Finding craft shows

[Chickadee]

New person here. Have just started selling jewelry and am wondering how you find your venues. I searched with Google and do come up with quite a few craft shows in Montana, are there any of you out there who do it differently? Do you depend on word of mouth?  And what's the most you should pay for table space and still make money? Lots of questions, so little time.
Thanks,
Chickadee

[ag1kulrn]

Chick -
Try EVENTLISTER.COM  .  This website lists as many shows in as many venues and in as many places as Louis (the webmaster) can put in.  You can check any state, by juried or not, fairs, pretty much everything.
Good luck!

[Luann Udell]

Word of mouth is always good, though you always have to consider the source!   '>  Different media, different products, different price points will always get different results at these shows.

As far as how much to pay for fees, oh, I wish it were simple.  The old adage is, you must sell 10x your booth fee to "have a good show".  But making $250 off a table fee of $25 may or may not float your boat, so to speak.     '>

Different people have different needs, and sometimes people who make the same amount of sales and $$ at a show will vary widely about whether the show was "good" or not..  Someone just starting out may be happy to make $100, because it gives them the encouragement (and a little extra cash!) to keep going.  Someone who is trying to support a family may need to make much, much more than that.  I've even done shows where I didn't really make much of a profit.  But they were such prestigious shows, it was sort of worth it as a credentialing thing (though THAT gets expensive!!)  

Something to consider, too, is what your expenses are to actually do the show.  If it's a local show and you don't have to pay for lodging, food, travel, etc. then you can afford to pay out a little more for booth fees.  A show that's 500 miles away better be a really good show to offset being away from your studio that long, and the travel expenses you'll accrue on the way.

I hate to refer people off-board, but....  Some good forums are at the new, revamped The Crafts Report forum; ArtCalendar Magazine forum and a really cool, highly active set of forums at The Switchboards.com forums.

You'll find lots of people sharing tons of info about shows, and you'll get to hear about their actual experiences, too.  The Crafts Report targets mostly people new-ish to the craft biz through "mid-term" artists.  ArtCalendar is mostly for 2-D artists (painters, etc.) but there's a lot of good crossover information there, too.  The Switchboards tends to be people who do a lot of business on the internet, who then go on to do shows.  It's a lively group, sharing tons of information about everything from packaging to shipping to difficult customers.  It's quite a blend of businesses, too--everything from jewelry to soap, from clothing to baby items.

There's also a book called the Art Fair SourceBook which comes highly recommended by others.  I've never used it myself, and sometimes people complain the ratings are skewed.  But it's a good place to start, and a great way to educate yourself about the possibilities out there.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[Polly]

Here are a few additional craft show listing links.  (Some were already mentioned above):
http://www.rings-things.com/LINKS.HTM#CRAFT

[TaoGem]

I am aware of a few events coming up in the Spokane area..

Spokane County Interstate Fair
Two Women Barn Bazaar Art & Antique Show
Spokane Valleyfest 2009
Art/Craft/Food Fair

The Art/Craft/Food Fair looks good. It is pretty inexpensive for a 10 x 10 spot. The Two Women Barn Bazaar event looks great too..

I have looked through the links posted here, and also searched online.

Very interested in information about any other art, crafts, and jewelry design related events.. Even trunk show opportunities.

Just can't swing paying what a lot of events charge for 10 x 10 spots..

So very interested in smaller events, and or the possibility of a group of folks interested in putting something simple together..

Maybe someone has an indoor facility that has some room for a small event ?

Any chance of a show of hands from jewelry designers, and related art and crafts folks that might be interested in putting our heads together for something simple ?

[RitaD]

I found this site:
http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/
that looks like a starting point.

[TaoGem]

Thanks Rita ! 

[TaoGem]

Say, not sure if this is the right place to ask, but notice you guys are having a show this Saturday.. It says "more details coming".

Is there another link with additional details ?

Sounds like a simple business card would suffice to get in ?

[Luann Udell]

Just to revisit the info posted here....

The best way to determine if a show is a good one for you & your work is to actually visit the show. 

We all get a little impatient with this approach, and of course it takes some time and money, when it's tempting to just jump in and DO the show.  But it's worth the investigation.

If you live in a well-populated area, you may get to visit several shows on the same weekend and get an idea of which one is worth your while.

You'll see firsthand how well the organizers did at promoting the right demographics for the show, bringing in the right buyers.  You'll see what kind of work is being displayed--real handcraft, buy-sell, country craft, food products.  You'll see if people are actually buying or just browsing (less buying at shows that have a focus on entertainment, for example, while people may buy more at a show that benefits a school or charity.)  And you'll see WHAT sells--$2 items or $50 items, or whatever.

You'll also get a chance to observe the vendors and see who's selling, and why.  Is their booth a cut above the rest?  Is their work well displayed? Are they a dynamic and engaging seller?  Is their work on trend, or especially appealing and well-priced? 

There are shows that cost $250 to $500 for a booth space that are well worth doing if you have good work, because they are strong shows (or were until a few years ago!)  And there are $25 shows I would never consider doing, because I know I couldn't sell ANYTHING there.

Finally, you can talk to the vendors (when they aren't busy selling, of course.)  :^)  Craftspeople at shows tend to do other shows, and they are almost always willing to talk to you about them.  Be respectful of their time--they're there to sell their work!--don't get obnoxious about asking them where they get their supplies (at least pretend you're interested in their work first--we're only human) and it's always nice to buy something from them if they've been especially generous with their time & knowledge or give back by referring them to a good store or gallery that might be a good fit for their work (hint, hint.) 

Craftspeople in general are a generous and helpful bunch of people as long as you don't treat them like some Galactic Encyclopedia.   

[Polly]

Hi TaoGem,

At the Spokane show (details page), we'll have some product/technique demos (Metal stamping, Image Transfer Solution, resin and basic stringing).  For most of our BeadTour shows, we just have tables and tables of beads and more beads =).

The "details coming soon" note is for next Fall's (2010) show -- we have the details for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010, but don't have the details for Fall 2010 confirmed yet.