Showcasing your work at art festivals, craft shows, or any other event is a great opportunity to gain exposure. So, the more you can do to make your booth customer-friendly, the greater chance you have of selling your work and gaining new potential customers. Here are a few tips that have worked well for me:

1. Label your pieces clearly

The first two questions customers tend to ask when viewing your work often involve medium and price.

Putting labels on each piece that state the title, size, medium and price will answer those questions before you even have a conversation with your customer, letting them quickly decide if they're interested in knowing more about your technique or purchasing your work. Remember, your booth is functioning partly as a store—you probably don't like to ask what everything costs when you go shopping, and neither do your customers.

Being prepared before presenting your art to the public is what makes art shows mangeable and fun to attend. I've got some tips to help you prepare for exhibiting and talking about your art at a show. Grab a notepad and let's dig in!

image via eddie howell

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Should You Quit Your Day Job?
Carolyn Edlund

Several people lately have asked my opinion of simply quitting their day jobs and going solo as an artist. I'm self-employed myself, and owned a studio for over twenty years, so I'm a big fan of the independence and satisfaction of being a business owner. But it's not for everyone.

It partly depends on your personality. Does facing a challenge, like coming up with next month's rent through sales of your work, energize and motivate you? Or does it throw you into sudden panic and possibly an anxiety attack? Only you can tell what your comfort level is here. But, you can overcome some of the stress by putting a plan into place that works on multiple levels to bring in the income you will need when you quit that day job.

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Two Big Questions to Ask Before Donating Art to a Charity

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Jeri Goldstein Copyright 2012 The New Music Times, Inc.

There's no doubt that playing festivals can expand your audience within the festival market. There are so many to play and choose from as you plan your festival booking search. If you feel ready to pitch your act to the festival market, here is what I would suggest you do before picking up the phone or emailing a link to your Electronic Press Kit or your website to every festival on some huge list.

1. Set some touring goals as to the markets that are logical for you to tour at this time in your career.

2. Research the festivals that are prominent in that market and make a list, even if it's not the major, well known festival that "everyone is trying to get into." There are plenty of state, county and city-wide events that would be a great place to begin building your audience.

3. Spend some time on these festival websites and make a note of the following:

• a. The time of year those festivals occur
• b. The contact information
• c. Who played the festival last year?
• d. How many stages do they run?
• e. Do they do any kind of workshops in addition to the performance stages?
• f. Do they have a showcase stage for emerging artists and a separate submission process or contact?
• g. Do they have a children's performance area?
• h. Do they have novelty acts or acts that play during stage changeovers between artists?

Yes, believe it or not, there is such a plan.

A Business Plan That Always Works - from popcorn vendors to jugglers, musicians to artists, jewelers to carpenters - And believe it or not, you’re going to learn how to create such a plan, YOUR plan, in the next few moments.

Now for those of you who believe deep down that there can’t possibly be anything that always works - especially a plan – the following is going to be a bit of a stretch for you. The Business Plan That Always Works (or BPTAW for short) is so devilishly simple and straightforward, you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it before. Anyone who understands it can do it - which is to say, that if you can’t do a plan easily, there’s no point in planning. Despite what you’ve learned over the years, planning is only hard when it’s done the wrong way. And to do a plan easily requires that you approach the whole subject of planning in a completely different way than you’re accustomed to. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

The BPTAW is built upon one Fundamental Principle that all the plans that never work fail to understand. You know the kind of plans I’m talking about here. The kind of plans that create gobs of guilt because you don’t keep them? The kind of plans you make with great effort and tedium, only to find yourself later on doing something completely different than you had planned to do and wondering how you got there from where you began?

But let’s get back to that one Fundamental Principle I’m talking about that differentiates The BPTAW from every other plan that doesn’t.

I call this Fundamental Principle, the Heart-Centered Principle of Planning.

The Heart-Centered Plan is so distinctly different from its opposite, The Head-Centered Plan, that it’s important to define the distinctions carefully.

Getting Into the Minds of Festival Artistic Directors

Jeri Goldstein Copyright 2012 The New Music Times, Inc.

So, you would like to play some festivals?

So far they’ve seemed pretty illusive.

It would probably be a huge help if you began to think like a festival director. Since they have to knit together a cohesive, interesting, ticket-selling program, they are not just thinking about one act and how that act will sell, they are thinking about how to piece together multiple shows each day of the festival. They often start their creative process of thinking about the next year’s festival while this year’s festival is happening. They are constantly analyzing how the acts are working, how the audience is reacting.

If the festivals you are interested in playing also have workshop stages along with their multiple stage areas, then you need to pay attention to this aspect of the festival. Here is where artistic director really shows their creativity.

As you research each festival, review the most recent festival. Check out the previous year’s acts. But most of all check out the schedule, the way the festival is put together. See who followed whom and what the titles of any of the workshops are. This will give you the most insight into how the director thinks and plans.

Here’s what you should be looking and planning for:

1. Workshop titles and the acts that are lined up in each workshop.

2. Main stage and minor stage line-up.

3. Side stage line-up-the stage that might have brief performances while the main stage is being set up for the next big act. If you are a novelty act that can perform 2-10 minute sets, you might just be perfect on these stages and get to play in front of the main stage audience multiple times throughout the main show.

4. Ease or difficulty of load-in and set up.

5. The size of the act.

Adding your event for free to the FestivalNet.com database is a great first step! You're on your way to getting noticed in a big way as we get over 750,000+ monthly visitors! Be sure your listing has a great description and your event details are accurate and complete. Here are some additional ways to increase your exposure.

Co-Promote with FestivalNet

We offer some sweet co-promotion opportunities! You scratch our back, we scratch yours! You get free Featured Event exposure for your event in exchange for promoting FestivalNet! Learn more here.

Featured Events

Place your event at the top of the general search results and on the FestivalNet.com Featured Events Map. Learn more here.

Advertising

You can also buy advertising like Banner, Button, or Newsletter ads. View our very reasonable rates and learn more here.

Social Media

Also, enjoy the benefit of our ever-growing Facebook presence. Feel free to shout out your show's website here: http://www.facebook.com/festivalnet - keep it conversational and personal and be sure to say hey! On Twitter? We will also retweet you if you include us in your tweet! Find us there as @_festivalnet

David Codr of MusicPage.com

After promoting or producing around 1,000 concerts, managing bands, booking tours and scouting talent, you pick up a few tricks of the trade. That's how I started doing artist development work. The gang at Festival Network Online asked if I would share a few of my artist development techniques in this newsletter.

Developing a New Market (Part 2)

Last month's article on Developing a new market was intentionally basic for our less seasoned readers. But now that the basics are out of the way, we can delve into real Market Development.

When an artist i am working with starts to develop a new market, one of the first things I have them do is make a list of all the "players" in that market. Usually the list consists of the talent buyers at the venues we want to play at, promoters, local music writers and reporters, DJs at stations that may play the artist, Program Directors for the same stations, area music website staffers, etc.

The idea is to identify all the people you want to work with there. Either to play with or for, or people who can help you get your name out to local music fans. Don't worry about how complete it is at first, its just a starting point. Your list should expand and grow as you become more familiar with the market.

After you have your list, create a document for every person on it. Doesn't have to be any specific program; Word, Pages, or even just an old fashioned piece of paper. Since I've been watching a bunch of old James Bond reruns this week, lets call it a Dossier.

Read more here!

Money: Makin' it and Savin' it

Anton Cheranev of Profitable Marketing

10 Ways To Sell Your Festival Products Faster

1. Give people a deadline to order. This will create an urgency so they don't put off buying.

2. Offer people a money-back guarantee. The longer the guarantee the more effective it will be.

3. Offer a free on-site repair service for products you sell.

4. Publish testimonials on your ad copy. They will give your business credibility and you'll gain people's trust. It's important to include the person's full name and location with the testimonial.

5. Give people free bonuses when they order your product or service. The free bonuses could be books, jewelry, reports, newsletters, etc.

6. Allow people to make money reselling the product or service. Tell people they can join your affiliate program, if they order. You could pay them per sale, per click, per referral, etc.

7. Offer free 24-hour help with all products you sell. Allow customers to ask you questions by e-mail, by toll-free phone, by free fax, etc.

8. Provide free shipping with all orders.

9. Give away a free sample of your product.

10. Offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal. People will feel they are getting more for their money and order quicker.

How to Save Money When Traveling

Expenses at craft shows can quickly reduce profits. Here are some things you can do to help cut costs.

Here's How:

1. Ask for exhibitor discounts when making lodging reservations.

2. Keep receipts for all expenses during your trip.

3. Purchase beverages and snacks before leaving.

4. Keep snacks and drinks in a cooler for the trip.

How to set up for an Art/Craft Show- Checklist
Victoria Case

There's nothing worse than setting up a great booth, and right before show time, realize there's something you have forgotten. So, I created a checklist for myself which I recommend to anyone planning to attend an event. Of course, depending on what you sell, yours will have other items to add.

My list begins with money and promotion (after all, that's what it's all about). I usually bring $100 worth of bills/change in a small box or "fanny pack". And the following items:

• receipt book
• business cards (don't forget to advertise your website!)
• large sign with name and/or logo
• easel for large sign
• two lined paper pads for writing orders, names, phone numbers
• several pens
• calculator
• bags for items sold (with a business card inside each one)

Next is my display(some items are adjusted for indoor or outdoor shows)

• 10 x 10 tent (I recommend a white tent)
• buckets with sand for weight
• pre-formed concrete-filled buckets for tent poles (especially useful when setting up on asphalt)
• safety pins (for anything)
• large white sheet/material for sun protection pinned to tent's back wall or sidewall (if needed)
• display tables
• material to cover display tables
• small broom/dust pan
• several garbage bags
• Windex and other cleaners (jewelry, wood, etc.)
• card racks or picture holders (mannequins, boxes, items used to hold your crafts for sale)
• display signs with item categories and prices
• tape (for anything)

How to Sell Items at Festivals in 7 Steps

Jackie Bagwell

Ready to take your arts and crafts on the road? In this article, we'll go over how to set up your products at a craft show in a professional way.

Step 1. Create Your Product

Before you get started on finding a festival, you'll want to determine which of your products you can make easily and quickly, and can set up at a craft show. It's a good idea to choose items that are unique to your style and that you can mass-produce when needed. Keep in mind you'll be traveling with this product, displaying it, and will be creating a lot of the product at any given time. You'll want enough items to fill a large (10' x 10') display without running out of items. If a customer is forced to wait for the product until after a craft show, they'll likely lose interest.

Step 2. Find Your Festival

In addition to using FestivalNet.com, an excellent way to decide what kind of festival is best for you is simply to go to festivals. Take a look at the vendors that are currently booked at certain shows in your area, and what the attendees are looking for. Keep in mind that you don't want too much competition for your own product, but you do still want to stay relevant to the theme of the festival. Talk to the vendors at the show to see what their experience is. Be sure to do your homework.

Step 3. Get Booked And Get Going

Take a look at the vendor requirements for your chosen festival, and contact the event organizer with any questions. Fill out any application required by the event, and be sure to follow up after submitting via email or phone to check on your application's status. Make sure you have enough time between application approval and the event date to create any product inventory you may need. It's also a good idea to get event insurance. The last thing you need is to be financially responsible for any off-chance accidents that could happen. Sometimes the event offers insurance, most times they do not.

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!

Judge and Jury: What to Expect When Entering Art Shows
Annie Strack

Entering an art show, at any level of your career, is a wonderful means of gaining validation and recognition. For beginning artists, receiving appreciation from people other than friends and family can be very encouraging. Competition is an excellent way of building up a resume, especially if one is fortunate enough to win an award. Plus, more people may see your work, increasing the possibility of sales and getting into galleries. 

The Power of Personality
by Bob Baker

When you promote yourself via e-mail or with the words you use on your web site, you have a choice. You can be straight-forward and matter-of-fact (also known as bland and boring). Or you can communicate with pizzazz.