can't afford to outlay all that money so far in advance. They told me that it was easier than contacting artists to pay their booth fees after the acceptances. I suggest taking credit card numbers in advance or hiring one extra staff person.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Comment by Nancy Grimsley on January 23, 2012 at 9:02am

I understand the need of artists to apply to more then one show but remember many of these shows are run by volunteers.  They ask for the fees to cut back on paperwork.  I think that artist's need to research the show PRIOR to applying.  Many on here ask about a specific show AFTER they have been accepted.  And, do they always let the show know they are not attending or merely not pay?  Many shows do not keep a waitlist so when artist's who apply to everything under the sun in one weekend take spots away from artists who truely want to do the show.  It seems to me that it is the norm to have your booth fee included with the jury fee. 

Comment by Larry Berman on January 23, 2012 at 9:10am

That was the norm twenty years ago. ZAPP set the gold standard by having shows to ask for the booth fee after acceptance. Small staffed shows can do one of two things to be fair. Either ask for separate checks for booth and jury fee and state in the application that the booth fee check will not be deposited until after the jurying. Or take credit cards and charge the booth fee after jurying.

And there's no mention of a cancellation policy. I'd have to think twice about applying to a show without a fair cancellation policy. Fair for artists and fair for the show, meaning after a specific date the amount of the refund drops.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Comment by Amy Ikenn on January 23, 2012 at 9:17am

I have graduated to the point of applying to backup shows when my first choice for a weekend is something of a long shot.  That being said there are other reasons to keep your options open.  I would like to do a show in Lake Geneva WI in August, but I am not going to apply because they are taking fees up front and not allowing any flexibility for cancellations.

 My daughter starts college this fall, and some August weekend we will need to travel to get her moved in.  Since she hasn't decided which college yet and the colleges haven't announced their fall calendars I need to have flexibility in August.  I explained this exact scenario to the show organizer and it made no difference - so I won't be applying.

As for the concept of taking spaces from other artists, most shows use a wait list to combat that.  Of course there is a domino effect where one artist at show 1 drops out, so an artist that confirmed for show 2 is called up and then drops out of show 2, so an artist that is confirmed for show 3 is called up and so on... but that is the nature of the game.
 

Comment by Deborah Gall on January 23, 2012 at 10:16am

By the way, you can  withdraw your application.  Zapplication does have a "withdrawn" category that directors/zapp administrators can use.  We just had an artist withdraw for Artfusion 2012 before the deadline because she'd gotten into her first choice show.  No refund of application fee, but she's not in the jury pool.  I did the same thing earlier in the year and still got a rejection notice.  Really?  I withdrew my application.  Guess I'm glad I did! 

Comment by susan lambert on January 23, 2012 at 10:23am

As one who does jewelry, I have a tough time with the jury fees.  When a show has over 200 jewelry artists apply for 15 slots, that is a lot of money they make on the jury fees.  It's hard knowing there are few slots and many applicants.  Getting into shows is difficult and losing money on the fees is disheartening. If I apply to 10 shows, that can be between 300 and 500 dollars in fees.  Maybe I'll get in half of the shows, maybe 1/3 of them.  The organizers have to balance their types of jewelry also so you can have wonderful artists, but not enough space for them all.  It's making it very difficult for me this year to pick what to apply to.

Comment by Michael J. Magee Photography on January 23, 2012 at 10:52am

I don't mind sending the check in for both the application and booth fee. I read the application carefully to make sure they don't cash the booth fee check until after I've been accepting. Like someone else mentioned, I only do that with shows that are my number one choice.

Hope everyone's 2012 is off to a good start!

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