Art Festivals: Frequently Asked Questions & Other Practical Matters

"I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's." - William Blake

When I first started the art festival guide I had a somewhat clear organization and, once I decided on the main points to cover, I kept to my outline more or less faithfully. During the course of art festivals, I would think of bits and pieces and almost all of them fit neatly into my chapters...almost. Another phenomenon that occurs in art festivals is that some of us get a lot of visits from artists that want to entertain the idea of embarking upon the art festival adventure. Most of them ask the obvious questions but some pose a few practical and sometimes not so obvious questions. There is so much more to know!

On an average year, whatever that may be, I figure I spend about 30% of my time making art, 30% selling art, 30% on the various business tasks and 30% taking care of the home front. If you notice, that adds up to 120%, not counting sleeping and eating, which is the appropriate amount of time to dedicate to making a living as an artist. Seriously, I have never worked so hard or so long on anything, although the rewards of making a living as a living artist are without question worth every minute of every day and the minutes in between. Nobody said it was going to be easy!

While you are starting out and still not knowing who to ask, I will just answer the most frequent questions that came pouring to my booth and my website and that logically made me fashion this last chapter as a summary of Frequently Asked Questions. They are arranged in no particular order; I simply jotted them down as people asked both in person and online although I guess I tried to address them in order of importance or at least relevance to the business. You might call them tricks of the trade, nuts and bolts, tips from the experienced or frequently asked questions. I will also try to answer them succinctly since I have already explained most points in the previous chapters. Well, I might throw in a story or two, but that's to be expected by now. So here are my loose ends, whatever didn't neatly fit into the previous chapters, I kept for this last one. Now you can't say nobody told you!

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5 Tips to Maximize Online Holiday Shopping Sales

Consumers will be logging on ecommerce sites searching for holiday gifts and deals very soon. The traditional kickoff for holiday buying is Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving. Last year, Black Friday sales through the following Monday, 'Cyber Monday', accounted for 18% of total online holiday sales. U.S. online sales topped $1 billion on Cyber Monday alone. Perfect your marketing and delivery plans as the year's most lucrative shopping season draws near. Here we have created a few tips to be get the most from this season:

• Consider Free Shipping - Users are more inclined to buy, especially around the holiday season, if shipping is free. Many people are expecting to pay a few dollars more for shipping, but they will show their thanks for free shipping by taking advantage of the promotion and buying a few extra items.
• Send Holiday Themed Email - Try sending newsletters with holiday-oriented content. Timely, holiday-oriented content is generally well-received by the general public. This is a way for you to showcase features products and give customers additional visual gift ideas. Inform them the promotions are available for a limited time and don't forget to mention the gift cards!

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Holiday Arts and Crafting Ideas

The holiday season is a special time for many people. A time that brings families together, and a time of celebration. When creating your winter crafts, keep in mind the types of decorations and activities that are popular with this time of year. Here are a few helpful ides for your holiday creations:

Ornaments
Many families enjoy putting up a holiday tree, and look forward to decorating it together. Try offering unique ornaments that will help commemorate this holiday season for years to come. Since ornaments are something that can be passed down through a family, use coloring techniques for your particular medium that will help it keep from fading. That way future generations can enjoy that decoration just as much as the first.

Pajamas
What's cozier than curling up by a nice warm fire in your PJs in the winter time? If you excel in clothing or just want to give it a try, consider making soft, durable pajama sets or nightshirts. Winter-related designs such as snow, snowmen, candy cane, reindeer, polar bears, and so on can adorn your design in a very festive way.

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Important Questions to Ask When Researching Food Concession Venues 
by Food Service Warehouse

When you contact local venues and organizations about applying to be one of the food concession vendors, there are many questions to bear in mind. Below is a list of helpful questions that you will want to be sure and ask the event coordinator before you decide whether or not an event is right for your business.

The No-Brainer Questions:

These are the questions that everyone will ask. Before you begin asking about any other aspects of the event, confirm that dates and location of the event are correct. Once you have done this, you can move into more specific questions. Read more