Art Marketing, Cara and Christi Style, Error no. 4

Error No. 4: Becoming a "Carnie"

Showing our work at art fairs has so far proven to be the #1 most effective marketing tool! However, it is important to know that not every “arts and crafts” fair is an appropriate venue! They can be a downright waste of time and money! Believe me, when your “fine art” booth is located between a guy doing slap-chop demos, and another selling shammies, you will see nothing but the backs of people's heads as they try to avoid eye-contact with the “carnies.” And, if you are anything like us and can not stand to take a loss on your booth rental, you will actually have to become a carnie! You will have to compete with your neighbors to get people into your booth! This is not easy. They are on the defense, having already been bombarded by other carnies! If you somehow manage to get somebody into your booth, you must quickly present the poor fool with every sales pitch you can think of. If you are really lucky, you might end up with a mercy sale, the kind where they buy the cheapest thing in your booth just so you'll let them go! These are not sales to be proud of, and you'll come away from these shows ashamed, skinny, toothless, and hoarse! So, when applying for shows, take a look at who the other vendors are and what they will be selling. If this info is not available, beware of non-juried shows or Chamber of Commerce sponsored events - they will often rent a booth to anybody who is willing to pay for it without regard to whether it is actually an art or a craft. Also, the location of an event is important. You might want to avoid fairs located in Wal-mart's parking lot, or in areas where the majority of people don't even know what art is and couldn't care less. In other words, never do art shows in Fresno!
Stick to affluent areas and jurried shows as much as possible!