10 Steps To A Successful Art Show
You landed your first gig at an arts and crafts show! That is F**king awesome! Now What?
I wont lie to you, it can be a little expensive to get everything together for an outdoor venue. There is a lot to think about, a lot to plan. Now is the time for you to get organized. I have compiled a list of the things you will definitely need, and a list of things that would be nice to have. 2 separate lists to help you decide how much you want to invest.
In the NEED column.
1. TENT.
For an outdoor arts and crafts festival you are definitely going to want a tent. If you are going by yourself, I would recommend an E-Z up tent, which you can find here.
Yes, I know it's not exactly cheap. Trust me I know. Ask your friends, maybe someone has one you can borrow. OR there are cheaper options if you have a buddy you can take with you to assist with the set up.
2. SANDBAGS.
Enough for the tent legs and the wall legs, which we will discuss in a sec. It's windy outside, and even if it doesn't look that bad a little bit of wind can knock over those tents and walls in no time. Sometimes the festivals are set up on asphalt, so don't depend on the tent stakes to do all the work.
3. GRID WALLS
This is specifically for painters/anyone who has work that hangs. They don't have to be expensive grid walls like the ones found here, but I will say they come with adjustable legs and those come in really handy on uneven ground. I have seen people attach chicken wire or lattice work to the tent poles and hang paintings there. Learn how to build a DIY display rack here.
My show set up with purchased grid walls
Lattice work set up
4. CASH/CASH HOLDER/ CARD READER
If you're going to be selling your work, and hopefully you are, you're going to need a way to exchange money. You'll need cash, I brought $200 in small bills to make change for customers, and someplace to keep that money safe.
A lot of people don't carry cash these days, so think about getting a card reader so you can accept plastic money. I use SQUARE reader, the card reader is free and the company only charges you about 3% to use it.
5. MISC
list of misc items that I needed to get my shit together-
-appropriate tools to assemble walls
-table
-business cards
-hangers for paintings
-bag chair
-pen/paper (you never know)
-camera (phone works, just to take pictures of your set up)
-zip-ties and safety pins. once again you never know.
Ok, that's the bare minimum. Here is a list of some items that I recommend.
1. MASKING WALLS.
The open air wall is ok for hanging paintings or photographs, but I never personally liked that I could see behind the paintings. So I put black fabric on the backs of my grid walls to make them more professional looking. You can also purchase pre-wrapped fabric walls that look awesome, but definitely are an investment.
These are beautiful, and presentation is everything when making a sale.
2. TABLE CLOTH
I use VistaPrint for everything. I recently invested in a beautiful table runner with my business name and logo on it so that people know who I am and what I'm selling, even before they come to my booth. It was $75. Well worth the money in the long run, if you plan on doing multiple shows in the future. Ive paired it with a cheap curtain I bought at Big Lots.
3. PRINTED PRICE TAGS/BROCHURES/POSTCARDS
I had all three done, but it isn't necessary to do all of them. I printed price tags because I just think expecting someone to pay that much money for something is silly if its written on a piece of tape or an orange sticky dot like you see in the dollar store.
I printed postcards to give my customers a glimpse into who I am and how I do what I do. It makes the experience more personal and I have found that more personal experiences lead to more sales.
4, BUBBLE WRAP AND TAPE
When people spend money on something, they want a way to protect their purchase while in transit.
5. COOLER
You are going to be sitting/standing in the same place for about 8 hours, so why not bring cold water/soda and snacks. It will make your day much better.
Well y'all I hope this list helped. Let me know what you absolutely have to bring to your shows, I love to hear what others have come up with!
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