I have my first festival coming up next month. I’m a photographer and my booth set up is a pop up canopy with mesh walls, which is where I’ll hang prints. Aside from prints, I have a handful of other photo gifts - coasters, mousepads, calendars, and notepads.
I’m assuming I’ll need a 6x6 table to set those up on, and I just got that and a black tablecloth. What I am having trouble with is figuring out how to arrange the table. Are there any product displays that would keep everything looking organized? I’d love to hear some suggestions. Thank you!
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I use two 2'x4' tables at the back of my booth and an island of two 2'x4' tables. We used to have these in front of the belts on each wall but like the island better. Tables are raised 1' with 1" conduit. Skirts were professionally made and attach to tables with Velcro. Tops are covered with western design saddle blankets.
I have used a4' and 6' plastic folding tables with professional table skirts that go to the ground. I got them from Premier Table Linens. You can get them with slits at each corner for easy access to the underside of the table. Great for storing backs tock. They come in a multitude of colors but I chose to use solid black on all of mine.
I've used a simple folding table with a black table cloth that falls to the bottom. Keeps it neat and gives you some extra storage underneath. I typically limit that to biz cards and, sometimes, a small art bin for my smaller (8x10) prints. Too much makes it look too busy and can take away from keeping eyes on your wall art which - presumably - is where you greatest margins are. It's hard to make a show on table-top items.
I've used a 2'x4' folding table with a wraparound table skirt. Nothing drags the ground that way, and it's a good way to store stuff underneath. back when I used a table for the 8x10/11x14 prints, I use a couple of those wood slat boxes you can buy at hobby shops as flip bins. Later on I went with the Propanel hanger flip bins.
Make sure you have two sets of booth shots if you have the photo gifts. One without the small gift pieces and one with them. The higher end shows tend to prohibit items like that, but the smaller neighborhood shows don't mind. They can generate a small cash flow, but don't apply with them in your booth shot for the higher end shows.
Here's a link to a series of articles I wrote a few years ago after attending the St. Louis Art Fair mock jury. There are three articles in total and the link to the next one is at the bottom. It's a long read, but broken down into sections for easier reading. The first one covers prepping images for jury submission and the things you need to do to make sure your images present well. The second article is on doing jury shots themselves, and the third article is about how to shoot and arrange your booth shot for the best impact. The last one is very important as it is frequently a tie breaker.
https://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/st-louis-art-fair-mock...
You are using a 6' x 6' table? What size booth do you have?
Those other things are considered reproductions and are not allowed at the better shows. So depending on what show you are doing you may be asked to remove them, especially since you didn't apply with a booth picture showing them. Since it's your first show, do a booth picture without them so you can use the picture to apply to other shows.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I recently purchased this display piece for coasters and trivets—works great!
https://www.specialtystoreservices.com/productdetails.aspx?producti...
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