This is my first blog entry. I just experienced the worst show of my career and had to write about it. This is an example for any show promoter of what not to do.
The art association sent us a packet including:
1. where to park to unload (one exhibitor got a ticket)
2. we will provide vendor services & sitting (no one came to the show except to check us in on the first day)
3. the assn. was supposed to have a booth (none was there)
4. we would be posted on their website (never done - almost tho' we didn't exist)
5. banner for show (taken down at 1pm on 3rd day & we were open until 7pm)
In addition:
Only 14 artisans were registered, 2 didn't even show (they were the smart ones).
6 exhibitors left the 2nd nite due to extremely poor traffic & sales (no advertising we ever heard of)
I asked for some shade as I have problems in the sun (I got the sunniest, hottest spot in the park)
The sprinkler system came on the morning of the 3rd day. Fortunately, the watercolor artist with a dbl.
booth had left the nite before or her work would have been ruined. I was not in a sprinkler spot but the
jeweler next to me was. The skirts of his display were soaked as well as some of the jewelry.
The exhibitors that were left (6) decided to stick it out until the last bell. The show ran from Wed. thru Fri. We had even less people on Friday, if that were possible. Only people that came by during the 3 days were taking a "Walk to the Sea" route. Some never even glanced at our tents.
They are running another show at same spot in September. I hope potential exhibitors see this and think twice about participating. I am a member of the assn., tho' do not live in the area, and I was embarassed by what happened.
Comments
Fourteen artists were registered? That should have been a tip-off right there, and only 12 showing up should have been the second tip-off. Wednesday to Friday? What the hell? The only way I would have considered a show like that is if it were smack-dab in the middle of a high traffic tourist area. The fact that it took two days for half of the artists to bail out is surprising, most of them should have been pulling up stakes on Wednesday evening.
The only experience I had close to that was doing a small show at a historical recreation site in Indianapolis called Conner Prairie that is a living history museum set in 1836. Nice venue, but not for art festivals. There were about 50 or 60 artists there, many of them under a single large tent. The crowds were there for a children's event, and walked right past us heading for the parking lot. Someone could have dumped a truckload of bowling balls and not hit anyone. I'm normally not one who bails on a show, but your show and this one would have been a prime candidate. The show I was at lost 1/3 of the artists overnight. I arrived early Sunday morning, and saw another 5 or 6 artists come in and view the empty spaces. They too decided on the spur of the moment that it was time to bail. I decided to tough it out, and to my regret it was a bad decision as the weather remined blistering hot, no one showed up, and the weather turned very bad at teardown.
I do my homework on shows better nowadays, and knock on wood, I won't get suckered into shows like that any more. I do carry work with me that I can be doing if nothing is happening, such as cutting small mattes behind the booth and bagging flip bin work. But one where it is absolutely dead and it is obvious the organizers have done a crap job, it's time to bail.
I sent a very nice polite email to the organizers telling them what my thoughts were on their show. There were no accusatory comments, but the problems were outlined in bullet points along with suggestions on how to improve the issues. I also mentioned what were positive aspects of the show. I didn't receive an invitation letter from them the following year ;-) I wouldn't have gone anyway, and they were so far down on my radar screen I don't know when the show was discontinued which I assume it was.
For your show, when I would have realized only 12 artists were showing up, I would have been very, very concerned at that point. That's not enough to generate the critical mass needed to be an event. I would have packed back up and saved myself the motel bill. If you were local, I would have packed up at the end of the first day.
Was it in the park behind the Post Office? And what art association was it?
Paragon did a 3rd annual show there in July. By everyone's admission (even the promoter's), attendance was horrible despite very nice weather. He won't do the show again. The denizens don't seem to support outdoor festivals up there, for whatever reason.