Just returned from Deland Fall Festival of the Arts in Deland Fl.

This was a very well organized show, with plenty of volunteers and staff support. The artist amenities were great. There was a reception for us on friday evening. We were offered breakfast, lunch, and even dinner on Saturday evening where the awards were given out. Sunday there was breakfast and a nice thanksgiving style dinner at lunch time consisting of turkey and all the fixings. Load in and Load out were well co-ordinated and went smoothly. 

So from an organization and logistics standpoint it was a great show. Just one small problem. NO BUYERS! Now to be perfectly honest, I was next to the end of the 4-5 block long show, and I am sure somebody there did well. It was just that I did not and all the artist that I talked to did not. Even the person that won best in show had not sold ANYTHING by mid afternoon on Sunday. I talked to my neighbors and other artists and basically the only sales they had were repeat customers that came to the show to see them. Also the folks with the returning customers ran into the question of them lowering their prices. I know that I was asked more about lowering prices at this show that all the other shows I have done this year. 

So, overall, the town seems committed to supporting the arts with plenty of galleries and such, but the general public attending the show simply did not seem to be willing to part with their money. As a point of reference, my prices at this show ranged from $20 to $1200, and my prices were the same as at my other shows during the year. One of the artist near me put it well. She said, " If I had a dollar of every one that told me my work was beautiful, I would have had a good show" That is pretty much what I experienced. Again, to be fair, I did see some folks walking around with small packages, possibly jewelry, and others with small to medium 2D pieces, so like I said, some people may have had a good show. Also the weather was a bit extreme. It was 80+ on Saturday and in the 60's with 25 mph winds on Sunday. 

Sad part is that this was an experiment of going to  Florida for shows, and quite frankly, I am not inclined to drive 1400 miles round trip for nothing. Several artists told me that I shouldn't judge Florida by this show, but rather i should return and try shows on he west coast where there is a more affluent customer base. Although, there were some very well dressed and as another contributor on here calls them "good shoes" folks at the show. 

I will have to think about whether to simply write off FL or give it one more try in a better location. After all, from October to April there isn't much going on in Virginia, and even if it is a bad show, at least it is a break from the cold. March in VA can be particularly nasty. 

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  • Deland is not a well-heeled area, despite its proximity to Orlando.  It is rural, but even my wildlife photography could not find buyers there (I did the show a couple of years ago.)  Either coast, farther south, would be a better barometer of how you would fare in the state, overall.  The metro areas of Miami/Lauderdale and Sarasota tend to be more sophisticated and urban in their taste; most of the Gulf Coast, and the East Coast north of Lauderdale (i.e., Stuart/Jupiter/Hobe Sound) are more conservative.  Just a generalization; you'll have to gauge my assessment against the market for your work and decide where you need to be.  But whichever, don't rely on Deland as a good litmus test.  It's not. 

  • Absolutely do not judge Florida by this show - it's a weird one!  Last year I had the same experience you did.  The quality is quite good and I think maybe the prize money draws exhibitors who are not appropriate for the audience.  The Friday night party had great food, but partway through I noticed something: the exhibitors were at the back standing at little round tables drinking wine out of plastic cups.  The volunteers were sitting at big round tables and wearing big name tags and when they came back to our area for more wine they were given it in glass wine glasses. Hmmm.

    I also felt the volunteers didn't really get it.  Toward the end of the show when I was asked a few times how I did and I replied that my sales were terrible, they gave replies like "but didn't we really feed you?" and "but didn't you have fun?".  They didn't seem to realize that we need SALES.

    • Thanks Ruth, 

      I figured that there were some other AFI folks there, but didn't really take the time to walk around and check. (Plus there are so many that I haven't met yet)

      Several folks did tell me that this was a strange show. I mean the organizers are trying, I have to give them that, but the general public just didn't seem to understand that we do this to make money  nor do I think most of them know what we are paying for booth spaces. It just seemed that the only people that offered any pretext of buying were looking for bargains.  One couple was looking at one of my tables and asked how long I was going to be around. They seemed put off when I looked at my watch and said, "3 hours and 20 minutes, and then I am headed back to Virginia". The same couple tried to get me to lower my price and when I didn't, the conversation was basically over. 

      i too had some folks ask how the show had gone and they genuinely seemed surprised when I told them that the show was not going well for many artists. My neighbor who is from that area of Florida told me that there is a show in that area just about every weekend and apparently the folks want to see you at one show and them come back to maybe shop the next week. Who knows. My other neighbor was from Sarasota and he said that I should try a show over there. He commented at 9:30 sunday morning that if it had been Sarasota, the crowds would have been there already, while in Deland, there were only artists. He has been doing this a lot longer than I and was not happy at all with the "shoppers" or the numbers of attendees.

  • Thanks for the review Wayne. This one is too early for us but I've wondered if this show had potential.
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