I just had a bad show this past weekend. Maybe you, yeah you, the one reading this did too. I have had quite a few of them this year with some glimmer of hope shows in-between to make me think, ok, maybe the economy isn't all doom and gloom. So, with my experience of having several bad shows under my belt - bad meaning not profitable - I feel I can add this to my expertise book too - an expert on doing bad shows. However, I want to illustrate that just because a show isn't profitable doesn't mean it has to spoil the whole day. There are actual good things that come out of bad shows, but you have to open your eyes and mind to see them. Here's a list of things I have learned that can make a bad show kinda fun and still walk away with a smile at the end of the day.First, I want to make it clear I am disappointed as others in my position when it comes to doing a bad show. Aside from theft or having your work destroyed, one of the worse things that can happen is not turn a profit - not be compensated for all the hard work in making the art, but go through all the motions to sell it too. So, in hopes of trying to make a bad situation better, please consider the things you can still be thankful for, no matter how rough a show can be.1. Stock. I labored until 12:30 the night before this past show, which took place in a mall, to make sure I had enough stock. After all you never know - people should be planning ahead for the holidays or take a mental note to find you again when the holidays get closer at future shows. In making extra stock, you always think - whoo hoo, I won't have to haul it all back home, it won't be as heavy then. That is something I always forget, because if a show is bad you still have to haul it all back home and sometimes more difficult to get back into the car. The good part - I don't have to make any more stock for the next show! Think about how nice that is for a moment. The simple notion of all one needs to do is simply load everything back into the car when the time comes, well, puts a big grin on my face. Perhaps you too? This is why I do not recommend putting things on sale at the end of the day to hopefully move it all is selling yourself short. Why discount your work, that is in perfect condition, so you merely have to go home and slave away to make more for the next show? Not only that, people start to expect you to discount your work at every show and will only start shopping when you lower your prices. Totally defeats the purpose, right?2. Down time = networking time. There are only so many things a person can do when there is down time at a show - rearrange your display, do an inventory check, tidy things that may get misplaced... Take this time as an opportunity to learn a little about your neighbors. Just as you have a fascinating story about how you got involved in doing art shows so do the countless others you are selling next to. You may find they have advice for you, live just minutes from where you live now or when you were younger, offer info on up-coming shows, maybe even buy from you because you never know. This past show I learned a fellow exhibitor had a birthday and a small group of us surprised her and sang Happy Birthday - she was surprised. I didn't know her, but she was so tickled to know that there are some great people out there willing to do something as simple as wish her a happy birthday, probably made her day. I also learned another vendor is from Hawaii - as I am part Hawaiian, and the last 2 hours of the show we talked about food, places, jokes, all that stuff. If I was in my 10x10 the whole time ignoring the world around me, I would have never had a good time meeting nice people, learn about how others are fairing at other shows, all making the hours pass like minutes.3. Breakdown. The first thing you think of, when you have a bad show, is how much longer before I can pack up. Maybe the thought would people notice if I pack up early creeps in your mind too? Well, most opt to pack up early. I even did - the show ran until 9:00 p.m. and I started packing at 8:00 - consolidating overstock and turning lights off. However others were out by 7:00 p.m. While you take your time breaking down and others are rushing to get out of there you realize two great things. A) You still get a few sales as the show is still open and people will only buy from those still open. B) After these people leave, it frees up a closer parking space (loading space near the entrance) where you can just pull your vehicle up without traffic congestion and get in and get out in no time.4. Doing bad shows forces you to be more observant. When I say observant I am referring to watching what others are doing and learn a little more about the lifestyle of how things work in the environment you are selling in. So many people, who have a short fuse when they have a bad show quickly blame things on everyone else. But what I saw are little things that could be improved and an even bigger picture that "fate" is out of your hands. What I saw that could be improved was that there were no real signs within the mall to let patrons know there is a craft show going on TODAY. IT was a first time show and something so obvious was just overlooked by the organizer. The show took place inside an abandoned dept. store - big and in a great locale (very secure and great access to all things like being near the food court and movie theater). However those who come to the mall on a regular basis will always assume it is a vacant area UNLESS they see something somewhere that tells them otherwise especially those who may have seen some advertising and get there and think the event is canceled because there are no obvious signs a show is going on. You also see that people don't go to a mall - or ART SHOW - and buy from everyone. They have a plan to seek the place they need to go to and if there is time, see what else there is - maybe a sale, a new shop, a new style of clothing for the season attracts your eye... So many artists/crafts people believe that every patron shops at every place - impossible! I have never seen this as what each artist offers isn't what EVERYONE needs at that very day. This is why some shows are better than others (where some shows offer such variety and attract so many people that you are bound to have good sales) or why some locations are better than others. You also pick up on tidbits regarding your target market - and in other instances who will never be a customer of yours and why. This will help you down the line when planning shows - which merchandise might move more (depending on the show) as well as focusing your work to a better line of what is more likely to sell, purging older works at the same time. In other words, having some down time really allows you to really see things they way they really are than how we all assume how things probably are.5. Count your blessings. I always think it could have been worse. I could have paid a whole lot more for the space and lost even more money - the space this past weekend was very cheap. Hind sight is always 20-20 and you learn from your mistakes, it makes us smarter for the next show we do. I was so happy it was an indoor show as it was a horribly windy and rainy day where I could have lost stock and possibly catch some sort of cold verses being dry and warm inside with a decent selection of food. I did have some sales - I probably would feel even worse if I spent the whole day not making one sale than the 5 very small ones I did have. These could very well be trivial to you all reading this, but I am a thankful person. It keeps me going. I realize that everyone isn't guaranteed the best show ever bringing "my" whole stock and at the end of the day left with a pile of money. It isn't realistic during any type of economic climate. But it makes you want to do even more at the next show - be more outgoing, set-up earlier to get some quick morning sales from some early shoppers, and of course realize what happened in the past doesn't determine how things will go at the next show (it's in the past and today is a new day).I open this up to you all - what have you learned from a bad show that has made you a better person/artist at more recent shows? Thanks and have a good week! - Michellewww.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com and www.bythebaybotanicals.comRead more…
