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1. All booth locations at an art fair should be created equal.
2. Sponsor booths should not be at the entrance to the art.
3. Food locations should not obscure artist booths.

The layout of Arts, Beats & Eats has always been under the control of its producer, Jon Witz. Try as I might there are some things over which I had no say. When I was presented with the layout in June I objected to the parking lot location on E. 7th, the spaces on E. 7th that were close to the Main Stage, the leg of the show on Lincoln Street and the sponsor booths at the entry. My objections carried no weight. Upon arrival I spotted the large Ryba's Fudge truck on a prime corner of the show.

This was the first year that sponsor booths were placed in the art area. As we all know events need sponsors to pay the bills, but they have been anathema to this art fair, always.

Everyone arrived with such great expectations after last year's economic miracle in Royal Oak.

I am heartsick over the anyone's financial losses, in particular those whose locations disadvantaged them. This certainly was not the outcome we anticipated.

Despondent in Michigan and wishing you brighter days.

Connie

I remember it well.  It was Ocala, either 2007 or 2008.  It had rained all Friday, all Saturday, and sporadically on Sunday.  At about 4:00 on Sunday the sky turned black, the thunder started to rumble in the distance and it looked like it was going to get really nasty.  People started to break down and about 4:30 an army of vans started coming on the field.  The rules said you MUST wait for the go-ahead to bring your van on the field, no earlier than 5:30.  There was this poor volunteer attempting to stand in front of the vans coming on the field, waving her clipboard, and yelling “You’re not authorized to come on the field yet”.  And they just went around her.  I, being a good little do bee, waited until 5:30 to go and get my van and by that time I couldn’t get my van on the field, because everyone else was already there.  Guess who was the last person out of Ocala that year, breaking down alone in the dark?

Then there are two shows that come to mind immediately that have a setup time of 1:00PM on Friday.  Still being a good do bee, I show up at 1:00.  Half the show is already set up.  I can’t get a parking place anywhere near my spot and end up circling the block for 45 minutes to get a parking place at all.  The following year I show up at 11:00AM and setup is wonderfully easy.

What about those rules that usually work fine when enforced and put anyone who follows them at a disadvantage when not enforced?  What about those rules that must have been written by someone who has never done an art show?  When you have no one behind you do you spread out the back, not only with your stuff, but with your display area?  Do you put your print bin way out in front of your booth until someone tells you to move it?  Or do you put your print bin out in front in self defense because your neighbor has done it and everyone is making a wide circle around their display missing your booth entirely?

Where do you draw the line?