Last winter, I applied for several larger multi-day art festivals for this summer to see if bigger events would be a good fit for us versus doing our regular farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays. I researched, studied and applied to 9 events. Of those, we got invited to 4, waitlisted for 2, and not invited to 3 events. Our first event was terrible, the second was GREAT, the third was "meh", and the fourth was a record-breaker! This summer was a learning experience for us, and I'm going to share what we learned.
Tips for deciding if an event is right for you:
- Research ahead of time - not all events are honest about attendance. Go to the events the year before to see if you'd be a good fit. Look on social media and study posts to see if it looks busy with customers. If there aren't social media posts about the event...it's probably not a good sign.
- Are there a lot of vendors in your category? If so, it could be a cash grab for the event and they just want to fill spaces...with anyone willing and able to pay the booth fee. One event we attended had 24 jewelers, and another had 31 jewelry vendors, including a reseller with $25 "handmade" rings and other junk jewelry, hats, scarves, etc.
- Have a realistic idea of what ALL of your expenses will be...booth fees, lodging, gas, food, and extra expenses (they always come up!). Also consider your travel time. Your time is worth money!
- Know your numbers ahead of time! How much will you need to sell to break even and/or make a profit? My goal is always to MAKE MONEY!
- Look at past event participants. If the line-up changes from year to year, it's probably not great. Most vendors who do well WANT to return the following year. In my opinion, high turn-over of artists is a red flag.
- Ask other artists who've attended. I reach out to other vendors to ask questions. Some artists are more willing to share info than others, but at least reach out to a few!
Markets & Festivals to Avoid:
- Is it juried? Does the event allow mass-produced items, resellers, and MLMs? If you sell high-end art, I'd avoid these.
- Does the event have a cap on the amount of vendors in each category? Or do they fill space with anyone?
- Is this a first-time event or a new location? One event we went to this summer was at a new location...and it wasn't good.
- What are the selling hours? It's a long day if you are alone and have to work from 10am - 8pm. Bring help if you have long selling days.
- What does the event provide for vendors? Booth sitters? Refreshments? Water? Parking? Easy load in & out? Info and good communication?
There is no way to know if an event will be good or bad, but you can at least do some homework to try to determine if it might be a good fit. Weather is one of the things you cannot control, but also keep that in mind. Shaded events are better than those out in the middle of a field, especially in hot weather. Foot traffic & parking are also important...is the venue an out-of-the-way destination or will people be driving by and able to stop easily. If an event is a hassle to attend, you won't have customers.
What did we learn this summer? Our regular spots are in our home-town farmers market on Saturdays and another market at the Oregon Coast on Sundays. They are consistent, close to home, and generally successful. We decided we will stay home & only do 1 or 2 events next summer! While we sold a lot and didn't lose money, we still had extra costs including higher booth fees, lodging, gas, food...not to mention travel time. Our local farmers markets have great attendance and we have a loyal, consistent following...plus, both locations see a lot of tourists.
Before you see $$$, research and think hard about going to larger art festivals. They aren't always a smart decision and could end up costing you a lot of money. We are going to be much more selective and smart about which events we will attend next summer!
Good luck & happy selling!