Show promoters / Directors have many, many things on their plate. As artists there are some we see and some we don't. All of us (artists) have different “important” wants at our shows. However it is almost universal that we want and need good sales.
To aid in this should be job #1 of the promoters.
To achieve this:
The show promoters must be bringing in large volumes of "Qualified" buyers. This is not just warm bodies. They need to attract as many people as possible who will buy our art. It is not a matter of how educated or financially successful or age or so many other single factors. It is about a combination of factors and demographics, as well as incentives, atmosphere, and lead in that bring in the "correct" customers who understand and are at the show to purchase. Not to just walk, browse or be entertained. So the promoter must research, learn, spend, advertise and run the show in such a way to accomplish this. To nurture a buying atmosphere, in the price ranges and of the type of art that is juried in.
Many artists will speak of the method to have a successful show, is to work your mailing lists. WRONG! While this is a good thing to do, it is not our responsibility to bring the customers to the Art Fair. If we are new to that show, if we have not been doing it long enough to have built a mailing list, we can not do such. The promoter's responsibility is to bring us NEW customers. Yes, we also work our lists, however if the only reason we had a good show is due to us contacting and bringing the customers, than the the promoter has failed.
None of this alleviates the artist of their responsibility to have the right art work, proper price points, best presentation, good methodology of salesmanship.
With the artist doing all of this right they will still have a lousy show if the promoter does not do their #1 job.
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