Some of you may remember a blog I wrote last May entitled “Dear Promoters: Please Promote”. It was sparked by my attendance at a Cincinnati-area show that seemed to be a shadow of its former glorious self; the artists were of the same high quality but there weren’t enough shoppers around to appreciate them. Several of you chimed in, some about this particular show and others about the generally low attendance we see at too many shows these days.
As chance would have it, last week brought an emailed “don’t miss the application deadline” reminder from this very show, which prompted an email exchange between the show staff and me. Here’s what I learned.
The show organizers say they were aware that their numbers were down, and became more aware when they read our comments on this site. They agreed that they need to improve in the publicity arena and felt they needed to learn more from the exhibiting artists. While they had discontinued artist evaluations years ago because no one responded, they decided to try again and sent a survey in August (the show was in late May). They say they received "many compliments... also valuable input for improvement and we have taken positive steps to address these issues." One of those issues, BTW, was the load-out process that Robert Wallis alluded to which has now been streamlined.
In terms of publicity, the Wyoming Art Show shared with me their new six-point Publicity Plan, the points being Social Media/Online, Promotional Materials, Signage, Local Promotion, and Advertising. Well, okay, that's only five points, but there's probably a sixth point lurking in the closet somewhere. I see the plan calls for promotion on major radio and news sources, an effort to get printed postcards and posters into businesses in the wider Cincinnati area, and an email blast to 18,000 recipients tied to a popular citywide entertainment publication, to name just a few line items. They've developed a new and well-done e-postcard that will go to the artists for distribution to their customer lists.
All in all, it looks to me like the show staff is taking their role seriously and doing what they can to kick up the attendance for the 2013 show. I hope it works -- this really is a nice show in a beautiful tree-lined area with killer art and a ridiculously affordable booth fee. And, apparently, they have actually listened to and acted upon artists' comments, so it's hard to ask for more than that.
Connie and all posters, thanks again for delivering and using a site that gets noticed by show organizers. Sometimes good things happen when we whine.
Comments
Glad they are paying attention, noting the issues and acting on them...hopefully it will improve the show for you all. Let us know how it turns out this year!
Thanks Karen for passing this information on to everyone here. This shows everyone here that their opinions do count.
Great result and kudos to the show for taking it all onboard!
Woo hoo! This is really good news. I don't know this show or its organizers, but isn't it great to know that they are reading and we can have some impact on improving them? Thanks for sharing this information, Karen, and kudos to the organizers.
All of you lurkers, chime in, give suggestions on shows you have done, tell us more. This is a cheap way to insure that your shows don't just fade away. If you see something missing at a show tell us here, as well as on the show evaluation. If you see something good happening tell us here! The other show organizers will see it and incorporate it in their shows. You are not powerless.
Been to any good shows lately? Tell us here or at ArtShowReviews.com. Let's work together to improve our marketplace. Ever hear of karma?
I was just discussing this with my wife a few days ago, She didn't think it was a good idea to try the show again, but this addresses the issues of concern and I'll apply again. Thank you for the follow up on this :-)