[Jewelry making - Article 00459] - Re: [Orchid] Decline of Arts Festivals

[Stephen Walker]

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    There is a lot wrong with shows, but as a way of selling they are
    still viable. "Back in the day" I had some great sales at Ann Arbor
    and if I went back today I would consider it worth while to do it
    for half those sales. I don't think that shows are going to die out,
    although some specific shows naturally will. My expectation is that
    they will be around for the rest of my life, but that the best days
    are past. 

    There is always going to be a lot of complaints about greedy
    promoters and what it all really costs, but it is still a good way
    to get started without spending the kind of money it takes to open a
    shop. One thing that those of us who are trying to save the shows
    should really worry about is how few young exbitors there are and
    also how few younger customers there are compared to the old days. 

    Another thing that I believe is part of the problem is that the jury
    system, considered sacred by many, is not going to choose the same
    exhibitors that will please the customers. How many high end shows
    do you know of where you cannot find a basic, usefull well crafted
    poti The high art ceramics have pushed it out of some of the better
    shows. This makes for a beautiful show, but if you are shopping for
    the kind of accessible thing that originally brought people to art
    fairs, you have to go to a lower end show. If the promoter can
    choose the show based on what they know their audience will
    appeciate, they can include "crowd pleasers" but if the jury is
    strictly followed the show is over the top for most of the potential
    audience. I really like the few shows that state up front that the
    committee reserveds the right to override the jury for a certain
    percent of the exhibitors. I think a hit-and-run jury is not the
    best way to balance or diversify a show. 

    Jim Binnion says he thinks wholesale shows are suffering also. If
    you want wholesale you can make the approach directly at a lot less
    cost. Back when I did wholesale I got some good accounts just by
    making cold calls on shops. But I also found that phoning and
    mailing to existing customers kept the pot boiling at a lot less
    cost than shows. 

Stephen Walker
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