Ann saw this picture on the way back from the Taco truck and had to practically drag me to the spot
Anyway, for those who stayed after getting hit by the storm, my congratulations. The day turned out fine if a bit windy. Although they were late, the crowds came. Many artists who had a bad Saturday made up for it late Sunday and many people did significantly better on Sunday.
We had a good setup for the show. We opted for the Thursday setup and it turned out to be relaxed and unhurried. We were able to drive our vehicle right up to our spot with no crowding.
On Saturday the juror was interesting to watch. He lost a little speed in the corners but made up for it in the straightaways. He was good, though. I was impressed with his choices. Pardon me if I may have mentioned this in an earlier post. My brain is still foggy from the show.
Crowds were good but our sales were disappointing for us. Mostly little stuff. Some of the artists, however, did quite well so that goes to show you that if you have what this crowd wants, they'll buy it.
This year the long-held tradition of the award ceremony was eliminated in favor of a private party that only the picked artists were invited to. Not only that, but those artists who were picked were expected to pay forty bucks if they wanted to bring a spouse. A major award winner had his three year old daughter and wife with him. Since the party didn't start until an hour and a half after the show, he didn't choose to attend. The artists who did attend didn't have time to shower and were in the presence of patrons dressed to the 9's. Someone commented that it had the feel of a petting zoo. The "premium food" consisted of hors d'oeuvres apparently meant for people who had already had their dinners. I was told there was a roped off section for VIP's that the invited artists couldn't enter. There was no ceremony announcing winners and when the artists arrived they found the pieces on display with the ribbons attached. So much for recognition.
The original format for the award ceremony worked fine for the over thirty years since my first time in Gasparilla and there is no good reason not to reinstate it. The shared enthusiasm for the winners when they step up to receive their awards from the juror enhances the experience and makes winning that much sweeter.
The original teardown plan was to bring in groups of vehicles at thirty minute intervals and each group would be expected to be out of there to make room for the next. Good luck on that one. As it turned out, they did not require vehicles to leave until loaded. The vehicles in each group were dispersed enough so there was no uncontrolled crowding. Since our assigned time was 8:30 we just started carting out. It was no worse than the Disney teardown if you didn't mind the uphill part of the push.
All in all, I would return to this show if invited. The award money is borderline surreal and they feed you well at breakfast and lunch. Saturday night the artist tent provided food along with drink stronger than tea. It doesn't hurt that we're close enough to commute.
Although the show has its weak points the organizers have proven themselves to be good listeners so be sure your comments, favorable and otherwise, get heard.
Again, congratulations to the hardcore artists who got blown away and came back for the finish. You're an example for all of us.
Comments
We can always use info from positive experiences. The show had its problems, but most of it seems weather related and nobody wants to feel like a guinea pig in a wind tunnel. Unintentional as it may have been.
P.s. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the input on the party. That was quite gracious of them to apologize for the confusion. This makes a bog difference in the tone of the party. I talked with three or four of the pickees and reviews were mixed. Except for the one who was single, they all had complained about the "cover charge" for spouses. Also I'm glad you had a good time and thanks for the info that they did announce the winners.
BTW, congratulations!
That is such a cool photo. At first I thought it came off a show poster. It would be great as a bill board promoting their show (wouldn't that be a great sale).
Thanks for commenting Maureen. We love hearing from new people.
Great review, Bill.
Love the photo Bill and another top review :)
Ann is my spotter. I just aim where she points.
Love the shot, Bill.
Yep, like it says above, Ann spotted that picture and dragged mye by the ear to that spot to get me to record it.
See Momo that didn't hurt one bit--you did good.
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