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I was awarded first place in my category. It was the most awesome experience ever and I will treasure the memory for a long time. I was floating on air until about noon when I realized I wasn’t selling much of anything. The last time I did this show it was most definitely a Sunday show and I made 90% of my money on Sunday. So I wasn’t worried on Friday and Saturday. But Sunday turned out to be my worst sales day. My best day turned out to be Friday and that was primarily because I had put in my newsletter that I am moving out of the area and probably wouldn’t be doing to 2011 fall shows. A couple people came out to get pieces they had been thinking of for awhile. Those were my only framed sales.
My location seemed like a good one. The weather was perfect. The great Disney artist support and treatment was there. But the crowd wasn’t there and even the people that were there didn’t seem to be “there”. I didn’t see many packages and very few large ones.
Sales wise I did better than Maitland but worse than Winter Springs and that is sad for an event of such prestige. Of course this show is more about the prestige than the sales but the sales for me are usually in the okay range. I'll still do it again. Disney treats artists like they are very important and my artist soul needs that from time to time.
The show seemed poorly organized. It was much more of an Arts & Crafts show, which wasn't how it was sold to me. To put salt in the wound there were some craft vendors who seemed to be selling 3rd party pieces made in the orient. One of these booths even won a prize, which was later retracted when it was pointed out to them that it wasn't selling original art. I heard from some vendors that the quality of the art at this event has been trending down in the past few years. Some complained that the cheap 3rd party stuff was taking sales from the other vendors. I don't know wether that is true but I saw few people buying much aside from food and inexpensive crafts.
To make matters worse the Show closed at 5:00 PM on Sunday. Sunset was at 5:30 PM and there were few lights in the park. We had one right by our booth, but it never came on. In the middle of breaking down our booth, we found ourselves working in the dark.
There were many unhappy faces among the vendors. It seems few artists made any money. I could be the fault of the economy but I'm inclined to skip this show next time anyway. The demographics were wrong for me and I wasn't impressed by the management.
What I have found is that it's almost redundant to go back, year after year, to the same location. Sure, you'll have repeat customers who'll keep buying your art, but not to the extent of a new show.
Demographics for me, at least in the Midwest (I'm from Iowa) means that after a few years I do new shows in LARGE cities. If your art is really unique, new venues mean new customers and a new base. True, the Midwest is hurting, but, there are still new customers out there; you just have to work a little to find them. We've also downsized our product along with prices to reflect a downturn in the economy.
Also, bigger shows, higher end shows, means you can do fewer shows and possible make more.
You also have to be innovative and come up with new products and/or techniques. It can still be done. Just work a little harder. Good luck with your art!
I spoke with several artists in many different mediums and with the exception of one all said they would do the show again rating it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best, a solid 8. I'm a jeweler and my sales exceeded ten times booth fee (insert happy dance here).
these are hysterical...really !
Joe
I watch pretty closely for new shows and/or shows turning the corner and am so saddened when a good show goes wrong. Will you step up and share some thoughts on shows that you think are particularly well run and are "rising"? You know they are out there.
This can be in any category:
--the biggies
--the mid size shows
-- the volunteer run events
-- the museum shows
-- local fine art & craft shows
Through the year all kinds of shows get reviewed on this site that I've never heard of. Can you share your favorites, the places where is is more or less safe for an artist to put down their money?
Tell us...
Greetings to everyone and Happy (belated) Halloween! When I was thinking about Halloween one of the most frequent asked questions I hear is “what are you dressing up for on Halloween”, right? Well, it made me want to revisit a topic I talk about often (just not lately) and thought about it until just this week. I am referring to the topic of dressing for success – at an art fair, not so much for Halloween. :-) I do believe the way you carry and present yourself certainly reflects how people perceive your artwork. Today I am going to talk about what I think is and is not appropriate to wear for an art fair and why. (Note: The photo is one I took of my pekingese dog named Hayley while I had some down time at my part time job).
Question # How should I dress for success at an art fair?
First and foremost, dress comfortably. That doesn't mean you should dress “frumpy” in your old college sweatshirt with holes or stained t-shirt you just can't part with. This means wear comfy shoes (for starters) to prevent injury and aches and pains. Depending on the weather forecast, dress for the weather – if it is going to be rainy, bring an umbrella or better yet a durable raincoat. In hot weather dress in loose fitting airy materials like rayons, silks, or cotton blends that allow for “personal air-condition”. During colder months, dress in layers this way you can peel off one layer at a time if it gets warm (like some indoor shows I have participated in where it is freezing in the morning yet like a sauna come close down time). I can't tell you how many times people think it is far more important to dress in their “Sunday's Best” yet quickly find they are making customers feel intimidated or uncomfortable. I often see art sellers irritated because they are uncomfortable in their suit or dress, and their feet hurt and often do not see this affects the attitude of buyers. I guess some just have to learn the hard way – you don't have to!
I also find coordinating your clothing with your artwork could help benefit you in the long run. For instance if you sell tropical photographs or paintings wearing a tasteful Aloha shirt this could add to the ambiance and show you have a very laid back easy person to talk to. If you sell metalsmith jewelry, think about dressing in black with silver/gray accents or browns if you work in copper. If you demonstrate wear a smock/apron, this can show you aren't afraid to get down and dirty yet at the same time can take it off and start selling being clean and presentable. If you sell dog art/craft, perhaps a t-shirt or sweatshirt of your favorite breed would be ideal to not just advertise yourself but could be an ice breaker too. Another idea is to wear what you make like scarves, jewelry, hats, belts, etc. If you are proud of what you make, wear it proudly.
For an added professional look think about getting some professional shirts made with your business name and /or logo on it. I have done this in the past and not only does it work as a badge at shows as well as walking advertisement, it makes you look sharp and professional. This could be a simple personalized apron, polo shirt, button down blue jean shirt, or even a jacket. There are tons of companies, especially local businesses, that specialize in this sort of thing and often a lot more cheaper than shopping for regular clothing that you may find you will want to wear it all the time – outside of doing art fairs.
Lastly, whatever you choose to wear for a show at the very least make it clean. Some people do work up a sweat setting up – especially on those hotter than Hades days, so bring an extra shirt or pair of shorts/pants. Also, this goes for those who just can't avoid dripping ketchup or mustard on your clothing during a quick lunch break. There is nothing more distasteful than seeing a person with arm pit stains or holes in their shirt or pants, yet selling nice artwork. It leaves a bad taste in peoples mouths and if their first impression is you, before they see your booth, you will forever loose them as a customer. Wouldn't you think twice if you saw this at a show? Share with me and others how you dress for success and if it has helped in making sales by using the comment button. The next question will tackle good and bad spending habits artists are faced with when wanting to take your busienss to the next level. Until next time, hope you had a great Halloween! - Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com
I already mentioned about the load in and load out, it really can't be beat. The setting is in a nice park and all the booths are on concrete wide sidewalks. There is plenty of free artist parking next to the show in the Chase parking lot. Security is provided and I heard of no issues.
The crowd was no where near the 50,000 estimated by the show. My thought is that it was around 10-12K. Many artists near me didn't do so well, but this was my best Florida show ever at around $1,500; it appeared that I had done better than many folks. That's not half what I'm normally used to doing at a bad show in the western US or Georgia. A photographer two booths from me sold two cards, and another four booths on the side sold one $40 print. The jewelry lady next to me (selling $10-20 dollar items) did ok but nothing great.
There were three booths in "no man's land". It appeared from the map that they planned for about 60-70 more booths than they had and these poor souls had gotten in last week. One artist moved his booth Sunday morning into an open spot near the ring of the show, and I couldn't speak for how he'd done.
Florida is an interesting animal to me as I've done five shows here now that are nothing like I'm used to doing out west; it anyone has some great advice for me, I'd love to hear it. I'd love to give a great tequilla and restaurant review, but my trucks immobilizer module died Friday night and left me scrambling to try and get it fixed. Fortunately, the great guys at Orlando Dodge took care of it this morning and had me on the road in two hours. Nice.
I'm excited to have been juried into the upcoming Indiana Art Fair to be held at the Indiana State Museum in February 2011.
Does anyone have any history with this event? I'm curious as to what I can anticipate in way of attendance size and past purchase behavior.
Thanks for any input you can share.
-k-
Karla Ries
