I have done about 6 shows with Howard Alan so far this year. Rolling into 2020, I am considering a few Hot Works shows on the same weekends in Florida as HAE shows.
My experience with HAE is a mixed bag. They can be a bit gruff, but I've done really well at at least 3 of the 6 shows with the other three ranging from terrible to just okay.
If you have done Patty's shows with Hot Works, I would love to hear about your experiences based on how your treated, set up/tear down procedures, and whether the buying crowds and level of art are more high-end, or are they more middle of the road and below kind of show/clientele.
Thanks,
Ruel
Replies
If we had to choose~I would take Howard Alan in a NY minute! -NO comparison!!! I am not sure if it's the WAY she advertises because people that were there didn't know it was going on (many were saying that!)& the ones who WERE, were NOT looking for ART! Asheville,NC. was a total MESS when it came to layout & set-up. We can ALWAYS count on HAE for being Professional & Artist friendly. We have always had the RIGHT kind of shoppers truly looking for ART at Howard Alan, but as far as Pattys' shows, many Artists-(not just us) did very poorly. I do wish to add that Patty has always been NICE to us, but in doing this for a living, it all comes down to ONE thing in the end~$$$$$
I worked with Patty once and found her to be very helpful and kind. Setup and tear down was good and she and her staff were polite and available.
My experience with Patty was the same as Dave. It remains my biggest loss at a show.
With HAE, I do them when I have to. FL is a market I don't do much with. you have to just roll with their system. Treat them nice, they'll treat you nice. If you look for nice people, you'll find them.
I had heard of complaints about "attitude" at HAE shows. Even specifying a certain lady. However, when I did their shows, I found just the opposite. They were professional, clear, effective and polite. The lady (in question) was very nice. I had no problems nor complaints about them. Personally I don't want to do same day setup shows. That is why I'm not currently doing their shows. It has nothing to do with the way they treat the artist. I have also found them to be very responsive to questions and situations. At a show where a scab was setup, Howard took effective action to eliminate it.
Did one show with her. Very disappointed. She charges people to get into her show. The traffic was rather low and, as it appeared that many people were turning away from the gate when asked to pay, I asked her about it. Her reply to me was "we don't want that type of people in here anyway." I was aghast!
She was also rude to the neighboring artist, who had her booth about ½ foot too far forward and made her disassemble the booth and move it. The lady was by herself and there was absolutely no offer to assist her from the show staff.
I should say that the show was in a new location show. That fact may have contributed to the low attendance . . . but!
I have not done the shows you are asking about. However, I much prefer a show with a gate fee. One that I do twice a year is a 3 day show. Each ticket allows reentry on any of the following days. Friday is $10, Saturday and Sunday are $5 each. I feel this is a reasonable gate fee and it’s a plus that you can reenter all weekend.
Thanks for the info. My pricepoints are higher, so a more discerning crowd that is willing to pay to get in doesn't bother me. Low attendance isn't great though. I have had my fill of "rude" behavior towards artists though. I talked with her on the phone and she seemed pretty great but you can't really tell from that.