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Texas News -- Art Fair moving in Dallas

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 23, 2010 at 4:35pm

Fair Park in Dallas is a huge place. For several years, many years ago, we made the trek to Dallas to take part in what was then called the Dallas 500. It has changed hands a couple of times and names and locations.

Now it seems there is another event CityArts that has been going on in another location is moving to Fair Park and encompassing the 500. Sounds like an excellent strategic move to me.

Read all about it here: City Arts Festival to Move to Fair Park

What do you think? Is this a good idea? Will it reinvigorate the event or water it down? Has anyone done this show recently?

Call for Artists: Midsummer Arts Faire

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 22, 2010 at 6:04pm

June 25-27

Quincy, Illinois
Washington Park in the heart of the central business district
sponsored by a coalition of community and cultural arts organizations
50 Artists
Deadline: March 31

Where is Quincy, IL? Visit this link.
From the director, Megan Backs:

Quincy is a lovely town located on the bluffs of the Mississippi. We have a rich arts history and are home to the first Arts Council in America. Our architecture also represents the best in the Midwest.

We are in our 7th year of putting on a quality juried fine art festival and accept approximately only 50 artists in order for each of our artists to have the opportunity for good sales as we continue to grow our faire. We give out approximately $5,000 in awards, with best of show receiving $1,000. We have many repeat artists but always like to recruit new artists to apply. You can ask any of our past participating artists and they will tell you we treat artists like gold! Our community is happy to host them for the weekend!

Here's the rest:

Our artists represent diverse styles and techniques including oils and acrylics, vibrant watercolor, unique sculpture, dazzling jewelry, decorative ceramics, vivid photography and so much more.
The city of Quincy is dedicated to making the faire a positive experience for both artists and guests
The faire encourages artists to demonstrate and discuss their work
Great entertainment, wonderful local food and a variety of children's activities
Application Fee: $10; Booth Fee: $100

The artists speak:
--This show has the potential to be one of the best shows of the summer in the Midwest.
--The Faire is well organized, the staff is friendly and they have a good selection of artists.
--A show of this quality so close to home is a dream come true.

Download an application online at: www.artsfaire.org
For more info: mafdirector@gmail.com

Art Awards Show, Virginia Beach, VA

Posted by Dave Hinde on February 22, 2010 at 1:37pm

I just finished unpacking from the Art Awards Show, in Virginia Beach, VA, and wanted to send a quick report. I was there with a group of volunteers from the Chesapeake Bay Art Association, so my review doesn't reflect any of the artists that had booth space there. We did have a booth for our Association, and sold a few prints there.

The Art Awards Show had the best variety and quality of work that I have seen at an Art Show in a long time. The Artists were all the best if their fields. I think the total number of Artists was 115, and that was just about right for the size of the convention center. The facility was nice, as you'd expect with a relatively new convention center. Lighting was very bright, so lights in the booth were not really needed. Load in and load out seemed to go well, especially considering there were events in other parts of the center that were also loading and unloading. After a number of booths were cleaned out, the remaining artists could drive into the convention center to load up.

The crowd was a lot thinner than was hoped for. This event had originally been planned for the end of January, but snow forced a date change. A lot of the advertising punch was lost with the date change. I also understand there was a problem with the local papers failing to print the advertisements in the Sunday supplements.

One other problem with the crowds, is that the public did not know the quality that was in the show. This was the first real Art Show held inside in this area in a long time, and the locals are not used to paying admission to see a great show. They also expected to see the same mix of artists and quality that is common with the local shows. The guests that I talked to were amazed by the quality of work being show. Figuring out how to get that message across for future shows will be the trick that makes this show a real winner. I'm looking forward to their next show in Richmond.

"Crafts on the River" (a.k.a. "The Naples Alternative"), Feb. 19-21

Posted by Geoff Coe on February 22, 2010 at 1:30pm

Since I didn't apply to Naples National and a raft of expensive shows loomed in March, I decided that Fort Myers' downtown "Crafts on the River" would be a low-cost alternative. This non-juried, 3-day show had a booth fee of only $150, and is geared toward country craft artists and (easy, now!) buy/sell vendors. It's situated on the banks of the mighty Caloosahatchee River in downtown (or, as the Fort Myers powers-that-be are determined to call it: "The River District"). The event is an adjunct to the "Edison Festival of Light", the city's premiere in-season event, which lasts for several weeks (and includes the much better-known "ArtFest Fort Myers", which needs no explanation to this audience).

"Crafts on the River" is intended to give crafters and the buy/sell crowd a more or less equal shot at the downtown tourist dollar. Crowds were pretty light on Friday, due to the blustery weather and the fact that there weren't any other notable Festival events to lure visitors, but somewhat to my surprise those who visited, bought. My day's take wouldn't have disappointed me at a higher-end show like the previous week's Coconut Point. Most of my sales weren't to locals, but to visitors--many of whom told me that they'd come downtown because the weather was too cool to go to the beach.

Saturday's crowds were light, too, until mid-afternoon, when folks began to arrive and stake out spots for the 5:30 PM 5K run and the 7 PM float parade, both of which would pass directly by the show venue. It was a family-oriented, kettle-corn buyin' crowd that definitely didn't have art in mind...though my sales were fair and the fine paper-cast artist (a cheerful lady named Ellen) next to me had very respectable sales. The show organizer left it up to each participant if they wanted to stay open through the race and parade. Many did, including the nearby vendors of the Street Fair Holy Trinity: kettle corn, beef jerky, and Budweiser) but I shut 'er down when the sun set. Because most downtown streets are blocked off for the parade, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get out of the artists' lot 4 blocks away. But mercifully the barricades started a block away, so it was easy to escape--despite the parade watcher who crashed the artist lot and parked his/her SUV so it blocked the rear exit to the highway I'd planned to take home. Arrgh....

Sunday was light for everyone despite the antique Corvette and auto show at curbside, as the day dawned with fair skies and warm temperatures, and the sun-starved denizens headed for the beaches in droves. Clouds and even a spritz of rain moved in not long after teardown began at 4 PM.

Lessons Learned:
* Three-day shows, especially ones with a low booth fee, can be profitable, even when the crowd isn't my usual target market.
*The vendors/artists who make country crafts work as hard all day as the "fine artists" in the upscale shows. And they're just as much fun to be around.
* Don't try running a 5K race after you've been standing up selling photography for 7 hours straight. You're not as young as you used to be!

Congrats to Judy Wood in Naples

Posted by Bill and Jon Slade on February 21, 2010 at 9:36am

Congrats Judy your work is fabulous/ but I don't think there is wooven leather to be had/ the bead work is outstanding/ hope all in Naples have great sales. The Slades

Award winners at the Naples National - February 20

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 20, 2010 at 6:25pm

As they like to say at the big art fairs, "you are a winner just to be accepted to this show." Right. Anyway, here are the winners in Naples today:

Judith Wood of West Palm Beach won Best in Show for her woven leather jewelry

. “Her work was exquisite, honest and sincere,” judge Douglas
David is quoted in a press release. “It was incredible in design
philosophy and spirit. And, it was her first time in the Naples
National."

Now that is a very interesting award, don't you think? Rarely do jewelers win Best of Show, but woven leather? This must really be something! So I had to go looking for her. Here is a sample of her work, still it doesn't look like woven leather, although undoubtedly, Judith really knows her jewelry making. Here is a link for more of her work: http://www.absolutearts.com/judithwood/

Looking through the list of winners I see that ArtFairInsiders.com member C.L. Cunningham won an Honorable mention for printmaking. Good job, Cynthia!

Read the rest of the article here: Winners of 31st Annual Naples National

40 Questions Blog Series - Question 7: How do you find your niche?

Posted by Michelle Sholund on February 20, 2010 at 3:25pm

Questions Blog Series - Question 7: How do you find your niche?Finding your niche is essential in order to make money. Have you said thisyourself (or know of people who have said this...) “I have thisgreat piece of artwork or craft, now how do I go about selling it?”I hear this all the time especially on message boards because fartoo often people put their cart before the horse.

I heard a great concept/exercise from person named Gary Halbert that bearsrepeating to help illustrate the importance of finding ones niche.Suppose you get an opportunity to open a restaurant – a burgerjoint let's say. What is the one thing you want most of all?While most people will think about good location, money, an awardwinning burger recipe, and plenty of parking, they are all missingthe boat. The true answer is starving crowd! Without people wantingto buy burgers, you have nothing. So what does this mean for craftartists? Sell what people want, not what you love to make.

The best way to find your niche is by keeping your eyes open and noticecurrent trends. To find trends start by looking at currentmagazines, ads, t.v. shows (notice what people are wearing in realityt.v. shows or how home make overs are decorated), as well as whatpeople are tweeting and stating via facebook.com, online socialnetworks.

A big road block Americans are struggling against is the state of oureconomy, however it isn't stopping people from buying gifts fornewlyweds, consumers seeking unique birthday gifts for friends andfamily, and purchasing souvenirs to bring home from their travels.Artists who are able to capitalize on the following list of populartrends, they will not be affected by the economy:

Garden art

Photography that specializes in inspirational nature landscapes

Accessories that enhance tech gadgets

(cellphone charms and handmade purses that have pockets for iPhonesor mp3 players)

Functional and aesthetic art for the kitchen

Anything remotely related to aromatherapy

Jewelry and other fashion accessories

Eco friendly/recycled art

(Note: this is just a few of many - some may or may not agree with me - make your opinion known via the comment button!)

It is clear everyone has different tastes and an opinion about everythingwhich makes it difficult to stay ahead of what people are wanting tobuy. There is one thing that Gen Y'ers to the baby boomers cannotresist, and that is offering one-of-a-kind art or crafts to feed ontoday's consumers who showing off their individuality. Teenagers aswell as their parents and even grandparents eat it up when given theoption to customize a new car, cell phone, music on their iPhone somuch so that this can continue into art forms we all create now.Letting art show patrons know you can do a custom order if they don'tsee a color or style they like – great for jewelry makers, fiberartists, even those who work in clay. Have you ever noticed thatphotograph prints tend to sell more than framed art? Chances are itis because customers like to put their own touch on the artwork andframe it themselves so it will compliment the place where it will bedisplayed in the home.

Another trend I see is how people love and take pride in finding bargains.It isn't so much about getting something for nothing, but knowingwhat they are buying is worth it. The more authentic an artist canmake their “individuality” mark on their work the more peoplewill buy it. For example, some 2D artwork that sells for $1,000 ormore is highly desirable among buyers who have a hard time findinglarge pieces of art for their home and no other artist is offeringat the current show, hence a niche is formed. This is why I feeloffering all kinds of work at different price breaks will aid craftartists in catching multiple big fish in the small pond that is artshows as we know it. While we can't discount our work and putourselves in financial ruin, we can offer things like free shippingon orders say $100 or $500 or more, offer lifetime guarantees onpieces where if they are ever damaged you (the artist) will fix it noquestions asked, or another ideas is to offer a discount on wholecollections say a necklace, bracelet, earring set. Some artists findhaving a clearance section to sell outdated work where the old priceoi slash with a discounted price visible via a different price tag isalso a great way to land a sale.

The more resistance to change artists have, when it comes to keeping upwith trends, the harder they are making it for themselves in the longrun. While we as craft artists don't have to follow every trend outthere it is sometimes a necessary evil that comes with running acraft business where our primary focus is to sell what we make. Ihope these ideas and tips will open some doors to new ways of makingones art or craft more marketable. Please stay tuned for the nextquestion in the series focusing on how to prevent creativity burnout.

Call for Artists: Art Fair on the Square

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 19, 2010 at 7:19pm

July 10 & 11

Madison, Wisconsin
On the Capitol Concourse around the Capitol Building
Presented by The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
400 Artists
Deadline: March 1

This is THE big art fair weekend in the Midwest and frankly this is THE place to be! An artist's favorite in a cool college town with beautiful weather enthusiastic buyers, quick two day event and easy load in/loadout, driving up to your booth.

Art Fair on the Square is not only the single largest art fair in the Midwest, it is also rated among the best fine art shows in North America by artists from across the country, and by publications such as Sunshine Artist magazine. Furthermore, Art Fair on the Square is the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's most important annual fundraiser, providing crucial support for exhibitions and education programming.

For two days, the eight blocks that surround Wisconsin's beautiful State Capitol are transformed as artists, entertainers, vendors, and some 200,000 visitors come together to celebrate the arts.

For more information: www.mmoca.org/events/artfair

Apply today: www.zapplication.org

Hi Gretta

Posted by Andrea Olson on February 18, 2010 at 8:55am

Thanks for the blog and the update on your van which I remember from the Woodstock show. (Mine was the booth 2 down from you that went over in the wind with me, weights, tables, and broken glass!)

I didn't make it into St. Stephens this year but based on your review I will apply again next year, with photos of some of my larger sculptures. I did the fun Delray Garlic Festival for the 3rd year, and did the same as in the past with the added perk of good music.

Hope to see you and your dragons and faries soon.

Andrea Olson

Artist of the Month: Nels Johnson

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 17, 2010 at 8:18pm

"I am always looking for the next great shot," says Nels, whose photographs are full of a sensitive use of the light and strong color, reflecting his life growing up in sun-drenched Florida. Art fairs have been his livelihood for over 35 years and his imagery reflects this.

"I have always had a love affair with Key West and go back there regularly for new work. I love the water and do a lot of work along the Gulf, especially the Florida panhandle.

When I'm shooting my photos I try to capture the feeling that you are right beside me, with a cup of coffee as we watch the sun come up over the Bahamas. I look closely at the relationships between colors and look for the designs in nature and in man made objects--because I care to look closer at them--I don't take them for granted."

You'll know you've found Nels at an art fair -- he is this guy in shorts, bearded, with funny color socks, wearing an aloha shirt--they show you this man gets to live the life of the images he captures. Like many others in the art fair business Nels says, "This was the job I was always supposed to have."

Where you can find Nels and his sun-drenched images:

February 13-15, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami
February 20 & 21, Naples National Art Festival, Naples, FL
February 27 & 28, Old Island Days Art Festival, Key West, FL

You'll enjoy reading his very intriguing journey through life at: www.ArtFairCalendar.com/featured artist

Call for Artists: Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 17, 2010 at 8:00pm

June 12-13

Royal Oak, Michigan
on Washington Avenue in downtown Royal Oak
Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce
125 artists
Deadline: March 7

When artists first hear about a show with only Clay, Glass and Metal they
worry about too much competition. Actually it's an advantage. You are
not competing with prints, photos and corndogs. Everyone there is
interested in your artwork.

Patrons are astounded by the variety and depth of possibilities. Artists report that it is a
pleasure to work with customers that already have an understanding of
the medium.
Art Fair Calendar.com

We encourage artists to showcase their methods by giving additional space free to accepted artists that wish to
demonstrate techniques.

Any loud music is buffered by our restaurants and then sponsors, assuring that no artist loses out to music and smoke.

This festival features 125 clay, glass and metal artists, demonstrations and
related activities. As a result we get a large focused audience.

The Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show provides:

Qualified Buyers
Cash Awards
Overnight Security & Free Parking
Artist Breakfast

There is a three year jury rotation system. If you have participated in the last three years you are automatically accepted when you send in your
booth and application fees by deadline. Why shouldn't artists be able
to plan their year?

The art fair is organized by Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows a veteran organizer of metro Detroit events.

NOTE: ONLY CLAY, GLASS AND METAL ARE ACCEPTED. WORK MAY INCORPORATE OTHER ELEMENTS BUT MUST BE PRIMARILY CLAY, GLASS OR METAL. SORRY NO POLYMERS
SUCH AS PRECIOUS METAL CLAY.

For more info: www.RoyalOakChamber.com

APPLY TODAY: www.zapplication.org

our coconut

Posted by Bill Sargent on February 17, 2010 at 5:30pm

This was our fourth Coconut and somehow turned out to be our best. We got lucky with a few big pieces sneaking their way through our Nurit along with the usual stack of cardboard that we usually sell. I call it cardboard when it isn't framed.

We stayed close to our booth this year. In previous years we have wandered the show and talked to people in St. Stephens along with the folks in the Sham Wow and Knife Sharpening Festival in the former expensive parking lot which is now an even more expensive art show. You can pay a thousand dollars and show off your painted rocks. It's nice to know that there are people around who can afford this sort of thing. I just wish they would use their money to buy art instead of paying huge bucks to just show it off.

The Coconut can be unpredictable when it comes to sales. At our first one in 2007 we did twice as well as a friend on Saturday. On Sunday we switched numbers almost exactly. No two years have shown anything like the same pattern.

Two friends of ours who did much better than we did last year didn't do as well as we did this year. They usually kick our butts pretty thoroughly in sales and will no doubt do it again soon. We just got lucky this year when an enlightened couple of apparently ample means bought our most expensive piece.

Nels Johnson (beneath whose crusty exterior beats the heart of a snarling misanthrope) was complaining about his totals and was seen trundling stuff out the gate a little before the show closed. He actually did about the same as we did, but the man is harder to please than most. After finally getting into the show after 25 years of rejection he really did deserve better. I don't blame him for being less than ecstatic.

Right after setup our corner caught a gust of wind that must have been about 70 MPH. About six tents went down around us and ours was skidded over a couple of feet with minimal damage. We had 65 pound weights on the corners and had screwed the feet of the tent onto the asphalt. The extra few seconds it took for the tent to rip out the screws apparently saved it from being blown into the bay.

All the bent tenters became tent renters and went on with the show, with the exception of the painter next to us who went without a canopy the entire three days. Fortunately the weather was cool and sunny so they were comfortable.

This is one of the few shows that will feed you every meal except at teardown. It may not be gourmet in every case but it's calories, folks. At the award dinner they had two kinds of rice that were very well prepared. It would have been nice had there been something to go with it besides salad. Halfway through the dinner they came out with cream puffs and key lime pie. There was enough for about a third of the crowd. The waiter brought out a tray that got cleaned out and went back through the swinging doors, apparently for more. Then he came out, leaned on the door, and watched us while we were waiting for the next batch. He enjoyed this for about ten minutes until someone asked him if there was any more coming. He smiled broadly, said they were out, and went back into the kitchen. I am not making that up.

Our setup and teardown went well since we are on a corner next to the info booth. We are able to park our van out of everyone's way during setup and teardown. We had made friends with the gate guard and he let us into the entrance that was right next to our booth. Nels, not far down from us, paid an extra fifteen bucks for a nearby parking spot that day so he could get out a half hour earlier.

We are looking forward to doing this show again and will bring more weights next time.

St Stephen's Art Festival

Posted by greta anthony on February 17, 2010 at 9:20am

So this was my first year at St Stephen's. My van was giving me problems so I left for coconut grove much earlier than I needed to I got to the show very early and of course I got a little lost. I truly hate a downtown area. Called the phone # that came with the paperwork and got a hold of Daisy the new show director and she was able to get me unlost with good directions. I found a pay parking lot close to the show and decided since I was early I'd walk St Stephen's, see where my spot was and how things were going. Found my spot right away and a friend of mine was setting up only 2 booths away from me so that was an added bonus. Our set-up time was 12pm and I starting walking the show about 11am, apparently the staff knew about the bad weather coming and were letting us early birds get our booths unloaded and set up before it got here, Which I thought was very considerate of them. Also the spots were clearly marked with the corners outlined and arrows as to where to start the booth, very nice. So I pull in was able to get right next to my spot. Put up my tent but didn't raise it all the way, left it at halfmast unloaded the display and boxes then parked the van back in the same lot which was about 1 1/2 blocks from the show. Set up my shelves and curtains put all of the boxes inside, weighted the corners and also tied down to the heavy parking stones behind my booth, still leaving it at halfmast. I stayed with a friend about 20 mins from the grove got there about 3pm and we watched the weather with our fingers crossed, having done everything I could to protect my booth I tried not to stress about it too much and it was just fine in the morning when we got there to finish setting up.

At first I didn't like my spot and thought since this was my first year I was paying my dues with a bad spot. I was wrong, sales on all 3 days didn't really start until after 1 and then it was hard to get a break, as a nod to the bad economy I made a lot of the smaller pieces, should have made more bigger ones. Sold out of all my big dragons on sat, sun found one in the overstock boxes that I'd missed while setting up, put it out and by 2pm it had found a home. There were bathrooms real ones just for the artists, coffee and breakfast stuff all 3 mornings. A spaghetti dinner Sunday night, which we didn't go to, had other plans. A staff member came by at various times during the show to see how things were going. The judges actually came into the booths and talked to us. We were given breakdown instructions, lo and behold they stuck to them, had to breakdown your booth completely including the tent before you got a load out pass, then I just drove in and loaded up. What a pleasure, but then of course I had to navigate the downtown area to get back to 95 but I survived it. The staff at St. Stephen's did a good job and were available and friendly. I also liked the fact that when a patron came into the show they each got a program right away, with a map of the show included. Did see some buy sell but not a lot, overall the quality was good.

I walked the Grove show on Monday morning while my friend took care of my booth. First if you wanted a program you had to hunt one down, there was some very impressive art at the show and there was some not so great. I was surprised to see hammocks, wooden utensils, the obligatory Peruvian art which seems to be at every show, so so beaded jewelry. A friend was at the Grove show and blamed the doctored pics that were sent in. Also she noticed that none of the committee was comparing the zapp pics with the set up booths, which they do for Melbourne and Virginia Boardwalk. $800 is a hefty fee, surely for that kind of money they can do a better job at policing the exhibitors that they let in.

So to wrap things up I truly enjoyed my first St Stephen's experience, set up was a breeze, breakdown went smoothly, sales were good my own fault they weren't better. Will bring more bigger pieces next year and only got lost once. Oh and the van with over 423,000 miles on it didn't break down, a big plus any day.

Delray Garlic Festival

Posted by Andrea Olson on February 17, 2010 at 8:30am

The 3rd year doing this fun event. Friday was a weather disaster with tornado warnings shutting down the sane artists. I was lucky in that there was a huge tree about 2 feet from the back of my tent to tie to. I had foot weights, leg weights, 12" forged iron stakes, and tied to the tree. When the storm hit, the wind forced the top and sides to separate, let in the downpour,, and tipped the tables I was holding onto! I was holding on for dear life and at that point I thought "I must be crazy". ( I really doubt my sanity at times like these!) When the rain slowed, I lowered my tent way down, re-tied, restaked, and went home to get warm. Many tents were damaged or lost.

Saturday was very cold for south Florida and most folks had their hands in their pockets. Sunday was much nicer, but still cold. Proceeds were about equal to past years.

The staff headed by Suzanne and Irish are above and beyond, and seem to be everywhere, helping everyone. The music and food are just fantastic and the show closed on Sunday evening with a great Journey tribute band.

This show may not be the best money maker but it sure is fun with a great mix....a little of everything. It raises huge amounts of money for this beautiful community.

Save the Date - July 17 & 18

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 16, 2010 at 9:53pm

As though July 17 & 18 weren't already very popular dates in the Midwest, a new event will be popping up this summer in Port Huron, Michigan.

This is the weekend of the very cool Port Huron to Mackinaw (sail) Boat Race. Boaters flock to Port Huron for the festivities and to see the boats take off on Saturday morning. To this point there have been no organized activities to keep the visitors in town and contribute to the city of Port Huron. However, the ink is not quite dry on an agreement between the City and Jonathan Witz Associates (producer of Motown Winter Blast, Detroit's River Days and Arts Beats & Eats) to host a festival.

One part will be an art fair with approximately 85 exhibitors. The event will take place on Friday and Saturday, the booth fee will be around $200 and the application fee $10. I will be in charge of the art fair. Those of you who have been in the business for awhile will know if you fit the profile of someone who can take advantage of this water loving summer crowd.

We hope to have a web site up very soon and we will be using Entry Thingy for the applications. Please mark this on your calendar. You will be the first to know when we are ready.

Osceola/Kissimmee FL

Posted by Steve Cambronne on February 16, 2010 at 6:36pm

Great award money to lure you in and if you didn't receive an award..you lost for the weekend! Weather bad, but not good turnout and the ones that did come, looking for $20. items...Buy and sell, lot's of newbies, bad location...EZ ups were flying..duh..weights? My crafter neighbors were trying to teach me how to make $...blah, blah, blah! They were excited for making $450. Promoter was nice tho!..Good awards breakfast..but that is not what I do shows for! Kissimmee can kiss a my! Mad at my better half for booking me this one!
Stevo!

40 Questions Blog Series: Question 6 – How can I lure more customers into my booth?

Posted by Michelle Sholund on February 16, 2010 at 4:00pm

Question 6 of our 40 Question series will round off the subject of booth design, yet don't be surprised if future questions bring up some additional ideas on the topic. This is my favorite question because it opens the door for creativity, its one of the most talked about topics among craft artists, and there are no bad answers.

Question 6: How can I attract customers into my booth?

The best answer is to make sure you incorporate the five senses into your booth. To romance the customer these days you just can't rely on the sense of sight any more because art fair patrons are bombarded by so much visual noise the mind can't handle it. To maximize your chances of getting lots of customers into your booth, you'' need to pick at least two of the five senses that you think would do work well with what you make and start using them in your booth.

Sense of Sight.Ok, this might seem easy as art work is visual to begin with, right? Well, what if your work is small - like jewelry? How can a person, hugging the middle of the aisle, see what earrings you have from a distance? The answer is large format photography. Large format photography, as well as banners, have an amazing visual draw for customers because it has a billboard effect. All it takes is a single glance at a large photograph of someones art to make them want to take a closer look – and there lies the hook. Banners something as simple as ones you can create yourself either through an office supply store's print center or via Vistaprint.com can not only include a logo or photo of your work, but adding your business name or website address kicks it up a couple more notches. Don't be afraid to demonstrate! Seeing someone work with clay, create a beaded necklace, or paint a picture will live draw crowds too. Not only that, it helps pass the time when a show is slow. As a matter of fact, there are some shows that encourage exhibitors to demonstrate offering them prime booth space to show off their talents as promoters eat this up too adding authenticity to their show. However, large print photography can do this too if you cannot physically demonstrate.

Sense of Smell. The sense of smell, next to the sense of sight, is probably the most powerful of them all. Aromas can set people in a good mood as well as cause discomfort. Aromatherapy is the hottest thing in the market and can be achieved in any kind of booth. Although most people think of candles when they think of smells, but there are other things available like Febreeze air freshener sprays, reed diffusers, oils, even fabric sheets (storing 1-2 sheets with your table coverings for example) all work well. Neutral scents such as vanilla, clean laundry, lavender, some foodie scents, and even ocean type fragrances are ideal as they are very soft and promotes a relaxed positive buying atmosphere. For those looking to create an energetic vibe, citrus scents like lemon and bergamot mixed with herbal fragrances such as cilantro or basil will perk up customers as well as yourself if you find you are having a long day at a show. Although you can find many items at local stores, my craft business, By the Bay Botanicals, specializes in aromatherapy products and you can visit my website, www.bythebaybotanicals.com , to learn more about what I create and sell. Sorry for the shameless plug.

Sense of Hearing. All kinds of noise is around us at shows and good sounds can work to your advantage. One of the most common ways to attract people is through music. With iPods and portable CD boom boxes prevalent in today's society, anyone can incorporate music with their display. I highly recommend playing instrumental music (acoustic guitar, classical music, and dulcimer/celtic music are good examples) played at a soft decibel level works best. I cannot tell you how many compliments I have received during the holidays where I bring my mp3 player with a large selection of Christmas music and play it at shows as many promoters either forget or play one cd over and over again making many people agitated. The best sound of all though, to get people to enter a booth, is the sound of people. People talking about a product, laughing, carrying on a conversation, or hearing the pleasant voice of an exhibitor explaining how their artwork is made are all very effective. All it takes is two people talking to encourage more to come in and look.

The Sense of Touch. From the time we were little kids we have to touch EVERYTHING and we don't really out grow it. People cannot resist touching the dried paint of an oil painting, try on a bracelet, the feeling of a silk scarf between their fingers, as well as the desire to sit on a classy piece of wooden furniture. Its just an instinct we all have and the best way to encourage this response is to make your work available for people to touch. Hang it – fabric art, necklaces, photography (with a bin to rummage through prints)... If you can't hang your work, use signs saying “touch me!” or ask if someone needs help trying something on say if it is behind glass and assist them. The more people touch an item the more likely they will buy it as it starts the bonding process. Someone might not like the rigidness of one ceramic mug, but will then begin their search for one that is to their liking because now they have it in their mind if I find one “I” like, “I” will buy it.

Sense of Taste. I know you are thinking, Michelle you are crazy for suggesting taste! People should NOT be tasting my art work. And you are right, however think outside the box. To be more specific, the candy box. Candy or mints can be a welcomed tension breaker. Wrapped candies, such as Andes mints during the holidays, dum-dum lollipops, or butterscotch candies create a big draw for both kids and adults. Offering candies might not work all the time, but 1 out of 5 customers will use the opportunity to snack and browse. The longer a customer is in your booth the better your chances are they will buy from you. Offering something like candy will also make people remember you as the “lifesaver” who helped prevent bad breath or provided relief from a sore throat. You can also use it to your advantage. A great colleague of mine, Bruce Baker, told me a story of his wife who used Hershey kisses to entice people to sign up for their mailing list. She had a small bowl of Hershey kisses next to a sign in book with a sign reading “free “kiss” to those who sign up for our mailing list”. It got people talking and creating a stir where the guys asked for “real kisses” over the chocolate kind and really aided in building their marketing list. All that with a chocolate candy.

Hopefully this blog post has provided some food for thought (no pun intended) when it comes to ideas for drawing people into your booth. I strongly encourage you to try at least one or two of these ideas or use some of your own. Not all will work for every artist, but without trying you will never know which might yield a treasure trove of leads and sales. Have a story to share on this topic? Share it using the comment button at the bottom of this blog.

The next several questions in this series, as we leave the topic of booth design, will get into the subject of product development. I can't wait to discuss things like finding your niche through looking at current trends, how to prevent burn-out, and then diving into new and creative art forms that people are buying now.

Michelle Sholund
www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com
www.bythebaybotanicals.com

Artigras 2010 - is it the weather?

Posted by Jim Parker on February 16, 2010 at 8:15am

This year's show in Jupiter much the same as last years. Weather was cold and windy Saturday, slightly better on Sunday, and beautiful on Monday.

I don't think the crowds were as large as year, but then I was in a new spot, way down on the south end of Central Ave near the Geico clowns. I had a nice spot with a big corner, so I was happy, but the traffic seemed to turn around when they saw all the sponsor booths on the other side of the street. The middle of the show seemed to be hopping pretty good.

Still I did about as well as last year, which was way better than a lot of other artists I talked to. One wood turner friend had very slow sales -- maybe because there were four other turners in his block? The two jewelers I know did alright, but not nearly as well as you would have thought for Valentine's Day. And I saw two photographers with Italian images on canvas directly across from each other. That's not good for either one of them.

Logistically, it's an easy show to do, with a full day to set up on Friday, and loads of parking at both ends of the show. But the rules enforcement is odd at best, to be tactful. One jeweler brought her van in through a "non-sanctioned" gate for load out, following a group of other artist vans, and was told by a show volunteer that she MUST leave the show grounds and re-enter the street through the proper entrance. Her jewelry was all laying out, so the volunteer told her she would watch it while the artist moved her van. The artist complied (I would have told her to take a hike) and five minutes later the volunteer had left the scene. Another friend was trying to dolly out that same "non-sanctioned" entrance to the parking behind it, and was told that the gate was closed. He lost it and gave the security person a piece of his mind and was finally "allowed" to dolly his gear out.

The painter next to me was ready to load-out, and was told he had to drive through all the traffic on the street ahead, rather than backing out the entrance, which was two vehicles from his van. The security guy told us that the traffic tie-ups were the artists fault, and we should go talk to them. What about keeping parked vans out of the middle of the street? Isn't that what security should be doing? Ten minutes later, the gate Nazi had left the scene, leaving the entrance wide open. Yikes, these folks are clueless. Let the artists handle it, and the street is clear in two hours.

The rules that do get enforced, as per above, are almost arbitrary and controlling, while buy/sell, expressly prohibited, runs rampant. Come on, wood sculpture, in the form of "Appalachian" Bread Knives, in boxes from China in back of the booth: handmade by the artist? Maybe it's the boxes that are made in China. He gets in every year, and hey, he's a fun guy. Lots of imported jewelry, too. But that rule clearly is not enforced.

Communication by the show director is non-existent, too. Evidence of that is no artist survey in packet, no phone calls returned (ever), and emails answered by the Artist Relations Manager, who, by the way, is very nice, visible and helpful during the show. Never once even saw the show director on the street. In general, this is a show that treats artists like vendors. No lunch ticket? No lunch. Trust is clearly an issue here.

Artigras is one of those shows that you wish had a better crowd, more tightly focused quality and consistent adherence to rules that actually matter. And the sales were just not there. Many of my friends said, "Never again". For me, if I'm in Florida for a good show, I'd consider ArtiGras as a filler show. But good shows in Florida seem further and further apart these days.

Jim

dakkid@twitter

http://www.parkerparker.net

ArtiGras/Mt Dora

Posted by lisa ark on February 15, 2010 at 1:00pm

My husband is exhibed at Arti Gras, its his worst show ever. After exhibiting at this show for over 10 years he took a year off.(his sales were still over 6,000 then) Returning this year was a mistake. Large crowds Saturday and Sunday, Monday had dropped off.
but like other shows this year they are not buying. Sunday was the best for him, several artist near him sold nothing!
Did anyone exhibit at St stephens? I did last year had a decent show, this year I was accepted and declined, had the feeling it would be a bad decision to return, hope I was wrong and it was good for everyone there..I was also at Mt Dora my sales were great, unfortunately the artist next to had no sales.and the other side of me said he won't return. Last year sales were also down for many, including me. I was shocked to do so well almost as much as I did there 6 years ago. Several of my customers commented they were purchasing small items.

Coconut Point, Estero FL Feb. 13-14

Posted by Geoff Coe on February 15, 2010 at 11:30am

Finally, a show where I can honestly say I was too busy to walk around and talk with artists about how well they were doing (or not)!

Howard Alan is clearly targeting this show to be a new "flagship" show to replace his Naples 5th Avenue show, and from what I saw and experienced it just may do that in a few years. This was my strongest show of the year to date, and crowds were steady throughout the weekend. And except for the early morning hours each day, when it seemed customers forsook their morning coffee to get to the show on time, the folks were BUYING. The pottery artist next to me was wrapping purchases every time I looked up on Saturday. Although the first day wasn't a biggie for me, this is my third time doing this show, and it's always seemed to be a "Sunday show." This year followed suit, as I saw bags large and small in the grasp of patrons on Day 2, and I had folks 2- and 3-deep at the sales desk much of the afternoon.

Because the site venue is in front of the shopping center (NOT behind it or in a distant parking lot), the show was easy to see and to get to for patrons. For artists, it meant that a Friday setup was available. Mother Nature had other plans, though, and a cold front, accompanied by 30-40 mph winds, whipped through SW Florida on Friday between 2 and 4 PM. A couple of tents buckled during setup, and many of us chose to either wait until Saturday morning entirely, or to just erect the canopy tops, stash the booth supplies, and finish setup in the morning. Saturday was cool-to-cold and still breezy, but the sun came out by noon, and so did the crowds.

The only negative I saw was the teardown. No one could drive their vehicle into the show area until 6 PM (enforced by mall security, as far as I could tell). Most of us were well broken down by then, so the traffic jam when the gates parted was memorable for its chaos. Since I live nearby, I just finished breakdown and headed for dinner at Panera Bread until 7:30. Lots of folks were still packing up, but at least you could navigate the aisles.

The show roster was full, or nearly so, so many of you probably did this show too. Hopefully you'll post your impressions in response to mine: as I said, I didn't have a chance to get around, and your results may vary!

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