Hello all,
When I am looking for shows to apply for my first check is number of expected attendance, then location, and then others. My question is I am doing this all wrong, as I mostly feel the more people attending a show the better your chances of making sales especially if you have a flexible price point. Most of the really good shows have high attendance number, is this why they are so good or can a show with about 9,000 expected attendance still be a great show.
Remember I am fresh in the business, just trying to be informed.
Thanks for all responses and advice.
Harrison.
Replies
One of the things we really looked hard at was the plans for promotion of the event, especially if it was a new show. Were they promising TV, radio, press, sponsorships with the local newspapers. Do they even talk about promotion? Then the neighborhood is important. An affluent area? Also, if it is an indoor event the numbers are definitely okay to be smaller attendance. The street shows always draw multiples of the numbers at the indoor shows. We looked for community involvement. Who is hosting the event? In general, like non-profit or local businesses as sponsors.
Best of all, for beginners like you, Harrison, find people to ask questions from. Oh, you already know that ;) I hope we'll be meeting one another this year.
It's been our experience that if the "show" is really a street festival, parade, contest, food festival, etc., then arts and crafts are not the primary reason for your potential customers to attend. Some promoters also really overblow their numbers. Unless the source is verified nmbers of paid admissions or police estimate of the crowd, we cut all of the numbers in half...even at that some promoters use a ridiculous figure of 35,000 or so at all of their shows.
We've done very well at small arts and crafts festivals with attendance of around 5 to 10 thousand and not so good at "other" festivals with "estimated" attendance of 100,000.
A few years ago I did a first time show with a major Midwest promoter. At most, the attendance was maybe 3,000; my sales were mediocre at best, as they were with most of the other artists. The next year, the advertising for the show stated that the year I did it, the attendance was 30,000. I've never done another show with that promoter. So, beware of the numbers - talk to other artists who've done a show; now with AFI, we can all share attendance numbers of shows.
Hi Harrison,
Karen is right. The attendance # is not really the most important thing. First off, I think many of them are overblown. You are right in thinking the more people the better your chance of selling but that assumes that the majority have come to buy art of some kind. For some shows they come for the food, music, children's activities with no thought of buying. At one show I was at a woman told me she put $20 in her pocket to buy something to eat and left the rest of her money and credit cards at home so she wouldn't purchase anything. Granted that could have been a line to get out of my booth or so I wouldn't try to sell her but it shows a mentality. I would rather see lower attendance with a crowd of buyers - people with the means and the inclination to buy art.
Thank you Karen and Diane, guess I have to re-structure my view on shows expected attendance numbers. I have always felt discouraged when I see anything less than 10,000 expected attendance. Then with the better shows having numbers in the high thousands I had felt that numbers should determine where i apply. I also see where that can be misleading especially with shows that has other forms of entertainment other than the invitation to buy art.
Ater a few hit and miss with some wisdom words from members of this site, i think I am having a feel of where my market is, after 2 ok shows (Brandywine and Inner Harbor) of which I made a few more than expenses and the necklace from next booth for my wife, I kind of base expected success on the same number of attendance or greater as these shows. Thanks for the re-direction, will dig deeper for more defined reason to do art shows other than attendance.
Best regards
Harrison.
Hi Harrison,
I think a show with 9,000 people can be good, if they are there for art---way better than a show with 50,000 people who are there for the adjoining carnival, car show, strawberry festival, parade etc. I suggest putting your "then others" category at the top of your check list, because minus those factors, numbers in attendence are really misleading.
Good luck!
K Cooper