I'm a little frustrated right now. Just got our load in assignments / booth map etc. for an upcoming festival in July. It's a festival we've done the last 2 years which has been a good festival, not great, but good and fairly easy to do with reasonable hours and a good return for our time. It's a 2 day festival held in a tourist town, so it's a little expensive to do, hotels are expensive, or if you have a RV and bring it to camp in, then your ferry fees for getting to the island are pretty steep.
Upon reviewing the booth assignments, artists lists and load in times, I noticed that they had added 20 more booths this year, 10 of the jewelery. WHAT?? Why didn't they let us know they were making changes, it's a small festival, going from 68 booths to 88 booths is almost a 30% increase in booth count and adding 1/2 of the new booths as jewelry is ridiculous.
So, my question, if it's a festival you've participated in before, the prospectus and info before the show all appear to be the same as prior years, do you ask questions about potential changes for the upcoming festival before you apply? Unless a show indicates they are adding booths or changing the jury procedures, I usually don't ask, especially when a map is published with the show info and it looks the same as last year.
However, if a show is adding booths and increasing the overall % of jewelry booths, don't they have an obligation to let us know? Is this information they expect us to ask every year?
I know there have been lots of discussions regarding shows adding fees, booths, etc. trying to increase their income and thereby decreasing the wallet share for all the artists, so I'm not trying to open that can of worms.
Replies
I understand how you feel! I have been dismayed numerous times by counting the booths in the program, and finding many more than advertised. I did one a few years back that turned out to be almost 30 % jewelry. Plus other media were allowed to display jewelry. It had never been so before. Jewelers actually got together and signed a petition to give to the organizers. I have not gone back, even though I did call this year to pin them down, and was told that they got the message that year, and jewelry would be no more than 20%. But I don't trust them now.
I look at the prospectus as a kind of contract, that should apply as much to the promotor as to artists who apply. Did the prospectus state how many booths there would be? If not (and many do not), I don't think you have what the show would consider sufficient grounds for complaint, even though what they have done in the past (policies, location, booth numbers, etc. ) leads one to the expectation that it would continue.
In this case the prospectus did not state a booth count, however, the map that was included with booth numbers/location was exactly the same as last year. Frustrating.
I'd be annoyed too Ruth - they may not have wanted to say anything to the jewellers in case some of them pulled out? Not very honest, but I can see it happening.
Annoyed is too nice of description for what I'm feeling right now.
It makes me wonder if I need to ask a lot more questions before I apply for shows, even if I've done them before. Of course, getting an answer prior to application deadlines is yet another issue.
Venting.......
OK, agreed - annoyed is too mild! I think you're well within your rights to ask! Surely they can't take offence at the question?