Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Sullivan. Richard, who is a veteran promoter is trying something different and it is something I really like. He runs small shows in wealthier areas in Florida. There are 12 in all. If you have high quality work you may want to try one of these. The crowds aren't large, but, the people who come are knowledgeable and sophisticated. They are the direct opposite of the large corporate sponsored "bloatware" shows that we all do and aspire to get in to. Richard's shows are about the artist. There is very little distractions, like loud music, corporate booths hawking their stuff and being generally obnoxious, greasy food booths, and all the other things that make money for the show but do nothing for the exhibitors. You can actually talk to your customers. In addition, Richard is very accommodating. He is on site the whole time and if you have a problem or don't like something, he will fix it, no questions asked. Since the shows are relatively small, there are no bad spaces. I did Boca Grande last weekend. Boca Grande is an island south of Port Charlotte. I did about the same as I did at Naples, even though there was a lot less people coming through. One painter did $20,000 and the photographer next to me did $10,000. I got to drive right up to my booth for setup and takedown. We had all day to set up. Richard got us a great deal on the hotel overlooking the show and if you share a room with someone, it is relatively inexpensive. I roomed with Joe Cyberski. We had a $300 a night room for $120, with 2 queen sized beds.
As these shows gain in reputation, the potential upside is great. If you come down to Florida every year, you should consider doing these shows instead of the huge shows or as fill-ins. You could be pleasantly surprised. Here's the link to the web site and a listing of shows:
http://www.boulderbrook.net/
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