It's a little late come'n around, but you don't need this info till next years application cycle anyway! Thought I'd do something different and try out the Lubbock Arts Festival. It IS something different. The good: It's an indoor show! Given all the crazy weather that has hit Texas lately more shows should consider this. I know it is lovely to be outside, etc, etc but given the expense that artists go through to be at any given show and have it ruined by weather? In the case of this show advance weather forecasts suggested rain. It didn't occur until Sunday after take down and it poured! Okay, I'll drop the diatribe...
The show is inside the convention complex which is downtown. Lubbock is a very easy city to get around, everything seems to be 2 miles away! The quality of the show was fairly well contained, set-up and take down were well managed with access at the front and side of the building. There were some amenities during the show with a great buffet dinner prior to Fridays preview. Booths were back to back so there was no storage available however, as some booths were not occupied the directors of the show allowed artists to store items in the empty spots that had drapes in front of them. In one case an artist expanded their booth into the adjacent empty spot with permission from the director. The directors of the show were found to be available, friendly, accommodating and helpful.
There is a lot going on at the convention center concurrent with the art show. School arts, music, car sales? I don't know whether that interfered with the art show or brought more people to the party.
Crowds were plentiful all day Saturday and Sunday but buying energy just was not rampant. So what else is new? All my spring shows have been that way this year! Judging by the long faces on artists near me I'd say they weren't having any better experiences then I was. Another photographer friend nearby didn't do much better than I did.
Just the facts:
Show Hours and Dates: Lubbock Arts Festival. April 15 - 17. Fri 6-9, 10-7 Sat & Sun 12 -5
Logistics:
The show is set up inside the the Lubbock Convention Center which is not far off of the highway and many motels/hotels. Did I mention Lubbock is easy to get around? There seems to be more highways then surface roads! LOL! You can unload either the Thursday prior to the show or Friday. I opted for Friday morning and had plenty of time to get ready before opening hours.
Amenities:
Water, snacks and volunteer booth sitters for the occasional break. Additionally, the show hosted a great dinner on Friday night as part of the Patrons preview.
Storage, Booth Space, Load-In/Out:
As this is a relatively small convention center booths pretty well filled the place so there was no space for storage. As this was an indoor show lights were helpful but not essential as the hall was well lit, electricity was included in the booth fee.
Demographics/Buying Trends:
This was a slow show. What sold? Low end priced items. People that had done the show the previous year said it was pretty slow but they thought they'd give it another shot. One artist gave it a break for 5 years and felt it wasn't any better then the last time they were there.
Quality/Range of Art:
This was an +/average show in terms of quality. Maybe one or two booths were not up to the same level as the rest but those were the exceptions.
Food:
It's always a good idea to keep the patrons there with food, drinks and places to sit. Good thing.
Reflections:
This was a first time show for me and it didn't go so well this year. Usually I would give a show another opportunity but based on the lackluster sales and reports of returning artists I'd choose not to return.
Okay, now for the Dave Piper star rating! I'd give this show ✩✩✩ out of 5 and that is because of the nice job of logistics, great amenities, booth sitting, etc. As far as the buying goes, I'd give it half ✩.
Cheers!
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