Looking for tech/social media ideas for ZAPP conference demo

I'm glad to find this great resource for artists and art fairs, as I am preparing a demo at the Western States Arts Federation's ZAPP conference on Sept. 13 in St. Louis. My charge is to introduce attendees to ideas for new technology and social media that can be helpful in this sector, so I'd love to hear from Art Fair Insiders members about any tips or success stories you might have, to help me organize my talk. Have you seen an art fair use Twitter with particular success and creativity? Is anyone using Foursquare or Gowalla at art fairs, for geo-location games or services? How about the iPad - is it a promising new tool for artists and art fair managers? Which art fair is using podcasts with the best results?

Art Fair Insiders itself is a good example of how social networks can provide connections and information of value. My WESTAF contacts told me about it, and I'm impressed to see how lively the community is here.

My own background is in journalism and the natural gas industry, and since retirement I have been podcasting and working with arts groups, including a stint as chair of WESTAF. I'm an inveterate early adopter of technology, from the Rocket eBook to the iPhone 4 (I'll be in line early tomorrow morning to get one), but I also have a deep love for writing and literature and took advantage of retirement to get an MFA in poetry at Bennington. My current podcast is The Kindle Chronicles, a weekly show about e-books and the Kindle.

Connie, thanks for inviting me to introduce myself, and I look forward to learning my way around between now and September.

Hi Len, I was running the projection equipment when you did a presentation on Second Life at the NAIA show director's conference in Lancaster a few years ago. At the ZAPP conference this year I'm assuming (hope I'm wrong) that it will be mostly show directors you'll be speaking to, like at the NAIA conference. At last years ZAPP conference they offered a special rate for artists to attend the second day for the presentation I gave with Bruce Baker and it turned out to be standing room only and doubled the number of attendees. Currently they are not offering a reduced rate and most artists can't afford the attendance fee.

As a tech junkie, how about a demonstration on how shows can use the iPad to check the accuracy of the jury images against the quality of what's in the booth to weed out buy sell. That could be done two ways, doing a comparison of images and researching suspected imported items.

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

Replies

Chris Ritke June 24, 2010 at 6:19pm

I know this probably wouldn't be something you'd want to show at the Zapp conference, but I just whipped up a quick video showing an EntryThingy accepted artist image gallery on a Droid - same thing as an iPhone or iPad, just that with an iPad you have a much much bigger screen and with an iPhone you have... well, an iPhone - and of course that the iPhone and iPad are from Apple which probably makes them a tad cooler. Anyway, the video is here.
Len Edgerly June 24, 2010 at 5:23pm

Great idea, Larry. I will plan on doing this with my iPad. Thanks!
Larry Berman June 24, 2010 at 5:26am

Hi Len,

Exactly. That would be using current technology in a way that could benefit both the show and the artists. I know of two art shows that used to walk around with a loose leaf book of slide pages, stand across the street from the booths and hold them up to the light. If you can start with a visual demonstration of doing that and then do the same with an iPad, show directors would immediately understand the possibilities. Or just hold up a sheet of twenty slides in one hand and the iPad in the other. You understand what I'm getting at...

Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
Len Edgerly June 24, 2010 at 5:14am

I remember you from NAIA, Larry (and thanks again for your help there). Is your suggestion that show staff could take an iPad to booths with jury images on it and compare the images with the actual art? And also do web searches at (or near) the booth to track down items that are suspect? Great ideas!
Larry Berman June 23, 2010 at 10:32pm

Hi Len, I was running the projection equipment when you did a presentation on Second Life at the NAIA show director's conference in Lancaster a few years ago. At the ZAPP conference this year I'm assuming (hope I'm wrong) that it will be mostly show directors you'll be speaking to, like at the NAIA conference. At last years ZAPP conference they offered a special rate for artists to attend the second day for the presentation I gave with Bruce Baker and it turned out to be standing room only and doubled the number of attendees. Currently they are not offering a reduced rate and most artists can't afford the attendance fee.

As a tech junkie, how about a demonstration on how shows can use the iPad to check the accuracy of the jury images against the quality of what's in the booth to weed out buy sell. That could be done two ways, doing a comparison of images and researching suspected imported items.

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

This reply was deleted.