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October 7-8, 2013, WESTAF presented the 5th Annual Arts Festival Conference in Louisville, KY, in conjunction with the St. James Court Art Show and NAIA. I was there and here is why you should have been there also:

5. The Meet and Greet. Spending time with like-minded individuals in a relaxed atmosphere has a great payoff. We have so much in common and can learn so much from one another. You may meet someone whose work you have always admired, or have a chance to ask some questions from seasoned artists/show directors.

4. Hanging with the Pros. Hear speakers from many spectra. Thought leaders talking about the arts whose information challenges you to put your career in perspective. Consider it "professional development" that can extend your vision beyond your current thought process and expose it to a larger context.

3. Jury review. Have you ever attended an open jury or seen your images on the "big screen", or heard them critiqued by professional jurors? People literally stumble out of these presentations with new information to revitalizes their own jury images.

2. Solid professional workshops:

• Creative Connections. The importance of the arts visible in the community - when people see arts performances (drama, dance, visual, music) they see people who are having a different life experience than they are. These events connect people to festivals.
• The New Wave: Fairs and the Next Generation - what makes young people buy art? How do we attract younger patrons
• Weather Planning for the Unknown - great tips for show organizers and artists for weather emergencies. Joe Sullivan from the National Weather Service recommended Radar Scope
• Money 101 - strategic info for melding the creative side that creates the art with the business side for healthy businesses and a secure financial future
• Entrepreneurship for Creatives - how you can reach your intended audience
• Art of Sponsorship - finding the ideal partner for your art festival
• Marketing more effectively - revamping your marketing to increase sales in your booth or online

1. Networking. I can't emphasize this enough. Seeing old friends, meeting people you've only met online, rubbing shoulders and eating a meal with show directors who have an effect on your financial future, spending time with artists from across the country whose name you may/may not recognize and sharing ideas with them is so stimulating I drove home for five hours and was still buzzing from all the interaction. Conferences are a great leveler. The payoff in time and money can have long lasting consequences well worth the investment.

This bag folds up into this little bag! It took me 3 weeks to figure this out.

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I really appreciated meeting many people, especially members of this community: Amy Welborn (who won the conference pass), Chris Coffey, Gloria Danvers (who has amazing jewelry), Judy Kean, Lee Wilson, Michael Brown, Teresa Merriman and Kathleen Caid (more amazing jewelry).

Since Dick Sherer gave us such a thorough report on the Sloan's Lake Art Fair (cancelled because of the heavy rains) I got the inside story on that from the show's organizer, Danna Tullis, who also runs the Salida Riverside Fine Arts Festival. At the end of the day over drinks she laid out the work they had done with the City of Denver and subsequent marketing and the anguish when they had to cancel the show even before it opened.

She said that they weren't sure that all the traveling artists had gotten word of its cancellation so on Saturday morning they got to the site early and set up a tent to alert anyone who showed up.

I'm already looking forward to next year's conference. The organizers, Leah Charney and Christina Villa do a solid job of putting together an agenda of insiders and outsiders in the arts business to help us all in our careers and giving us a lot of ideas for the take away. Thanks, ladies.

See photos from the conference at the Zapplication.org Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zapplication