I am thinking of entering a show in Evansville, Ind. but it is a first time for this show and the booth fee is $550 for 3 days. The promoter is Hot Works. Any thoughts on first time shows?
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$550 is a high price for a first year show in this location. In an affluent big city you'd have to think about doing it, maybe.
Over the years I've done lots of first year shows and yes, was at the legendary first year at Cherry Creek where we didn't sell out (think our sales were around $6000), but did get reinvited for the following year and got to put in a fair number more years at the show where the sales started to kick in after that first year. Also did the first year at Arts, Beats & Eats, now in Royal Oak, MI, where we did over $10,000 the first year.
What you look for is location, demographics, commitment from the organizers (do they have sponsors lined up), their media plans, and community involvement. Do they have connections in the community that will make everyone think they just can't miss the show ... doable if they have charity partners, commitment from the city, a well-connected social group, etc.
I'm pleased to see this info about Lexington as I've spent some time speaking with the organizer, Lynn Wettach, of that show and she seemed to really "get" the business and had solid long-range plans.
Now that we've talked Sara out of the show I can't help but complain about first-time show fees.
I think $550 is unbelievably outrageous for a first effort; maybe the most egregious example of inflated fees I've seen in awhile.
When new-show promoters/organizers have asked me over the years what to charge for a first-time show I've always said to start with a lower fee, along with an explanation that the fee WILL increase as the show gets more established (in order to manage artists' expectations). But maybe this approach takes more humility than organizers can muster because they all look at me like I'm nuts ...they all want to believe their shows are THE BEST and worth THE MOST, even when the show has yet to see the light of day. Or maybe these folks simply aren't well-funded and they want the show to pay for itself from the get-go. Can you say "start-up capital"?
At Easton in June I heard about a November convention-center show in Lexington that was new last year. The promoter is charging only $225 again this year, and I'm told she "knows she will lose money the first few years" until she gets it established. Plus she's pumping a lot of extra money into advertising to help make that happen. I'm told that last year's attendance was impressive. I, in turn, was so impressed with the low start-up fee and the high advertising that I immediately applied. What the hell.
I did that start-up show in Lexington last year. I didn't even realize until I got there that it was the first year. I was pleasantly surprised. Not a fantastic show, but very good for a first year. And yes, the $225 was very reasonable. The promoter was very pleasant to work with.
I would go back this year, but my first grandbaby is due right before that so I will be tied up!
When will these kids learn to schedule their personal lives around OUR needs? :) Congrats on the new addition. And thanks for the thumbs-up on Lexington ... makes me feel better about taking the chance.
I think $550 is too high also for a first time show.
I don't want to say much until I hear how the Orchard Lake show did this year. It's in West Bloomfield, MI, which is an extremely upscale area. I too think $550 is high for a first time show. Of course, the all time success story for a first year show was Cherry Creek, where everyone sold everything they brought. I don't know anything about Evansville, but, one of these years Patty is going to hit a home run. She is a tireless worker for her events. Will it be this show? Wish I knew the answer.
I attended the first Cherry Creek show. Wish I'd bought a t-shirt, maybe it would be worth something on eBay!
I bought a large watercolor from an Aurora CO artist that I'm looking at on my wall as I write this.
Thanks for all the input. The only reason I was considering it is because my son is a t.v. reporter there and I would get to see him! After hearing the responses I think I'll save my time and money. Goeff, thanks for the tag info. With my poor computer skills I can use all the help I can get!
it is easy to edit your tags, Sara. Go to the top of your post where you'll see a pulldown menu "options", click in there "edit tags" and you can fix it easily.
I received the prospectus for the Evansville show and promptly laughed my ass off. First, the show is way overpriced. I did a show in Evansville years ago, the Ohio River Valley Festival of the Arts. It was not supported by the community and lost money for the artists and it died a painful death. The last year it ran, the site conditions were so bad the artists decided to pull out on a Sunday after nomone showed up an hour past the start time. The first couple of years I tried it, my wife and I decided after watching the attendees that we had never seen so many tattoos and cowboy hats in one location. It was not an art buying crowd down there.
This new show is being promoted by the city in order to raise the cultural expectations and climate of the area. Read the information carefully. You will be doing missionary work and paying for the privilege of probably losing money. I don't advise trying the show, even at $200 it would be a high risk. I feel Hotworks has taken on a challenge that is going to burn many artists. The area has not a record of supporting art festivals despite government support.
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