This Howard Alan show is held in Pioneer Court right in the middle of downtown, great visibility from both the street and the surrounding highrises. NBC studios is located on the property and they usually do a live report from the show.
This show has it's challenges, it's a dolly show but you can park fairly close on the surrounding streets without having to play Frogger, right Steve. I always rent a tent for this show from the company that travels with Howard, it makes life much easier. The layout is mostly single file with a few booths being btb, but all have very good back storage. Wind can be an issue, so bring plenty of weight as you're not allowed to stake down. Parking in surrounding garages is pentiful (but expensive), Howard has arranged fairly close parking for oversized vehicles and motorhomes for the entire weekend for I believe $65.
Last year the Gold Coast show was the same weekend which affected sales for most of us and while we didn't have that problem this year we did have 100+ degree temps to contend with on Friday which cut attendance by 50%. I was worried because for me this is a Friday show as I have built a good following from the ladies that work in the surrounding office buildings, but they just didn't want to brave the heat. Saturday morning early a front came in and dropped the heat into a more comfortable upper 70's which brought out all the people and I had my normal sales day. I went into to Sunday still being significantly down in sales due to losing Friday but the crowds started early and the show was packed all day, I ended up recouping the lost sales and with the after show orders my total was higher than last year.
Breakdown is tightly controlled by Debbie, Howard and Terry, you must be completly broken down and then you can get your car to load out. Debbie and Terry were working my street they kept people moving and co-ordinated parking for load out. My space is on the opposite end of the court from the street and I have an elaborate setup, but even having to dolly I was out in 45 minutes.
My medium is jewelry so it's an easy carry, but if you have larger items be prepared to ship as a lot of the people are tourists. As usual sales were across the board, my neighbors were Chicago themed photographers and they both did well, painter next to me with large high priced items sold a couple of originals, glass artist behind me with unusual wall pieces wasn't pleased with his sales but saw the potential with this show and said he will do it again.
This is one of my favorite shows to do, I drive from Tampa just for it.
Comments
I did this show for the first time, in fact it was my first time in chicago. I loved the "day before set up". A quick heavy thunderstorm rolled through which reminded me why chicago is called the windy city. Unfortunately, in my area several tents got blown around and ruined. Fortunately everyone could go on with the show Though. I was confused too when I saw the sign pointing to the show only mentioning sat. and sun. Friday was a very slow day, I am sure the unbarable heat put a damper on business. I sell Jewelry, and hardly anyone wanted to try anything on and I couldnt even blame them, I wouldnt want to try a necklace either with sweat running down my neck. Saturday was ok, and sunday had a scary slow start but ended up being ok with a few "be backers" actually being back to buy. It was my first HA show. I met Howard and he seems nice , I like the fact, that he seems to be able to stay very calm even in chaos. I was very impressed with the work displayed at this show. Over all though, I would say that if I would live close enough to not need a hotel I would definetely do this show again and again. Other than that, I dont think it is worth it. unless I would combine it with other shows in the area. Several people I talked to did the gold coast show the weekend before, mentioning that they did much better at that one.
I stay with family, but a good website is dealnews.com they've had lots of deals for Chicago this summer
What hotel do you guys stay in? Hotels in Chicago in the summer are so high(over $200 a night).
Thanks for the review Lori and so pleased to hear your totals were higher than last year. I think hiring the tent in situations like this an excellent idea and makes it far less stressful for you.
I was at this show too and to add to the heat on Friday, if you looked at the promo signs at both ends of the show they only advertised for Sat and Sun. A couple customers also told me that the news advertised the show as being only Sat and Sun as well. So I dont know where the mix up happened, but the confusion combined with the heat made Friday tough! My Sat and Sun were fun and busy, so I can only imagine how much better it would be if people weren't dodging the weather! Will look forward to doing this show again! Everybody was very nice and organized!
I forgot to mention that setup for this show is the day before, anytime from 10 to 6