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The Art Festival Plan, Part 3

12/7/2015

37 Comments

 
I’m glad to discover that people are reading these blog posts in great detail. I’ve had a few people tell me, graciously and apologetically, that they hope I did not think they were hitting on me at shows. I promise that if you have enough conscience and self-awareness to apologize for that, I was not talking about you! The people I was talking about are not reading a geeky blog like this. And if they happened to read what I wrote, I guarantee they lack the mindfulness to recognize themselves. That couldn’t be about me, she definitely found me charming. Of course, anyone who tries to apologize after reading this, that will obviously be fake. 

The fall months are the craziest time of year for potters, which is why it took me a few months to write this next installment. If you are new to this series, you can find the rest of it here. Part 3 is about an aspect of festival planning that I’ve seen many artists doing poorly, and many artists doing fabulously. It’s another area where it is hard to be good at first, but with experience and practice you can get it down to a smooth process.


Part 3: Display and Logistics

All of the examples photos in this post are from an indoor show. So before I get into the details of these photos, I want to talk about canopies for outdoor shows. I personally own two canopies: a heavy-duty one, and a lightweight pop-up. If you are just getting started doing shows, do not buy a $1000 heavy-duty canopy. Too many people dive in for the $1000 canopy before uncovering their deep hatred for doing shows. Start with a $200-$300 pop-up. Don’t let canopy snobs tell you there is anything wrong with pop-ups. There are plenty of pop-ups at the highest-quality shows. You are ready for a $1000 canopy when you are sure you have committed to festival work for the long term, and regularly doing multi-day shows. That pop-up will still come in handy for one-day shows, because the heavy-duty canopies are too cumbersome for that.

As far as $1000 canopies go, the most common ones (and the best, in my opinion) are the Trimline by Flourish, and the Light Dome by Creative Energies. The first one I bought was the Trimline, after another artist told me how it kept her work safe and dry through a hurricane. After several years of using it, I had to admit the steel structure was too heavy for me. It took me 45 minutes to hoist, and left me exhausted. So I sold it a bought the Light Dome, which has an aluminum frame and is designed for a one-person setup. It takes me only 20 minutes to hoist, without any strain. If you are a brawnier person than me, or if you always work with a strong helper, the Trimline is the sturdier and more attractive canopy. But for an average-size female working solo, the Light Dome makes more sense. 

Trading my Trimline for a Light Dome is a good illustration of my overall advice about displays: Don’t make it pretty. Make it easy. The evolution of my display over the years has gone in one direction: smaller, lighter, and faster. Why should this be your first priority? Because it allows you to do more shows. If doing one show wipes you out, you’re doing it wrong. And you probably can’t get through the number of shows it takes to make a livable income. 

​My entire display is lightweight, packs flat, and fits into the middle row of my minivan. 
Picture

Speaking of the minivan, having the right vehicle is an essential component of logistics. Buying my minivan in 2013 caused an immediate increase in the number of shows I could do, because I can leave my display in it for most of the year. Loading the display in my van (and taking it out) involves 12 to 15 trips up and down the stairs to my basement. When I had a smaller car, I had to do that for every show. Not anymore. I know some potters who have a van for shows that is always packed, plus a separate personal vehicle. Some artists use a trailer for shows that is always packed. The key is “always packed.”

(I remember cringing at another artist who could not figure out how to fit her display and work into her Lexus at the end of the show. That is an entirely impractical vehicle for shows, because the cargo space in those rounded SUVs is quite small. The cringy part was that the Lexus had an automatic back lift gate that made a loud beeping noise as it slowly went down. It would stop and go back up if it detected an obstacle, beeping all the way up. The beeping went on for at least half-an-hour, as she tried repeatedly to rearrange her payload. Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep …..  Obviously she got everything to fit just two days earlier, but she didn’t remember how.)

​Here’s is my entire display on a dolly, plus six tightly packed boxes of pottery, in my booth space at my last show. 
Picture

Here are the walls of my booth. I use the poles from my Light Dome canopy as a frame, plus fabric curtain walls. I love the fabric walls because they weigh so little and pack down into a small box.
Picture

Here is all of my furniture in place, unfolded out of its flat-packed state: folding tables, fabric table covers, and shelves
Picture

Anyone looking at my booth at this stage, before the pottery has been unpacked, would probably think “hmmm, plain.” That doesn’t matter. What matters is that it was easy.

​Here it is filled with pots
Picture

Hopefully now you can see the utility of the “plain” booth. Nobody looks at my tables and walls. People only see my pots. If I were to add any visual clutter to this, it would only serve to draw attention away from the pots. At the highest level of shows, look closely and you will see that most of the booths are “plain” booths. You didn’t notice before, because your attention was on the work, not the booths. Artists at this level have figured this out. 

Let’s talk square footage. My display contains 51 square feet of horizontal surfaces on which to display pots. For me, this is the right amount of display space to give customers enough to chew on, enough to choose from, without overwhelming them. The “right amount” will be different for every style of work. For example, if you make intricate, one-of-a-kind pieces, it doesn’t take many pieces to give your customers a lot to see. Or if you make “stock up your kitchen” type functional work in high volumes, it makes sense to display the high volumes. On the other hand, if you bring 100 super-intricate pieces, your viewers cannot possibly process it all. Or, if you make everyday functional wares, but only have space to display 20 pots, that won’t come across as “serious” to a knowledgable pottery fan. Everyone’s pottery falls somewhere on this spectrum, it’s important for every artist to answer this question individually: what is the “right amount” to display at a time? 

I use this arrangement for any show that is two days or longer. The longer the show, the more work I will pack, but I will still only display this much at a time. The rest will be stowed as backstock, and brought out as needed to keep the booth looking full. For one-day shows, I use a smaller version of this, which looks a lot like the next photo. 

​Which leads to another neat feature about my simple, modular display. It shrinks!
Picture

​Again, my display can be formatted smaller for one-day shows. But also on the last day of a multi-day show, I may not have enough pots to fill 51 square feet anymore. This means I’ve already made a satisfactory profit, and I start caring more about having the easiest pack out possible. So I start putting away parts of my display. This keeps the remaining display surfaces looking full, and gives me a jump start on packing. 


My flat-packable display parts are easy to hide in my “closet."
Picture

The back 2.5 feet of my 10x10 ft space is my closet. It is where I store my dolly, ladder, empty boxes, briefcase, coat and shoes, snacks, plus my roll of kraft paper and shopping bags. I also use the spaces under my folding tables for storage. There are lots of shows that will give artists additional storage space outside of their booth space, and lots of shows that don’t. I recommend to everyone to design ample storage space into your 10x10 footprint, because it is nonsensical to expect every show to provide extra storage. 

​Last but not least, here’s a close-up of the “check-out” area of my booth. 
Picture

My sign shows clearly what forms of payment I take (all of them), and gives instructions for those who are writing checks. Customers can help themselves to my card, or sign up for my email list. 

(The email list signup pad will be the star of my next post in this series, on Marketing and Sales.)

One final thought about my display … at the show where I took these photos, I was the featured artist in the show’s PR campaign, which comes with a corner booth at the front of the show. This made it easier to take these photographs, but the truth is I prefer a three-walled booth over a corner. A corner booth is more visible from farther away. This is nice, but a customer cannot make a purchase from 20 feet away. I care a lot more about impressing those who are standing inside my space. When I can surround a customer with three full walls, I have their undivided attention. 
​
37 Comments
joan scott
12/7/2015 12:41:41 pm

Thanks for this blog. Really interesting to read.

Reply
Shannon link
12/7/2015 03:27:48 pm

Thank you for posting this! I'm currently looking into trade shows and this was very timely and helpful. I'm wondering where you got those black corner shelves and the boards. I really like the look, they seem stable and offer many options for heights and levels.

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Mea
12/8/2015 07:12:45 am

Shannon, I got the shelf brackets from The Container Store. Yes they are very stable and flexible, and not too heavy. Please note that they were taller when I bought them, I cut them to the height I wanted with a hack saw. Also, originally they are very dark but not black. I painted them black.

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Jane
12/8/2015 12:24:01 am

Thanks for sharing in such depth, really interesting.

Do you find that people at the same show actually buy the same pieces each time? I do a regular market and find that it swings widely and unpredictably so that one week is dishes, another mugs and the next a bit of everything. I wonder why that is?

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Mea
12/8/2015 07:42:04 am

Jane, I see some variation in the type of pieces sold per show. Sometimes I'll go home with lots of mugs leftover, sometimes all the mugs will sell out on the first day. Same for all of my other items. However, because I do so many shows, I work with the averages. Over the span of many shows, the averages are pretty steady.

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Tricia Scheele
12/8/2015 07:21:13 am

How did you construct your tables?

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Mea
12/8/2015 07:29:36 am

Tricia, the tables are simple folding tables from Target, covered in fabric drapes. I top the tables with solid tabletops from IKEA.

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Tricia
12/8/2015 11:27:59 am

Ah! Thank you so much!

Briggs
12/8/2015 09:49:15 am

Awesome advise as always. I've studied your show set-up and kind of modeled my own after it. It's been really quick to set up and take down the tables and shelves, but the inventory is really time consuming to pack and unpack. Do you have any tips for making inventory management a little quicker and easier?

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Mea
12/8/2015 10:19:29 am

Yes, sometime last year I started separating the back stock from the front stock when I pack for a show. In other words, I know exactly what quantity of each item I want in the initial display, and everything else is back stock. I pack the back stock into their own boxes. When I am setting up, I don't even open those boxes, just stash them for later. I only have to unpack and arrange the front stock. Saves a bunch of time!

Reply
Ron link
12/22/2015 07:45:19 am

I love the idea of separating the front stock and the back stock when packing!!

Sandra Torres link
12/8/2015 10:16:20 am

Hello,
Great article! I've been doing show for a while and consider my logistics pretty efficient and in line with yours!!
I thought I would share a piece that has been very useful for me in terms of amount of work to bring to each show.
As a rule of thumb, I get the cost of the show (booth fees, rentals, Internet - I usually don't include lodging fees), and calculate a sales goal of 3 times that number. Then, to achieve that goal I calculate 3 times that amount as the amount of work to bring to the show.
And as you said, only displaying the right amount and refilling the empty spots as needed:)

Reply
Linda Starr link
12/8/2015 12:36:01 pm

hope you don't mind I have been posting this series from your blog on fb clay buddies since there is so much good info.

Reply
Mea
12/8/2015 01:19:03 pm

Don't mind at all! Maybe that is why my visitor stats go nuts whenever I write one of these blog posts.

Reply
Elaine Joyce
12/8/2015 06:21:32 pm

Thank you for is well written, well thought-out piece. I have been struggling to create a display that is lightweight and easy to install and remove. I do these shows on my own.
What can you tell us about the lighting? It is so important for ceramics.
Sometimes, things on low shelves are in the dark. Your white surfaces reflect light and since most of your work is on tabletops and shelves above the tables, it seems well lit. Any special lights? Or tips as to how many and how they attach to the canopy?

Reply
Mea
12/9/2015 07:26:23 am

Elaine, I do lots of outdoor shows where electricity is not available. I think it's really important to for potters to develop a booth design that will look good in whatever light is available. Lighting is only essential when an outdoor show goes past sunset, and for indoor shows where the ambient lighting is low.

My lighting consists of 8 feet of track (two 4-ft lengths), and 8 fixtures. This is enough light for a 10x10 space. I use compact fluorescent bulbs. I've used incandescent and halogen bulbs in the past, but am much happier with the CFL bulbs because they don't get hot. With the halogen bulbs, I felt like I was in an easy-bake oven. These days CFL bulbs come it good natural colors, and they do not make me uncomfortable.

Reply
Ron Philbeck link
12/22/2015 07:49:52 am

Mea, I love it when you do a post on your display. It's always super helpful. I really like the checkout area. Small and neat.
You have a few extra cross bars, the black ones. Are these purchased or DIY? Thanks so much!!

Reply
Mea
12/22/2015 08:10:55 am

Ron, they are part purchased, and part DIY. The pole is a crossbar from a photo backdrop stand. I like these because they telescope down to 5 ft for packing, and out to 10 ft for use. Plus they have hole on the ends which gives you options for attaching them to your display.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/93926-REG/Savage_05_Crossbar_for_Port_A_Stand.html


To secure them to my upper poles, I wired on some electrical conduit fittings to the ends of the poles,and painted everything black.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-2-in-Electrical-Metallic-Tube-EMT-1-Hole-Straps-2-Pack-26156/100136879?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-100172548-_-100136879-_-N

Reply
Ron Philbeck link
12/22/2015 08:15:26 am

Great idea. Thanks for sharing!!

Cathy link
12/26/2015 02:31:19 pm

Hi, thanks so much for sharing your booth set up. I'm new to this, and have tried several different set ups this last year, and I've researched many as I'm still not happy. Yours is by far the best one I've seen for look, and ease of set up. I do have a couple of questions, where did you get your Good Elephant logo curtain that hides your "closet'?Also it looks like you are using different walls then the ones that come with the canopy. I'm assuming it's a Lite Dome? Thanks again!

Reply
Mea
12/26/2015 03:35:11 pm

Cathy, I got the Good Elephant logo curtain printed at http://bestdecal.com. Go to this website and search for "fabric banners." I sewed on the tie-on straps to the top of the banner myself.

You're right, those are not the vinyl walls that come with the Light Dome. Those are fabric curtains that I sewed myself. I'm not a great seamstress, but I can sew a straight line :-)

Reply
susan
5/12/2016 06:23:08 pm

What kind of fabric are you using for the "walls" and table coverings? I, too, can sew a straight line and would like to make something from a synthetic, preferebly opaque . The cotton tablecloths I have now are a pain at a rainy outdoor show.
thanks

Liz Rodriguez link
4/7/2016 01:26:29 am

Mea, I came across your display on Pinterest. I am so completely blown away by how compact and beautiful it is! You are an incredibly generous person and your work is stunning! I've been doing it wrong for years and I despise setting up as a result. Thank you so much for this blog post!!!! How do you keep your shelving and table tops from scratching?

Reply
Mea
5/16/2016 10:40:09 am

@Susan

I got the fabric for my walls/tableclothes from http://rosebrand.com. It's some kind of synthetic fabric that doesn't wrinkle easily, and is fire retardant. I forget the exact name of it. Rose Brand is a theatre supply house, so they carry lots of extra-wide-width fabrics, and many of their products are fire retardant. Some indoor show venues require your booth to be fire retardant.

Reply
Laurel
6/7/2016 02:16:13 pm

Thank you for being so generous and helpful in this post, it's full of valuable insights! Are the white shelves you've got on the on the black shelving frames from ikea?

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Mea
6/7/2016 04:06:39 pm

Yes, the white shelves are from IKEA. But I have also seen the same shelves at Lowes.

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Jess
9/6/2016 06:50:17 am

Love these posts! I know you've had a lot of shelf related questions, but I was wondering what the material that is holding the shelves up on the table is. It looks very sturdy and I'm always worried about my display being too wobbly or easy to knock over.

Reply
Mea
9/6/2016 07:17:32 am

I made the shelf uprights out of corrugated plastic (Corroplast). This is an amazing material. It's very lightweight, but when you fold it into a tube-shape, it is incredible strong and will hold 100s of pounds. I designed mine to unfold flat for packing, then fold into a triangle-shaped tube for use.

Reply
Sharon Ohnesorge
9/26/2016 07:24:18 am

Hi Mea, I have been following your blog for a few months now. Thank you for all the clear, practical info! I am just about ready to dip my toe into the craft fair market. For my first set up I only have an 8' by 8' space. It's an indoor sale - almost like a combo gallery/art fair setup just for the month of December. I want to buy things that I will want to continue using for many art fairs (assuming I choose to do many fairs - thinking positive!). I have been pricing the 6' foldable tables that many stores sell. My question is this- it looks like you have 3 smaller tables, maybe 4' in length. Is that what you would recommend? I want to be able to easily scale up to a 10 x 10 space since it seems like that is more common. Thanks so much!

Reply
Mea
9/26/2016 08:14:27 am

Sharon,

I have used both 6ft and 5ft tables in the past, and I am much happier with the 4ft tables. 6ft and 5ft tables are too DEEP, meaning customers do not want to reach across to the back, therefore the back space is wasted. The 4ft tables are only 2ft deep, very accessible to customers. Also, the larger tables are much more difficult to pack and transport. And, the smaller tables are more flexible when making different arrangements in different sized booths, which will help you scale up to a 10x10 display later.

Good luck with your first sale!

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Patrick link
3/18/2017 09:22:18 am

An excellent post about the booth! Thank you!! Very timely too!
I've read the comments so far, which makes the whole post even more interesting and I do have a question regarding the check-out part: how do you safely wrap the wares? I don't see a surface where you would lay out your paper and pot and the bag, all the while having a eye open for other customers coming in. How about having the paper roll supported off the ground to make it easy to unroll and cut with a sharp exacto or scissors? I use 24"x36" sheets, so I lay the pot on top using either my chair or one of the empty crates with the cover on and then slide the box back under the table when not wrapping stuff.

Your post touches directly and indirectly on points covered (do's and don'ts) in a workshop I attended recently on this very subject: the background color vs pottery color, the lighting, the spacing/arrangement of pots, the ergonomics of table/shelf heights! So it's an excellent summary!
I'm still at the 6' and 8' table-only setup and trying to figure out how to add height to my table display and your setup is very enlightening in that respect! Thanks again Mea! :-)

Reply
Mea
3/18/2017 09:48:43 am

My chair does double duty as a wrapping table. I stand the roll of craft paper vertically. If the surface its on is smooth enoughh, I can stick my thumb in the hole at the top of the roll and pull out the length of paper I need. The roll will spin on a smooth surface. If the surface isn't, I'll unwrap the lengths of paper instead. No need for scissors, I just rip the paper.

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Patty link
3/23/2017 10:05:41 am

I have just recently started selling my pottery in a gallery… I have a question about how you tag your pottery prices on each piece. In particular on bowls… I have a tie on tag which obviously Does not work well on bowls, so I just lay the tag inside the bowl. What product do you use for tagging your pottery?

Reply
Mea
3/23/2017 07:43:47 pm

@Patty

I use glue dots to attach my hang tags to bowls, or other pots that I can't tie a string or wire to. I like the brand names "Glue Dots" and "Zots" and I buy them at art supply stores or Amazon. Make sure to get the "permanent" variety. The "removable" ones are not sticky enough.

Reply
Leslie Granillo
3/7/2018 01:31:20 pm

This entire post and all of the comments have been incredibly helpful. I love your booth set up and simplicity. It makes your product the star of the booth. Thank you so much for all of the info, tips and tricks. I don't sell pottery, but I do craft fairs selling various things and don't always get large spaces to set up in. This set up seems like it offers a ton of flexibility.

Reply
George Lathem link
10/1/2018 07:06:15 am

I have just found your website, and am very grateful for the info. My current display is too heavy and hard to load and unload. I am interested in doing a set up more like yours. Can you tell me what the small knob looking things are on your tables and the purpose they serve. We are planning a trip to Ikea to purchase the shelving racks soon. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing. George

Reply
Mea
10/1/2018 07:27:15 am

They are little ceramic price markers. Search this blog for a post titled “Massive and Tiny.”

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    Mea Rhee (mee-uh ree),
    ​the potter behind Good Elephant Pottery


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