I'd personally say less that $250 and the show begins to have more red flags than usual. Not that anything above that price for a booth guarantee's anything, but it would seem thats where the caliber of the artists and sales seem to become real.
Im curious what you people have found to be true.
Pete
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I'll have to agree with the replies that say the booth fee doesn't matter. Booth fees are often decided by the cost of the location. Some places are almost free for the show because they bring people into the areas. Other shows have to pay a big price to put on the show. The people putting the show on are much more important than the price. Also, where is the money being spent? Who is profiting from the show?
A couple good examples in my area are the Gosport Art Show in Portsmouth, VA, and the Ocean View Show in Norfolk, VA. Both are $100 or less. Both have been around for many years and have good reputations. You aren't going to sell thousands of dollars worth of art work, but if your expenses aren't too great (room, travel, etc.) you are going to make a few dollars. I'm still relatively new to this business, and have a low price point, but both of those shows are my top selling shows.
We've found that shows that have a good number of (returning) potters in it are good shows for us. Potters have to work too hard to lug their wares & set up to suffer a poor show of any kind. Shows they are at usually have the most bang for the bucks spent to get in them. We've found that some potters are skipping the shows entirely and are going to farmer's markets instead. Whatever works!
I agree with everything that has been said. It depends! I just got back from a show with a $160 booth fee at which I sold $4400. That is a great return on investment, in my opinion!
The space fee is way down on the list of considerations. Who is the promoter? How long has the show been going on? Who is the target customer at that show?
But what are your expectations? Do you only do the "good" shows? If so, you're missing out on a lot of small shows that can pay the bills.
Diane Wright > Chris HoytSeptember 13, 2010 at 10:55am
I have done great $$$ shows with a low booth fee and terrible $ shows with high booth fees. It depends on so many things. Some shows are just not for my work regardless of the booth fee (but they maybe big money makers for someone else) I don't think that the booth fee figures into my decision - although I have a top figure that I think will make hard for me to make a good profit. It depends on your artwork. It depends to how close to home the show is. I depends on the promoter, how long the show has been going on, the potential audience at the show, the other exhibitors (does my work fit in), word of mouth & when possible, walking the show the year before. And some of it is a crap shoot from year to year.
To me, less than $200 is a yellow flag, not necessarily a red one. A lot depends on a person's price points and display. I did a $25 show once where I made $250. Ten times booth fee was not a bad return until I added in 4 hours of setup and 2 hours of breakdown. If I had a less complex setup or more lower priced items I might try it again but the $250 was one sale and it was a fluke. Less than $100 is a red flag and I won't do them unless there is some other reason for it such as wanting to get known in a particular area or by a particular promotor.
Booth fees are not necessarily a good indicator of the quality of a show. If you are excluding from consideration any show with booth fees under $250, you're missing out on a lot of great shows. In this business, you don't necessarily get what you pay for.
Replies
A couple good examples in my area are the Gosport Art Show in Portsmouth, VA, and the Ocean View Show in Norfolk, VA. Both are $100 or less. Both have been around for many years and have good reputations. You aren't going to sell thousands of dollars worth of art work, but if your expenses aren't too great (room, travel, etc.) you are going to make a few dollars. I'm still relatively new to this business, and have a low price point, but both of those shows are my top selling shows.
Pete
I too factor in a lof of things. It seems I may have been to harsh in judgement. Again my appreciation.
Pete
The space fee is way down on the list of considerations. Who is the promoter? How long has the show been going on? Who is the target customer at that show?
But what are your expectations? Do you only do the "good" shows? If so, you're missing out on a lot of small shows that can pay the bills.