Local Festival .... Oh Boy, what a day - How do you find the right venue?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Leviblue

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
646
Location
Holly Springs, NC
We sent in our registration fee last month for a festival that our town holds each year.
The festival was held Saturday and anyone that kept up with the weather will know that NC did not have favorable weather Friday or the first part of Saturday.
So, I have the truck packed up Friday night in the rain and cold. Got a good nights sleep and wake up at 4:00am to take the dog out. This is where it all goes in a totally different direction and sets the tone for the day.
While outside, the mist is falling and then the bottom drops out and rains like I need an ark. When it's time to leave and set up, it's about 35 degree and raining. But we go to make the best of it.
Arrive at the festival and find our spot. We set up in the rain and cold. Did I mention the rain and cold? We were to be set up completely by 9:00am. At 9:45 the rain stops and we are soaked, but we did have a canopy and a side curtain wall with the temp still around 36 degrees.
The wind starts to blow hard, but the canopy stayed in place thanks to 40lbs of sand in the buckets.
Now this is where I should have stayed at home. Our next door booth neighbor's canopy takes off and lands on ours, and they aren't in any hurry to get it moved. So being the friendly southern redneck I am, I get it moved for them. At this time I'm still soaked and very cold. Deer hunting has nothing on me at this point in time. I look down the row and what do I see? No not hand warmers for sale, but PENS! OMG. So I go down to see what I'm up against. Now mind ya' I don't consider myself great at this stuff, but I think I can hold my own. This guy is selling cigar and slim lines for $20 each or $40 for the desk set. The fit and finish wasn't to my standards, but when I have mine starting at $35 there was no way I could sell at this festival. He even had natural edge bowls about 6" across for $12.
So it was the "perfect storm". Rain, cold, canopies flying and pen sets for the price of one of mine. Needless to say I didn't sell a thing but went in the hole with buying hot chocolate and coffee. I will not be going back as this was not the festival for us. I do hope the other guy sold a lot as he was out of work. Hopefully I have a new recruit to join the local chapter.

So with all this story, how do you find the right venue for your product?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
We sent in our registration fee last month for a festival that our town holds each year.
The festival was held Saturday and anyone that kept up with the weather will know that NC did not have favorable weather Friday or the first part of Saturday.
So, I have the truck packed up Friday night in the rain and cold. Got a good nights sleep and wake up at 4:00am to take the dog out. This is where it all goes in a totally different direction and sets the tone for the day.
While outside, the mist is falling and then the bottom drops out and rains like I need an ark. When it's time to leave and set up, it's about 35 degree and raining. But we go to make the best of it.
Arrive at the festival and find our spot. We set up in the rain and cold. Did I mention the rain and cold? We were to be set up completely by 9:00am. At 9:45 the rain stops and we are soaked, but we did have a canopy and a side curtain wall with the temp still around 36 degrees.
The wind starts to blow hard, but the canopy stayed in place thanks to 40lbs of sand in the buckets.
Now this is where I should have stayed at home. Our next door booth neighbor's canopy takes off and lands on ours, and they aren't in any hurry to get it moved. So being the friendly southern redneck I am, I get it moved for them. At this time I'm still soaked and very cold. Deer hunting has nothing on me at this point in time. I look down the row and what do I see? No not hand warmers for sale, but PENS! OMG. So I go down to see what I'm up against. Now mind ya' I don't consider myself great at this stuff, but I think I can hold my own. This guy is selling cigar and slim lines for $20 each or $40 for the desk set. The fit and finish wasn't to my standards, but when I have mine starting at $35 there was no way I could sell at this festival. He even had natural edge bowls about 6" across for $12.
So it was the "perfect storm". Rain, cold, canopies flying and pen sets for the price of one of mine. Needless to say I didn't sell a thing but went in the hole with buying hot chocolate and coffee. I will not be going back as this was not the festival for us. I do hope the other guy sold a lot as he was out of work. Hopefully I have a new recruit to join the local chapter.

So with all this story, how do you find the right venue for your product?
my guess would be....Not where you were looking.:biggrin::biggrin:
 

dennisg

Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
314
Location
Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Google Sunshine Artists and subscribe to the magazine. The review shows and rate them, plus have the info on how to apply. You will need photos of you booth set up and several shots of your pens. Then apply to juried shows. Once you do one of these shows be sure to make friends and ask questions. You can learn a lot from the other artists. Unless you get advice from folks who have set up at these shows, avoid the ones that are food and music related. Art should be in the title not BBQ or Blue Grass. Just my opinions, your mileage may vary.
 

KnB Polymers

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Messages
409
Location
Pineville, LA
OMG, I feel for you ... that's a festival horror story!
This is our 2nd year doing shows and we are weeding them out. LOL! You never know how they are going to be until you try them. I have a list with our show dates and show names ... after we do them I write down how much we made and put a big YES or NO behind them for doing them again. :)
We have learned to never again do free ones and next year we won't do any that booth price is under $100. So far, we have had 2 festivals that do good, but the rest are juried craft shows.
Mostly, during festivals, the people have a "browse" frame of mind, whereas during craft shows, people are there to spend money.
We have also found NOT to do any more shows in our hometown. People here are cheap! LOL! At a couple of shows, we had a man who was going to buy the whole section of a certain kind of pen for the price of ONE of the pens. He couldn't believe it when we told him that was the price for ONE pen, not the whole display of them!
I go to "craftlister.com" and find shows on the dates I want and then google them for info.
Good luck and I hope you don't have anymore shows like that one! So far (knock on wood) we have never been rained on.
 

David M

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
883
Location
Norton, Va. 24273
Bummer about the weather. Did a show a couple weeks ago with another turner there doing pens also. I was told he was doing about the same as there ,slims at 20 and mine was higher ( most at 35 , but a few a little less ).I did ok , a little off from the year before but worth going back.I did not get a chance to get to his booth but he made it to mine.He was not to friendly like i was on his turf or something .Dont under sale your self , keep your prices and others theres.
David
 
Last edited:

Monty

Group Buy Coordinator
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
8,343
Location
Pearland, Texas, USA.
...
We have learned to never again do free ones and next year we won't do any that booth price is under $100. ...
Mostly, during festivals, the people have a "browse" frame of mind, whereas during craft shows, people are there to spend money...
I would say to never do free shows. I did one a few years ago that was only about 3 hours long, it was a Christmas parade, and I had over $300 in sales.
Ditto on the Festivals and any show featuring entertainment as a major venue as most people attend them for the entertainment.
 
Top Bottom