I like to do a mix of wholesale and retail shows throughout the year.  Retail shows are a great opportunity for me to have direct contact with customers.  The feedback I get at these shows helps me to refine my line and offer suggestions to my wholesale customers about top selling items.  As I’ve started to plan my fall show season a few key points come to mind.

• What type of show is it?

For me the most successful events have been well established Festivals and/or Art Shows.  Typically events like An Occasion for the Arts in Williamsburg VA, or the Festival in the Park in Charlotte NC have been great events for me.  These shows have been around for many years and have a great following.  Events like these have a lot of traffic.  High traffic usually results in great sales.

• Where is the show located?

How long will it take me to get there?  Is there an opportunity for me to visit a new area?  Two years ago I did the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival in Huntington Beach South Carolina.  I picked this show because of its overall reputation as well its location.  I’d never been to this part of South Carolina, so this was a great opportunity to spend some time exploring.

• What are the requirements to get into the show?

I’ve found that juried shows have a better quality and draw more people that are interested in what I have to offer.  I participated in two shows last year where the only requirement was to write a check.  In both instances my sales were below my overall expectations.

In addition to networking with other artists I use the following resources to select shows:

• Zapp
• Juried Art Services
• Sunshine Artist Magazine

April 8th, 2009 | Category: View From My Booth | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL