Naples National is my third show in a seven show Florida tour for this Midwest artist. After disappointing sales at Artfest in Ft Myers and Coconut Grove in Miami, Naples bought just under $1200 in sales. Its like Groundhog Day (The Bill Murray movie), All three of these shows hovered around the $1200 level... not enough to pay for all the expenses these shows cost.
On the plus side, the Naples National show was like the direct opposite of the Coconut Grove show (which Barry reviewed so expertly). The park where the art fair was held was easy to find and well marked. Registration was easy and load in was well organized. Traffic monitors were working in all the areas of the show, allowing cars, trailers and vans into the show grounds only when a space was open near each artists booth. I was in the park so I had to dolly in from the street over loose ground cover of wood chips. (The chips made me wish I had an SVU for a dolly.) I was in a pleasant shaded area near the bandstand. Parking was provided in a big empty lot about three of four blocks from the art fair but the show had buses running constantly between the art fair and the parking lot for artists. Pack up and load out was equally well organized with monitors handing out vehicle passes after we had our stuff all packed up and ready to load. There was pleasant (mostly) entertainment from the bandstand, a sharp contrast to the frenetic hawking by the Verizon booth at Coconut Grove.
On the minus side, although I enjoyed the shaded location of my booth, it was part of an odd configuration. My booth (#140) was in a circle of booths inside of a bigger circle of booths. That made for confusing traffic patterns. In walking the show I noticed a lot of near random placement of booths in the park that would give fair-goers a navigational challenge to visit all the artists. The better location (although unshaded) was on the street adjacent to the park where patrons could walk up one side of the street and down the other side, and see all the artists. I'm thinking my odd location added to my low sales totals. The street was always crowded while the park had way fewer visitors.
My next show is Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale next weekend, a show I have mixed feelings about. I'm hoping the younger crowd in Ft Lauderdale might respond to my work with better sales totals, but I dread that early morning setup. I'll spend the week before the show in Punta Gorda where the hotel bills are not so dear. This Florida trip is costing me more money than I'm making.
Comments
John, I think everyone here is rooting for you. We want you to go back home with something to show for your hard work. Hang in there.
We were happy with the show, it is consistently good for John which is the exception to most of the Florida shows we have done in the past few weeks. It is second in sales for us so far this year; Bonita Springs January was the best.
We were concerned about the space location; John was the last booth on the end in the street but it actually worked out well for him. Because we pull a trailer, set up and teardown were much easier in this space. We did lose some sales being placed at the beginning of the show but the bottom line is our sales were a little better than last year. Plus John won a nice award which helps!
John I am doing a 7 show rodeo in Florida as well. Only 2 left to go. I will also be in Las Olas this weekend. If we are near eachother I may see you. I have found that the follow up sales after the shows have saved me and made the Florida Show trip worth it, but the fat lady hasn't sung yet. I am working on my high note.
I did Naples Nat'l last year and I agree with the comments re: booth location/sales. I did not do it this year. But last year, I had a great location near where Paul was located this past weekend, and I did over $6K. I do remember that folks in the street (direct sun and hot) and in some of the more problematic traffic areas didn't do so well. Looking forward to Nels' post!
I agree with you John. I stopped doing this show because the two times I did it I was placed in an out of a way location in the park. I'm glad someone is listening from the show, if changes are made I may try it again. I fared less than $1200 each time I've done the show. I'd rather do their downtown show because that show has more equal booth spaces and more people attend (no required gate fee).
I will followup with a comprehensive report on Naples tomorrow. Jhn makes valid points, but I can add more to the mix. This is a good show but not everybody makes moola at it. I feel for you John.
John, so sorry to hear that it just wasn't happening for you at Naples. Here's hoping things improve for the next show.
Hi John - I've been following your show reports with my fingers crossed. I orchestrated a similar tour of Florida shows a few years ago from my home in Cincinnati. I, too, watched my expenses mount while my sales stayed mediocre. It was always something -- bad booth location, hurricane force winds, bad show choices on my part, etc. etc. The crowds just never seemed to be where I was.
Just wanted you to know that I sympathize and am rooting for you from up north.
P.S. Have you thought about using your time off during the week to visit some galleries/shops who might be interested in carrying your work? Maybe if you could get some new wholesale accounts it would help to defray the cost.
Good luck this weekend!
Hi John, I don't think I met you directly at Naples National this weekend, but I do PR/Marketing for the Naples Art Association and was working the festival. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. No one can tell how traffic flows and functions better than an artist, and I appreciate the feedback. I'll share it with the staff as we debrief and prepare for future festivals. Sincerely, Kathleen
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