Recently, as I drove through Portland Oregon, I passed several food carts that were closed for winter. It got me wondering what the operators of these carts do for income while they wait for better weather to re-open in the spring. It also makes me wonder why these people chose to open a food cart rather than sell seasonally at special events with a food concession. I assume the need for a full-time income is the main reason. But, if a food cart is forced to close for lack of sales, what is the advantage of having a food cart? Do they prefer to sell from a stationary location, regardless, rather than set-up at temporary events? Or, are there other reasons?

I suspect that many food cart operators want a full-time income but didn't know in advance of opening how well they would do month-by-month. It is no small thing to design a food cart and menu, become licensed, and commit to a location. And, it is not until the cart has been open through the seasons that they learn if their location and menu will produce a steady income. At that point, if their location doesn't sustain adequate sales, it is difficult and expensive to move a food cart to a better location.

Food carts depend on foot traffic for business. When the weather is cold and wet too many customers remain indoors or rush past clutching their umbrellas. Depending on their location, some food carts can provide their customers a warm, dry place to eat with an awning, propane heater and picnic tables set in front of their cart. Other carts are restricted from doing this.

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Art is a Verb, Not a Noun

Most people don’t realize how much courage it takes for an artist to show their work to people. Courage, as defined by Mark Twain, is not the lack of fear, but rather being able to move forward in spite of it. In my previous article, If You Are Addicted, I introduce the notion that there is a difference between making art and making a painting (sculpture, photography, or whatever your medium is). Expression of your unique form of creativity is an addiction that very few artists have any choice about. It’s the need that drives you, identifies who you are as a person to yourself as well as others and keeps you centered. But, creating ART, takes more than just making the object. After years of talking to artists too timid or too scared to show their work, I’ve heard just about every excuse in the book… fear of rejection, lack of time, not interested in exposure, not ready, the list goes on and on. But for some, there comes a point at which they can no longer ignore the need for their artwork to be seen. It’s as if the artwork itself is demanding exposure. It is here, that the distinction between an object that sits on the wall begins the transition into becoming art.

As I define it, art is the activity that occurs in the space that exists between my eyeballs and that object you have created. It is the interaction between the collective experiences in my brain, as I process the way you have chosen to express the collective experiences in your brain. It is only when this exchange takes place, that your work becomes art. It is when you share your creation with the outside world that you truly become an artist. Sadly, for many artists, this is an experience they will never have. My goal, therefore, is to help prepare you to take the leap from being an object maker, to being an artist. By understanding the responsibility you have to get your work seen, you can begin to take the important first steps in becoming an artist.

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Buying & Booking Talent

Let's take it from the top.

Before we get any further down the road let me use the term "middle agent." Who in the world is this guy or girl and why do I need this person? First of all, I don't know that you do. The choice is certainly up to the decision maker. Those of us who have had to make a living out here seek to serve and I hope honestly represent the best interest of the decision maker, as we affectionately refer to as buyer. After all it's your money we are striving to get the best value for. Here are some caught thoughts for your consideration, and some things I have learned in my tenure as buying talent and servicing shows on behalf several different events. If you are comfortable with what show to buy and where to get it and confident of the cost... go for it. If not, consult a talent buyer, yes, middle agent; after all, it's what we do. We are plugged into the necessary sources and can get there very quick with the pertinent information.

Should You Quit Your Day Job?

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Event Location & Physical Facilities

Location is another consideration when it comes to site selection. Not only should events take place fairly near their prospective attendees, these events need to be easy to get to. Areas along the route with potential bottlenecks - narrow roads, one-lane bridges, and the like - should be avoided. Likewise, property subject to fl ooding is not the best choice for an event. And, of course, there's no getting around the fact that event-goers arrive in vehicles, which somehow must be parked. If 10,000 people show up and they average three to a car, then a little over 3,000 vehicles must be parked. It's no wonder the sole responsibility of some event workers is arranging for parking. Among other things, their plans should include handicapper spaces.

How To Find Events For New Food Concession Operators

One of the most difficult challenges that new food concession operators face is how to find venues such as fairs, festivals, and other events and then how to convince the management of those venues that it is their best interests to have them attend.

Fairs and festivals are always looking for new and somewhat unique items to have at their venue, after all they want increased attendance and fairs and festivals that are always the same have a tendency to see attendance slowly drop from one year to next.

If you, as a new food concession operator, are providing nothing more than a "me too" menu with nothing new, exciting or out of the ordinary you will definitely have an uphill challenge to obtain space. New and exciting does not have to mean some exotic food, although a new or unusual food concept is usually a fair management grabber, it can mean a well or uniquely decorated trailer, or unusual outfits for the staff. Always be careful if you are trying to promote anything that is audio oriented, theme music can be a negative as far as some fair managers are concerned.

I always suggest that food concessionaires produce a small but meaningful electronic brochure, showing what their food concession trailer looks like, inside and out, outlining the menu and prices, and how many customers can be served per hour. This gives the fair management a feeling that you are professional and that you take the food concession business seriously. A food concession operator must always remember that the quality of the food concessions are always viewed, by the attendees, as a major part of the total fair experience. Bad or poor food quality or poor health standards and the attendees will say that the fair was bad or poor. Highlight your commitment to cleanliness and quality and as time progresses add the fairs, festivals and any other events that you have attended as references.

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How to Leverage Facebook and Your Event Marketing

If you're using Facebook to market your event there are a few important things to understand. First off - like any marketing or advertising medium, Facebook has both positives and negatives. Disclaimer: I'm NOT on the crazy train that thinks Facebook can instantly fix every event marketing challenge. But, I do firmly believe Facebook is here to stay. Thus, event organizers should understand how to use it to their advantage.

Facebook versus Google

These days there seems to be a ton of press attention on the Google versus Facebook War for World Internet Domination. What you need to understand is how the two services differ from one another...

A Successful Food Concession Business Starts with "Soul Searching"

Many people in the mobile food concession business consider November through March the off-season. During the cold and wet winter months a food concession operator, whose income is earned by operating at outdoor events such as fairs and festivals, might put his or her food booth in mothballs and take a much-needed break from the business. For several months these lucky concessionaires take time off and enjoy the pursuit of other activities. Not until early spring do they start looking forward with enthusiasm to prepare their equipment and schedule events for the upcoming food concession season.

This enviable work schedule doesn't occur by accident. When considering a food concession startup, new vendors need to look at the large picture. They need to plan for how they want their business to influence their lifestyle, as well as how much money they want to make.

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Ideas and Inspiration

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They're generous, they're consistent, they're giving.. and most of all.. they love your music. They're your fans and they come to every one of your live shows, fork out money for cover charges, CDs and t-shirts, bring your band gifts, throw you house parties, and spread the word of your music on the internet and beyond. Your fans are the single most important ingredient to the success of your band. Without them, you'd be rocking out in your Aunt's basement to an audience of none.. well, maybe her cat.

But there can be a dark side to the hoards of happy humans drunk on your future #1 hits. Sometimes the folks barreling in to see you play, or flooding your websites with their online presence are causing more harm than good to the reputation of your band. Rude behavior, message board flaming, compulsive sticker-ing and flyer-ing, may all seem like helping to your flock of followers but to club owners, industry and those newly interested in your music, they may seem like trouble-makers, belligerents and vandals.

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One of the most difficult items for the new food concession or vending cart operator is finding locations to place their vehicle or cart.

This is where aggressive marketing can make the difference. One area that is often overlooked is retailers who are having special events. Car dealerships are noted for having special day or weekend events and one thing that they always consider is supplying food!

I have been contacted on numerous occasions by car and motorcycle dealerships wanting a list of available food vendors in a specific city, town or county.

It is important for food concessionaires and vending cart operators to make themselves known in their food service area.

There are numerous ways to accomplish this:

1. Visit the car and motorcycle dealerships. Make sure you have a flyer or business card to leave behind.
2. Contact the local radio stations. Many radio stations will provide a D.J. for special events and actually host the show from the event. They will be aware of those events weeks in advance and may be willing to pass leads on to you or possibly create a package which includes a D.J. and food.
3. Send flyers out in the mail to local businesses.
4. Another area to consider are strip plazas. Many have merchant groups who are looking for promotions and other methods to draw customers to their stores. Talk to one of the local merchants and find out if they have a merchant group and how you might provide them with a presentation.

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You know how important a press release is to get the word out about whatever your band or label has going on, be it a new album, a tour, or some other piece of news. But sending that press release a the right time is another key piece of the puzzle to getting media coverage. How do you get the timing right?

As you might imagine, the answer to this question depends very much on the media you are contacting. Radio has a different lead time than a national print magazine which has different timing requirements from a website, and so on and so forth. There are ways you can take some of the guess work out of the equation, however. Do a little research and create a database:

• Contact all of the music media outlets to which you hope to promote your music, and ask them about their deadlines. Start a database on your computer tracking this information, so you always have it on hand. You should do this far enough in advance that you haven't missed deadlines by the time you get around to making your calls. For instance, if you know that you will be releasing an album in 6 months, make those calls now.

I desperately wanted to get my song "Last Day" on Grey's Anatomy because I thought it was just perfect for the show. So I researched who the music supervision company for the show was and discovered they had a blog. I read up on the blog and found that one of the music supervisors in the office wanted some Samoas Girl Scout cookies and couldn't find any. I quickly went out and bought some and sent her a package of Samoas (Carmel Delights) along with my CD and a handwritten note with my email address included.

I didn't follow up, SHE ACTUALLY CONTACTED ME and thanked me for the cookies and said she'd try to place a song. She hasn't, but I've developed a cordial email relationship and she always replies to my emails now.

The thing that surprised me most when really getting in deep with the business and networking, was that the gatekeepers to some of the most exclusive opportunities were actual people, with personalities, opinions, feelings, sweet tooths and bad hair days. This sounds like a given, but knowing this changes the way you approach them.

No one wants to be approached like they're on a different level and that you're inferior - well, possibly Kanye, but for all the obvious reasons.

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Road trips are made for summer. Summer is made for road trips. I'm a musician with several tours under my belt so, yeah, you guessed it, I love road trips and summer. But braving the heat while living in an automobile isn't very cool if you aren't prepared. Before you pack your vehicle so tight you can't open the backseat doors without spilling pillows and sun block all over the scorching rest stop parking lot, make sure you have your summer road trip bases covered.

Summer's biggest pitfalls aren't mysterious. Mostly there's the heat and the sun, which can be two separate problems to combat. Precisely how to conquer the road while dodging the wrath of summer is a practice best perfected by experience, so here are some tips birthed from experience, not in any intentional order.

1. Plan your route wisely.

Where you're going matters. As you might suspect, planning a summer road trip that will take you through the South is dangerous territory. With that said, I've done it, plenty of people have, but be mindful of the regional summer climate when planning your summer trip. Give yourself more time for rest than you think you need. The heat has a way of corroding away a traveler's soul. If you think you can manage full-day drives during the summer, that's fine, but make sure your schedule is flexible.

2. Prepare your vehicle.

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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!

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In the food concession business, when it comes to menus, it can be a challenge to identify and pin down your market. Because your market is, literally, a moving target.

In one day your customers might be attendees of a farmers market in the morning, and Harley Davidson riders, enjoying a swap meet, in the afternoon. The following weekend you might have your concession at an art and wine show. Then, two days later, you find yourself setting up at a five day county fair.

I don't know any menu that can maximize sales at every event. Cotton candy is for kids, and fajitas are preferred by adults. Event goers admiring art while tasting wine are not likely to buy a corn dog. But, they might buy chocolate dipped strawberries or oysters. The reverse is true for people attending a motocross race.

Most concessionaires serve a menu based on their ambition. Generally, concessionaires who earn well over fifty thousand dollars a season operate highly productive concession booths and serve a menu that has broad appeal. The food they serve can be prepared and served to hundreds or thousands of people within a short window of time. They dominate large events, such as state fairs and large sporting events. These high attendance mega events attract a wide demographic of attendees and the earning potential is huge. There, too, booth space and other operating costs are equally huge. For these food concessionaires the critical mass bar is high, but, when reached, so is the pay-off.

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