Jeez! What a difference a week makes. Loved in Texas, ignored in St. Pete (hereafter SP}.
This is a great show in terms of art and artists.
Hard to get into, medium-size in number, and usually sales are quite rewarding.
Being on Easter weekend is always a liability for any show.
Coupled with the fact that there were a lot of special events going on, the crowds were not so over-whelming.
So for once it was not up against Dogwood or Fort Worth.
This meant there were many great artists all competing for an ever-shrinking consumer buck.
Very exceptional prize money brought out plenty of great ones who are mainly there for prize money.
Big prize was worth $10K.
My only big concern for this show is the way it is laid out now.
I had not been in for the last four years because I was lucky to be in Ft. Worth.
They changed the layout.
Mind you, being born in SP, I have done this show since the 80s.
It used to be by the museum, then it moved done on a big empty bayfront lot with not as many trees for shade.
It is now kind of like doing a show in a big sandy, with sprinkles of grass, lot.
The bulk of the show runs along an adjacent road where most of the trees are. Aisles go back perpendicular to the road, about 10 deep.
There is a roadway/sidewalk further in which runs the entire north-south length of the shows.
Then they stuck a bunch of artists out yonder of that sidewalk.
I was one of them.
Curiously, Mainsail never tells you your booth location til you show to setup--wink,wink.
So, several artists upon seeing they were supposed to set up in this field of lost souls and artists, said, "No way, Jose! Get me closer to that darn road or I am out of here."
Thus I ended up with a booth with double corners because artists on both sides of me opted out.
Maybe the same number of people who toured the rest of the show actually saw us. But, it sure did not feel, or look, that way.
Most of the times our aisles looked deserted while the road aisles were jammed with activity.
Some of my fellow exhibitors were quite happy with their sales, and actually requested to be in that area.
For most of us, it was pretty hum-drum with scant sales to show for it. On Sunday I did a whopping $400 in sales. At Mainsail this should not happen to anybody.
Even a lot of artists up by the road complained of below-average sales this year.
I did better by double at the little old Englewood show. Gasparilla was far better.
I am going to offer some insights into why I think this happened.
NELS NOW STICKS HIS HEAD OUT WHERE HE CAN BE BLACK LISTED, OR MADE TO WALK THE PLANK.
First off. Nobody is black-listing anybody. So just get over that idea,
You lurkers out there, stand up and be heard, nobody is going to do severe damage to your reps because you said something.
OK.
First any show on Easter Sunday never fares very well, anywhere.
People prefer to chase Easter eggs, or do a traditional afternoon dinner. Either way, our audience of buyers shrinks.
They would rather get EGG-STATIC over eggs, then art.
Second, way too many oldsters and not enough young ones out there buying.
The oldsters are downsizing, not acquiring.
The young ones don't have as much disposable income. A lot are saving up for a downstroke on a new house and art will just have to wait.
Third,increasingly, we are being lumped together with all the rest of those "People in White Tents."
There are so many special events going on everywhere. A jazzfest. A ribfest. A garden show. Car shows, you name it.
What do all these events have in common?
They all feature people in white tents.
We are not treated as being so special anymore. We have a lot of competition, and not just from fellow artists.
As my good bud, the Mighty Vaughn, ventured once to me. "We are headed to Organic Extinction, we just don't realize it yet.
I hope he is wrong. I really do. Otherwise, what am I going to do on 33 weekends out of the year?
Bottom line. Mainsail is a quality show. Let us hope it was an off year for it.
But, maybe we all should think about changing to PRETTY PINK AND RAZZBERRY TENTS.
Comments
I've been showing and painting for 25 yrs. but just started doing some outdoor shows, but this show tied with my best show out of 7. I agree that the spots near the water were too far away from everyone else and that the spots should be farther apart since they have so much space. That way you can hang the sides if you want to. I sold 12 paintings and was super happy with that, but I did hear that the crowd was a little lighter than usual (Easter?) Load in and out was great, parking lot close enough to retrieve more work. Judge wasn't crazy about the type of work I do, but that's nothing new. I definitely plan to go back next year!
My two cents–
Space assignment: We send postcards out with the name, date, times, AND BOOTH NUMBER, to all of our contacts in the area. Plus, Lee always posts it on our Facebook site. I have had to beg show directors for our location prior to the event more than once. One director told me he doesn't like to give it out because all it takes is one artist coming in and setting up in the wrong place (without checking in first) to throw everything off. (He finally gave it to me, and it paid off. We had a past buyer come "in search of" and bought another painting.) Plus, it helps me to know ahead of time which direction we will be facing– clothes-wise, awning-wise, etc.
As for Easter weekend: We did not get in to Mainsail, but rather did LeMoyne (Tallahassee). Sales were very low for most everyone, but we had cold and rain in addition to Easter. We just did Melbourne this past weekend, and sales were lower than last year for most I spoke with.
Jan, Feb, Mar were pretty good to us, but perhaps April is just getting too late in the season, and the avid art buyers have already purchased earlier in the year at one of the other festivals in this overly saturated market??
Interesting review, Nels...I really like the multi-colored tent idea. Did you request a specific spot, I'm a little unclear on that? Wouldn't there be a better mix of artists and medium if the spaces were allocated by the organizers in advance? Too bad you didn't have a better show in your "home town".
Mainsail steadfastly refuses to change their policy--they don't care about us one iota.
I agree Nels! I would like to know my spot ahead of time. I didn't know my spot until I checked in. Then I could drive to to it as it was the spot I asked for. I'm just saying, it could be why they pull up and know where they are. You should ask the people at Mainsail why they don't give booth locations ahead of time. No favorites here!
Nels, except for the newbies? If you are repeating you kind of know, right? Show organizers have no idea how helpful it is to know that ahead of time. Like what time you will get there, what equipment for set up you might or might not bring, where you will position your van for load in and get away ... I imagine you sweetly suggested that they let everyone know ahead of time as an inexpensive way that they can please the artists. They are doing the layout anyway and they know, why not at least post the info in a public place?
That is great, Pat. But come on, why can't a show give out the spaces ahead of time to artists--I mean that's how they do it in the big time ones. I guess Mainsail must think they are second tier. If even one person knows their spot, than every exhibitor should know their spot, especially in this age of social communication. Mainsail plays favorites.
It could be that we just asked for the same booth space we had last year? That is what I did and they were kind enough to give it to me.
CONNIE, even though they give no booth spaces in advance, people pull up all the time and know exactly where they will be, thus "Wink,wink."
Nels, Good to see you there! Easter didn't make a bit of difference. I did about the same in sales as I did last year and it wasn't Easter. I did think the traffic was a bit lighter, but still enough to make it a good show. Like Carole, good, but not spectacular. It would be a huge improvement to have a few more feet behind our tent, you know breathing room. They have plenty of space to do that. The area that you were in did seem away from the show and I wondered if you would get the same traffic. It is a large enough show and they could probably get away without that area. Just consider yourself lucky to be in Main Street the last 4 years! Mainsail does have great art and lots of awards!
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