October 6 & 7, Houston, TX - The Whitehall Hotel
The eighth annual Arts Festival Conference, presented by ZAPP®, will take place Oct. 6-7, 2016, in Houston, Texas. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Art Colony Association's Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, offering attendees the chance to see one of Texas' most celebrated art events following the two-day professional development conference.
(artists & show directors jam the elevator at the conference)
Why you should be there:
5. The Meet and Greet. Spending free 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, and 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. Consider it Art Fair Business 401 -- the graduate level class.
3. Jury review. Have you ever attended an open jury or seen your images on the "big screen", or even heard them critiqued by professional jurors? People literally stumble out of these presentations with new information that revitalizes their jury images.
(Christina Villa & Ruby Montoya from the ZAPP team)
2. Professional workshops
For all:
- How artists and show organizers can interact with their communities and bring creative change
- Best approaches for maximum use of social media
Artist track:
- Public Portfolio Critique - seasoned professional jurors including Katrina Delgado from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival
- An Artist's Toolkit - useful information on using your independence to run a business, budgeting, maximizing publicity, working with local communities
- Creating a beautiful booth that "sells"
- Tips for success when you are new to the business
Show organizer track:
- Best jury practices
- Engagement strategies for community events
- Crowd management and interaction
- Bringing novel ideas to your event to engage diverse audiences
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 leave these events 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.
(Karla Prickett from Salina (KS) & Jay Downie from Ft. Worth)
A welcoming reception, meals together, a cocktail or two at the Nouveau Antique Art Bar reception, a stroll through the Bayou City Downtown Art Festival are just the highlights of the opportunities to see the art fair business in a larger perspective.
Learn more and join us: Arts Festival Conference 2016
The deadline to reserve your room at our group rate is Sept. 15, 2016 or when rooms are sold out. Reservations at our special rate are not guaranteed after the cutoff date.
Click here to reserve: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/tab1.aspx?EventID=1842016
Comments
6. Attend the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown Houston
AND, by the way, I'm going to be there ... let me know if you are also so we can meet.
I'll also be attending the Bayou City Art Festival downtown. I have so much curiosity about this show, just have to see it for myself.