What Makes a Succesful Show?

by Staci Louise Smith

I am sure there are a million posts out there on this topic.  If you wonder why, its because there are a million answers to that question.  And all of us who do shows, learn something new each time we do one. 

Today I will touch on one or two things that I think go into a successful show.

I happened to be at a show over the weekend.  I have been doing this show for 9 years- its simply one of my favorites.  I am always working on my display- every year I change it up a bit...though I really have it quite how I like it now.  So the last few years it hasn't varied very much.  

Last years booth with last years banner

One of my more recent additions was a larger banner that went across the front of my table.  A lot of vendors had them at Bead Fest last year, and Karen Totten's of Starry Road Studio caught my eye.  It showed a very clear sample of her work and really stood out.  I liked how she had individual pictures of her beads on it.

Karen with her banner at set up- note the ones also hanging in the back
www.starryroadstudio.com

Her daughter Nellie also had one in a rainbow of wooly wire

So this year I made a new banner for my jewelry shows, and thought I'd do something similar.  Rather then just show one piece on it (like I had the other year), I could give a better idea of my scope of work with a few pictures.  

Now, if you have done art and craft shows you know that there are always a lot of jewelry vendors.  I mean, a lot.  You really have to stand out, to ensure that the jewelry fans come to check out your booth.  

Well, I had a customer tell me that my banner drew her in from across the way.  She loved that she could see exactly what my style was (which was right up her alley) and it made her come to see what I had.  Otherwise, she wouldn't have stopped in.  She went on to buy some great pieces too.  I really loved that she took time to share that with me.  So I thought I would share it with all of you.  

Another tip is to make sure your business cards have a picture of what you do.  Your customers may pick up 10 or more at a show.  You want them to remember yours at a glance, and why they picked it up.  They should be able to look at it and know exactly what you do.  Below is my jewelry show card.

After all, artists, people who love art, we are visual folks.  Pictures are important.  

I had planned to write about the next tip because it came up with a fellow artist at the show.  When  it came up on Facebook in a bead and jewelry group again, I thought I would definitely write about it. It pertains to allowing customers take pictures at a show.  The question was whether you allow it, and why or why not...and, if you'd consider signage to discourage pictures.  I think it wound up being a great discussion.  It is a very hard thing as an artist, to know that someone may be out to try to make what you made.  Whether it is for themselves (rather then buying it from you) or the to make it sell, and be your competition. 

This is Cori Krewson-Catlow's mom running her booth- she had such a great way with people!  Look at that crowd!
http://www.elasticbangles.com/

Here is my take on it, and I have been doing shows a long time.  

If someone plans to copy you, they will do it, whether you allow them to take a picture or not.  If you are selling online, you already gave them pictures of your work.  

Though it does happen that some people copy, and then go on to sell at the same venue as you (and I am not discounting how much this sucks- believe me, I am sure that it is a horrible thing to have happen!)....but this post is not about copying, its about selling.

Here is Barb Bechtel at a show, look how enthusiastic she is!  I love her energy.

At the end of the day, you cannot practice defensive sales techniques.  As a customer, if I walked into a booth that had a sign saying "no pictures please" I'd walk right out.  Let's face it, it comes across as closed off.  Instead, I encourage you to talk about your pieces.  Talk about how you make them.  Engage the person to talk about what they like about the piece.  You may find yourself in a delightful conversation about color, or texture, or gemstones.  You may find they want to show it to their mom.  I have even had women shop for friends this way, and come back and buy things after their friends texted back that they wanted them. 

Mary-Lynne Moffat with some customers in her booth.  Mary-Lynne is so wonderful at talking about her art.  Her passion comes shining through when she speaks of her creations!
https://www.facebook.com/MaryLynneMoffattArt


 If you are afraid that every customer that comes into your booth is going to rip you off somehow, it will show through in your attitude.  No one wants to spend time and money on someone who is closed off.  What makes us different then chain stores and factory made goods, is that what we make is part of who we are, and our customers get the opportunity to meet us and hear about what makes us tick, and why we did what we did on the piece.....ect.....  

Chris Kaitlyn helping a customer find what they are looking for
http://chriskaitlynjewelry.indiemade.com/gallery/image/img1490edited-1jpg

So my advice- talk!!!!  Talk about why they like the piece they photographed.  Talk about your process, the materials, how you make it. It will draw people in.  They will appreciate your pieces more when they know what went into them, and even more, when they see YOU in them.  I have gotten crowds in my booth explaining how to use bronze clay, or do etching with electricity.  I have had men stay for 20 minutes talking about fossils, and made friends over sea glass discussions.  Will every conversation result in a sale?  NO.  But it may bring them back in.  Or, someone who IS interested in buying but may be shy, may hear about your pieces and buy one because they learned something new.

Customer can easily become friends- Laura Blanck (center) posing with some great customers at a show
http://www.laurablanck.blogspot.com/

Why do you think galleries have a "meet the artist" night?  People want to meet the person who creates the art.  They want to know what makes them tick.  It becomes part of the pieces themselves.

These are just some things I have learned.  I admit, I am a people person- I know not everyone is, but I was shy at first too.  It was hard to find that comfort zone to talk about my work.  When I started to relax, and just think of it as an opportunity to meet creative people, and thought of these people as potential friends with common interests, it came more naturally.  In the end, I have made lot of friends at shows.  I have found customers whom I LOVE seeing. I love to catch up on what is new with them, learn what they have been up to, see what other artists they are into, and on and on.   

I have found such joy sharing my craft, not just the actual pieces, but the passion I have for it as well.  

I hope that you can too.  Don't worry about what could happen, just enjoy what you are doing.  That will shine through, and your customers will get to see you.....really see the honest you....and it will only help you make connections. 

Everyone has their thoughts on allowing pictures, and these are just mine.  I was an art show customer for many years before I sold there, and I know how I'd like to be treated, and what drew me to certain artists, and what turned me off.  This is all just some food for thought.

True to your Art, True to your Business or Both?

MaryAnn Carroll

What is the most important to you as an artist? I think most of us would say that it is that we remain true to ourselves, grow from our experiences and perfect our techniques. I agree.

On the other hand, there is an art of selling. With show times coming up for many or if you sell online, I think you need to ask yourself if there is a balance in what you do?  This has been an ongoing discussion with my husband Bill Perrine and me. He has been a ceramic artist for many, many years, but started to create wood-fired pottery in 2008. At the time, he was not going to "bend" from being the artist that he was. I respected that, but as time went on, I started to give my female perspective on his work. Although beautiful, much of what he created had a masculine feel to it. Don't get me wrong.... I love most of it!

Although, I love what he does and he is incredibly talented, we have had many discussions about who the buyers are.  I travel with him to shows and have my little section set up for jewelry. I have paid lots of attention to how people shop when they walk into your both.

I can assure you (I think I will actually tally it this year) that the majority of your buyers are women. Once again we found ourselves having the same discussion and he came up with a way to stay true to himself while thinking about his buying "audience".

Those are a few examples of what will be going into the wood-fire kiln in a couple of weeks. The beads that will be going in still remain in one big ball of clay sitting on the kitchen table......

So, this is my take on his sales. I know you are dying to know...... "what's my take on my sales?" Well, it is basically the same thing. I have learned that some of my best work often sits because of the price tag. I also learned that I have to learn the art of creating for my audience. I am in a small gallery in Cortland, NY called Cinch Art Space. It is a great little shop filled with art from over 40 vendors.

Being in Cinch has been a learning experience for me. I had to know the community (near SUNY Cortland) and think about who the other buyers are. With that said, I began designing a range of jewelry from simple to complex. When I create simple it allows me to keep the price down. On the flip side of that, I tend to get bored easily, so I have to balance simple and more complex.

There you have it. I would love to know what strategies work for you.

On a completely different note, we have a few other things going on. Staci is offering a fabulous pendant giveaway. You can click HERE to read her post and leave your comment. Please remember to comment on the blog so that you will be counted when drawing a name.

Karen's non-profit organization Rare Species Conservatory Foundation is currently going through some difficult times. If you have a passion for preserving wildlife and our environment, please go to her website to read about their very important mission. You can also get to it by clicking the link on our sidebar. Funding is always needed to keep organizations like hers going.

Lastly, for those of you that might know me through online friendships or "in real life", you probably know that I am a big advocate for political injustice, particularly for those who are in prisons all over the United States for crimes that they did not commit. My passion evolved from one of the worst experiences that changed my life forever. The case involves a loved one and since it is not completely closed (despite the fact that it is now in year 4), I am not going to go into any details, other to say that it was very close to ending up like so many others who did not end up as "fortunate" as we did with wrongful convictions. I know we do not like to believe that the corruption can sometimes be on the side of the "good guys", but it can be and it has been.  I am offering a sale/donation to help Charles Erickson. You might have heard about the case since it has been all over the media. If you would like to learn more about how you can make a purchase while donating at the same time, you can click HERE. There is also a link on our sidebar.

Today, I do not only want to thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade, but also thank-you for supporting causes that are there to right the wrong.

MaryAnn