[Jewelry making - Article 00325] - Re: [Orchid] CraftBoston show

[Beth Rosengard]

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    Okay, here's my take on the CraftBoston show (to add to Karen's great
    post). While there were undoubtedly exhibitors who did very well,
    there were a lot more (as far as I could tell) who were disappointed.

    I was surrounded by a furniture guy, a woman who makes amazing
    embroidered wall pieces (they look like watercolors till you get
    close), another woman who makes very sophisticated leather bags, and
    a mother/daughter team who basically sold variations on one item (a
    unique felted wool jacket/stole/cape/coat/wall hanging!). As far as I
    could tell, all of us (but the mother/daughter team) are experienced
    exhibitors and all of us (including the mother/daughter team) know
    how to engage potential customers. All five of us were in the
    "disappointed" group, although we all (except the furniture guy whose
    show will or will not be deemed successful according to any post-show
    commissions he hopes to get) ended up in the black. 

    The embroiderer, "bag lady", mother/daughter team and I all paid our
    expenses and made a modest profit. So why were we disappointed? When
    you travel to an out-of-town show, there's a level of physical and
    emotional wear and tear which you need to be compensated for (at
    least I do); and that's what made this show come up short. The show
    was "okay" for me, as opposed to being "good." If it had been a
    local show (no travel and hotel), it would have been "good" though
    not "great." It's all relative. (In fact, the mother/daughter team
    sold like crazy but still came up short. It was their first show,
    they had advertised heavily, and traveled to Boston from Korea -- the
    mother teaches part of the year at RISD and knows the show. Making a
    long story short here :-).) 

    I wish I there had been an opportunity to get feedback from other
    jewelers at the end of the show, but there just wasn't time. Karen,
    did you manage to talk to any jewelers about this on the last day? 

    Otherwise, let me say this about CraftBoston. It was an extremely
    well-organized and promoted show, arguably even better than the
    typical ACC show. The Society of Arts and Crafts who produces
    CraftBoston, is *very* solicitous of the artists. Also, the Seaport
    World Trade Center is a great venue (although some exhibitors
    attribute perceived attendance problems to the location, which is
    not in a destination area). 

    The weather in Boston was generally beautiful. (I left a rainy L.A.
    and returned to a rainy L.A., while it was sunny and warm in Boston.)
    This contributed to very light attendance on Friday and may have
    affected weekend attendance somewhat though it did rain on Saturday
    (thank goodness!). Good weather can kill a show as easily as bad
    weather :-). I thought weekend attendance was good, not great but
    definitely good. 

    Finally, would I do the show again? Maybe. I had never done a Boston
    show before so I had no mailing list of previous customers. Since I
    depend to a large extent on "repeaters", I have to consider that I
    got a decent start in a new market. We'll see.... 

    Beth 

    P.S. It was just great to meet Karen at last and share a superb Thai
    meal (thanks, Karen!! -- and sorry you missed our call,
    Hanuman:-)!). And I was SO impressed by Metalwerx. If you're close
    enough and you're looking for classes, workshops and/or bench space,
    make a beeline for Metalwerx!
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