After applying to a show the organizer sent me an email saying "You will get set up info closer to the show". Right then I assumed I had been accepted but just yesterday morning she emailed me back asking if I had sent her the check because jewelry spots were already sold out. Also that same afternoon I got my check back (the one apparently she hadn't receive!) in the mail with a handwritten note saying "Sorry, jewelry has been filled”.
Is this just a non serious organizer I should stay away from in the future?
Does overbooking happen in the shows?
Is the cashing of the check the only proof that I have been accepted or what is the normal procedure?
Should I email the organizer after a couple of days of sending my check to see if they got it?
Do they always send formal communication?
Should I ask the organizer if they need anything else from me if I don't hear from them after I've sent my application?
I know every organizer is going to be different but I would appreciate reading about others' experiences.
Thanks!
Replies
Thanks everybody for the comments. I'm new at this but my guts were telling me this had to do with management or communication or overbooking or all that at the same time.
When there are several shows the same weekend I only apply to one of them but after reading the replays I guess overbooking is a common practice for both vendors and organizers.
I have so much to learn!
Thanks again!
Artists overbook to make sure they can earn a living, but the better shows know in advance how many spaces they have and work to have a balanced show within that parameter. They do maintain a wait list that they go to if there are cancellations or booth fees haven't been paid in time, but don't overbook.
Please don't refer to us as venders. The word venders has a buy/sell connotation.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
To be clear about our Art Show, the numbers that I "overbooked" I can actually accommodate. But I like to keep the number smaller so I don't have to use the "not perfect" spaces or squeeze people too close!
That's never happened to me. As far as I'm concerned, once I get the acceptance notice, and I pay by the deadline, I'm definitely in the show. It's the organizer's responsibility to not overbook any particular category. If they are concerned about a few artists declining, they should have a wait list to fill those possible vacancies. What this person did seems very disorganized and unprofessional and I would not apply to that show again.
Robin Ragsdale
www.evenbetterimages.com
I agree with the rest, this doesn't sound like a very professional organization, and I'd consider it an anomaly. If you are new to the business you will soon learn the unwritten rules of accepting artists. You send the app, they jury the applicants, you send the money, they deposit the money and send you the show info.
Some shows do overbook. There are shows that are on very popular dates where artists are applying to multiple events hoping to make sure they get in at least one for that weekend. These shows (there are 2 that I am explicitly thinking of) have a large number of declined invitations and they want to increase their chances of having the best possible artists, so extend more invitations than they have room for. It saves a lot of work for the staff, replacing artists from the wait list.
Something we used to do though to assure that our applications were received was to include a self-addressed stamped postcard that said "Application received." When the application was processed the show people would drop that card in the mail and we'd keep it in our file for that show. With online applications this necessity is no longer there as you get instant confirmation.
I agree with what Larry and Linnea have said, but in my case this year for Art Show, I did accept more artists than there are spaces. That's not usually a big deal because, usually a certain number simply decline the invite before I ever cash their check. Then there are those who have various reasons to pull out as the months go on. BUT.. ... not this year. As of last week, I was still "overbooked." To the point of scaring some of my new exhibitors with emails asking if they were still planning on coming! (sorry you guys ... you know who you are!) It has just been my experience that the new artists who have not done the show are the ones who tend to cancel last minute or just be no-shows, so I decided to be proactive, follow up and even offer refunds if they would tell me now that they were not coming! Others make a wait list and pull from that when cancellations occur, (which I do keep a list but rarely use it...... it's hard to make plans to come here late in the game) but this has worked for me in the past..... may not in the future as evidenced by this year's artists!!
OUr committee feels that this way the best artists are in the show and don't reward those who call last minute to get in. There is a real increase in artists calling last minute saying they are near and have their set up and can they come wait for a no show. We have a policy that if you have not been juried, you do not get to set up. Got burned on that once....... not doing it again.
Some of the for-profit promoters operate that way. It is pretty much “deadline until full.” It doesn’t mean they reject people before the category is full, but the jurying is done in batches or as they come in. There are a couple of shows I know, non-profits, that do it this way too. The committee meets once a month, to review everything that has come in between jury dates. So a mediocre application, sent early, can beat out a great application, sent late.
Some shows are also heavily grandfathered, in that they may carry over artists from year to year. It could be that most or all of the artist in a particular category are reinvited, meaning there are few or no openings. This is not something publicly admitted, though, by many, as they want the jury fees. There are number of prominent shows on that list. In my opinion, this is unscrupulous behavior.
But that is not the predominant method of jurying. Most shows not run by promoters have a firm deadline, after which all applications are juried all at once.
I guess you applied to a show that is what's called juried by check, which means the first artist to pay get the spaces. You won't find that happening at the better shows.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100