It was great fun meeting Connie, Ron, Peter and other artists at the lovely Rock Financial Showplace facility. The below describes my experiences - I hope others add theirs. Check In: Very easy and well organized. Load In: Artists had the entire day on Thursday for drive in load in & set up. There were no set times - ie: at some shows you are assigned a timeline to drive up, unload and drive away. This was far more pleasant. Booth Area: Nice spacious 10x12 booth area with about 4' to 5' of storage space behind each booth. Any artists that did not have panels that blocked off that storage space were required to purchase backdrop drapes from the facility. I had thought I would not need them, but my panels cover a 10x10 area (not 10x12) so I decided to add the drapes at the last moment and the facilities director made that purchase easy for me to do on the spot. I also decided on Sunday to purchase a one day connection to their wireless network for $20.00. There were three day packages also available. Staffing: Both the event staff and the facility staff were terrific. I left the facility several times throughout the day (take care of my dogs in the van) and I found security persons were very warm and friendly. Facility: This was only the second indoor show I've done and I will say it is so nice not to deal with weather! The inside of Rock Financial was beautifully decorated. The entrance was set up with mini gardens and fountains and had carefully placed artist items lining the walls - all well lit as if it was the entrance to an art gallery. A nice welcome to all patrons. There were (6) aisles of booths placed approximately 15 ft across from each other. A huge facility, the lights from the high ceiling were great, but each booth needed it's own lighting for appropriate viewing. Food: Beverages, popcorn, soft serve cones, pretzels and roasted almonds could be found at several corners of the show. The center held a food area that had catered items such as $7.00 Panini's, a salad bar and an Italian dish area. The rules of the show stated food/drinks could not be brought in and the types of food (and costs) did not appeal to me so Friday I lived on the popcorn & pretzels and Sat & Sunday had a sandwich from my car when I visited the dogs. A wonderful artists get together was held Friday evening. Absolutely yummy foods and each artists was given a couple of drink tickets. It was fun mingling with new friends as well as catching up with some old friends. The owner of the facility gave a nice presentation and Connie is a great speaker and handed out the awards. I was pleased that in addition to the top 3 awards $500,$300,$200 plus free entry to the Spring Event), a few awards of merit were also handed out. Artists: From my point of view I think that the mix was good.... not too many of each medium. I did notice a few that I would not have expected at a high end art show and I think this event could support more quality artists in future years.... more on that later. Sales: Well, I'll generalize my thoughts here as my sales were not typical of most Michigan shows I have done this year. First, let me say that from what I saw, advertising was well distributed. There were panels at the artist entry that displayed the advertising that was distributed locally. I also saw a tv promo during Saturday evening's news and Sunday morning's news. It could have been there on Friday, but I was drinking with my artist buds. Friday was quite lean on patrons, but a somewhat steady flow. Saturday morning we all were ready for the crowds, but they never came. My sales were less on Saturday than Friday. Sunday was likely the busiest, but still not huge. I did okay however and I did notice more patrons carrying purchases. I have some thoughts that may or may not be contributors to the low attendance: From my travels throughout my favorite state of Michigan.... I have come to the conclusion there is not too much excitement over the Lions (played GB on Sunday). HOWEVER, they love their college ball. Unfortunately both the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Michigan State (East Lansing) played on Saturday. Combined those nearby stadiums hold about 175,000 fans. Guess that explains Saturday, especially since Michigan State played Northwestern! The Detroit Marathon was also held Sunday. Methinks I will pay attention to these schedules before applying next year. My random thoughts: I would have considered that my low sales may have been due to my focus of work (Great Lakes Nautical & Nature) or the economy (which has been a factor all over this year) but I did very well (6 times the sales) at the Plymouth show and even at the very little Keego Harbor event (3 times the sales). Both were in close proximity to Novi. I also was surprised that I did better the week prior at a little festival in Alpena than at Novi. This show was well run and I absolutely love Erin (organizer) and Connie (consultant). They were marvelous and it was appreciated that great detail from them AND the owner of the facility placed artist comforts at the top of their lists. I think this event will grow in upcoming years with high end and experienced artists competing for booth space. There were quite a few "first time" artists attending and not being experienced, they did quite a bit of grumbling. The rest of us tried to educate them on art show set ups and expectations. I also noted that not many patrons entered the show area an hour or two prior to show close. Was there an afternoon discount offered Connie? My suggestions: I hope to be accepted next year as I would like to be part of the group that was in on the beginning - It will only get better. I would hope to see the Food area changed. Several shows I attended this summer have brought in great local restaurants rather than catering. Each restaurant submitted a menu of what they would offer so no two offered the same food. Most kept the menu to small portions to keep prices down.... Ribs, sandwiches (hot & cold) and speciality little items like won tons, mini tacos, soups & salads etc. And of course, there was the hot dog guys. This not only provided the show with a large variety, it provided the show with additional exposure (signs and promotions at the local restaurants). Perhaps the organizers, facility owner and artists could work together and offer entry fees returned to the patron after purchases. For example.... if a patron purchases $50 from an artist, that patron receives a stamp or card punch or similar indicating the purchase. At the end of the day, the patron could return the stamp or punched card for a refund up to the entry fee. Or, each artist could offer $1.00 back on each $25 purchase etc. There are ways to accommodate a patron in this manner and could be a part of the advertising program as well as encourage purchases. I have seen this work successfully at events that include an entry fee. Sure would be nice not to have to pay for a day or two of wireless. I'm a little on the lazy side and would rather not leave the show to drive to a McDonalds to check my email or website orders when on the road. It's the little extras that add up - internet ($20/day), additional drapes ($84.00), expensive food within the facility, and while I don't use flooring for my display, my neighbor was a little miffed that she had to use the facility tape to tape down her carpet at $14.00 per roll. Last suggestion would be scheduling..... sure don't want to compete with Michigan's college football or marathon again. Nonetheless - I sure want to come next year. I hope the attendance improves and this becomes the new mini Ann Arbor must go to show (that one is just too huge in my opinion). OK Connie, Ron, Peter & others I missed meeting....... please add your experience. I'm thinking I missed something. Oh.... I did miss mentioning Connie's gathering on Sunday morning. I was very tardy so Ron can you recap on the marvelous presentation she gave. I heard many artists - especially newbies - comment on how useful and informative her information was! Thanks Connie I'm still downloading my You Tube Videos..... I'll add them soon! Linda Anderson http://www.andersonphotoworks.com
I actually liked the food court and found it economical for the portions, and nutritious as well as flavorful. I would not like the food court changed. The organizers need to target art buying niche markets to haul in the buyers that will match the artwork. Birmingham, and Ann Arbor, Northville and Plymouth.
Thanks for the comments Warren. You Michigan folks are great in my book. I do hope this event will grow to be one of the greats. It has all the earmarks, just needs the crowds to be a top event. I believe I heard the facility owner is not making much of a profit during these initial few years. My husband and I figured out that just the facility lighting costs $125 per hour. I was not at the spring show, but for the October event the electricity was included in the application fee (thank heavens!). I'm thinking with Connie's help the food and perhaps entrance fee reimbursement will be changed for the Spring show. I won't give up on this one yet. However.... some of the smaller events I've attended have entrys of $100 to $200 and I've done extremely well. Are the higher fee shows a thing of the past? Will the top names in shows continue to slide in artist and patron draw while the lesser known shows grow? I'm re evaluating my thoughts while working up next year's schedule. Are others doing the same? 2010 will be an interesting year.
Well, You Tube Videos are loaded. To keep them organized for me, I’ve included some info for each link. I’ve mis numbered them by leaving out#1 (not enough coffee this morning).
#6 shows the beautiful entrance. Several include art fair insiders members as indicated.
I believe these videos will give a good viewing on how wonderfully set up the entire facility was. Thanks to the drapes, no supplies showed. Many patrons mentioned they were impressed with the elegant appearance of the show. Lovely music played throughout the day.
GREAT review. Every time I read a review regarding a MI show - like this one - I get motivated to want to do them. I am aware sales may not be "ideal" however am experiencing the same results where I live too. I hear parts of MI hit hard by the economy while other areas doing well - I am seeing this too in the Mid-Atlantic area - near D.C. is still good but the further out you go, those areas are getting hit like other places in the US. I await seeing the Youtube videos. But all in all sounds like a marvelous show - thanks for keeping it neutral and even offering ideas - it shows you REALLY want to see it succeed.
Comments
#6 shows the beautiful entrance. Several include art fair insiders members as indicated.
I believe these videos will give a good viewing on how wonderfully set up the entire facility was. Thanks to the drapes, no supplies showed. Many patrons mentioned they were impressed with the elegant appearance of the show. Lovely music played throughout the day.
#2 Sunday with Ron Mellott
#3 Sunday General Show plus upcoming artfairinsiders member Bruce M...
#4 Sunday with Peter Katkey & Linda Anderson
#5 Sunday Café & Food Demonstrations
#6 Saturday early morning showing Entry
#7 Saturday early morning General Show