While attending an art fair in my area a few years ago I visited with artists and crafters.  We discussed my newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, and if I should include artist and crafter reviews of shows.  I found this an interesting topic as I had never really considered all the pros and cons of show reviews before.

The only positive point I see to show reviews are that artists and crafts people hopefully don’t get suckered into doing bad shows where the promoter is not truly doing their best to advertise the show.

There are many factors involved in if a vendor has a good show.  Factors ranging from their financial  and emotional investment, what is happening in their lives-before, on the way to, during, and after the show, what they are selling, how they are displaying their items, their own marketing skills, their own attitudes and actions in their booth, to the purchasing habits of the customers at the show.  Even the placement of your booth and the weather (too good or bad) could affect sales at a show.

As the artist who prompted the conversation pointed out some crafters who know of really good shows wait years to get juried in.  They might not want extra competition either getting in or competing for sales so they might hesitate to tell you everything they know about the show.  On the other hand everyone who has ever experienced a bad show is pretty quick to tell you about it.

So how do you know if you can trust a show review?  I suggest using your best judgement.  Reviews by someone selling merchandise similar to yours should be more valuable to you than those by someone whose product sells in a whole different category, but then again they are your competitor.

Compare the number of bad reviews to good, remembering it’s nearly impossible to please everyone all the time.  Ask lots of questions about why people felt that way about the show and which factors might have played a part, while talking to crafters personally about shows.  When possible consider the values and motives of sources.

Better yet, attend shows as a customer if possible before entering as a vendor.  Look closely at the number of people attending, look at what booths are busy, what is selling, how much money is being spent.  If booths in one area of the show are making lots of sales while others aren’t see if the set-up allows for proper flow of traffic to all the booths.  Is your most likely customer in attendance, are people buying products that are the same style as yours and that sell in your price range?  How many competitors will there be in your category?

Remember while it is the promoters job to advertise the show, it is your job to advertise your product.  How much better would every show be if, every vendor told 100 other people about the show?

What do you think are art and craft show reviews worth their weight in gold?

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

***********************
Shasta has always been an artist and crafter. She participated in craft shows since she was a child with her mom. She has sold her own art at shows since Dec. 2005 and has promoted The Extravaganza Craft Shows. She is now the publisher of The Extravaganza Craft News a newsletter to make artist’s and crafter’s craft show booths more profitable.

Looking for #art and crafts shows occupies a large amount of time for the vendor who makes a living selling at shows.  One time saving hint: knowing where to look for shows is the key to saving time looking for them.

For the longest time the only place you could find good shows was to attend a show and talk to the different vendors about the shows they had attended.  Unfortunately these show had often happened in the previous two weeks or were about to happen in the next two weeks.  Often there wasn’t time enough to get registered for them and the shared information was already forgotten by next year.

And now a brief message from our sponsor:

If you’re looking for shows in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota or South Dakota…The Extravaganza Craft News is a great place to look!

Okay enough of tooting my own horn, smile!

When I was looking for shows to attend the places I looked were:

The internet-using different combinations of keywords you will come up with all different kinds of results.  Search for combinations of: arts, crafts, fairs, festivals, antique shows, jewelry shows, gem and bead shows, trade shows, farmers’ markets, shows, show listings, bazaars, boutiques and other words to do with your craft to narrow down the search.  Include the name of the city and state to search the area where you would like to sell.  Include Christmas or holiday if you’re searching for seasonal shows.

Many sites will give you sample listings, some will have free listings, and others will have paid memberships, newsletters etc.  Hint:  Find a listing that covers your area and purchase it.  It will help you find the information you need before considering which shows to apply for.  Freeing up your time to do other more profitable tasks.

Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Centers, Community Centers, Fairgrounds-These are either the places local shows are held or they are often the sponsors of local shows.  They will usually know about which shows happen yearly and might have phone numbers for the contacts of many local shows.

Local Newspapers-Newspapers will often carry advertising for shows that are happening in their area of coverage.  Look for call to artists/crafters in the press releases as well as in community calendars, etc.

Grocery stores, gas stations, local restaurants, store windows-You will find bulletin boards in many businesses around town.  Many places will even hang posters in their windows so open your eyes and look.

Ask show promoters-Don’t forget to ask show promoters if they hold other shows or if they know of any other shows they recommend in the area.

Word of Mouth-Word of mouth is still a good way to go.  Ask your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and church group about their favorite shows/events in your area.  Ask other artists that you meet, attend shows and ask vendors what other shows they know of.  Keep a log and you’ll be prepared to find the shows again next year.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Today I was wondering what artists and crafters favorite (or least favorite) thing was about art and craft shows. So how about it, will you share with me what you like (or don’t like) about craft shows?

My favorite thing about craft shows besides all the handmade crafts, are all the talented and interesting people I get to meet.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Get more information on finding great craft shows at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

http://thesmallobject.com/stenopad/wordpress/?p=1111

She also mentions which shows do well for her in her area.

Have a nice day,

Shasta