As you sign up for an art festival, especially if you’re new to the game you may be looking for some solid tips to get on the right track. If you’re registered for a Howard Alan Events (HAE) Festival then you may already know that they hold art vendors to a slightly higher standard than other events you may have attended.
We’ve created a list of tips you’ll need to help you succeed at the HAE festival.
1. ART DISPLAY REQUIREMENTS
If you work at shows often then you may have seen artists displaying their art in unattractive ways. This may cast your beautiful art in a way that will make it much harder to sell.
HAE festivals have specific art display requirements for vendors who sell their work at its show:
Painting, Photography, and Mixed Media Art
- All framing and matting should be in the same scheme.
- Remove cardboard corners off of artwork during the show.
- Must have at least 75 percent of originals hanging on the walls, nicely matted and framed. Giclées must be professionally labeled as such.
- Have browse boxes that either match your panels or are in the same fabric and color schemes. Try to have them free standing; placing them on tables decreases the value of your prints. NO plastic bins.
- You must have panels (walls) in your booth and they must be covered with fabric or carpeting.
Pottery, Ceramic, Raku, Glass, and Wood
- Displaying pottery, ceramic, raku, glass, and wood on pedestals of varying heights is best.
- Make sure pedestals are painted an appealing color that enhances your work. If pedestals do not work for you, attractive shelving is another option.
- You must have panels (walls) in your booth and they must be covered with fabric or carpeting.
Jewelry
- Wood or mica units, with or without glass, with either coral, stones, or whatever ideas you can come up with to enhance your jewelry are the most attractive.
2. BUILDING TENT WALLS
Since it is a requirement to have walls on your tent it is important to either buy them or make your own. If you are interested in buying them you can visit the bottom of this page. If you would like to build your own, there is a helpful Youtube tutorial you can follow here.
3. BOOTH MANNERISMS
- Stay standing as much as possible
- It is much more welcoming to customers if they enter your booth and you are standing. This gives the impression that you are ready and willing to help them with whatever questions or needs they may have.
- Wear presentable clothes
- If you’ve attended enough art shows then you may have seen the vendor sitting with his shirt off. Needless to say, this isn’t a great sales tactic and is discouraged. While you don’t need to dress nicely, just be presentable and approachable.
- Don’t get distracted by friends and family
- Chances are friends or family will stop by your booth and want to chat. You can see them anytime and the reason you pay to go to events is to showcase your art. Not to chat with people that you could call up anytime.
- Don’t block the entrance to your booth
- As you are speaking with customers invite them into your booth or talk to them at one side of your entrance. It’s easy to forget where you’re standing sometimes and blocking the entrance can ward off prospective customers.
4. DISPLAY SHOW STOPPING PIECES
When you’re planning your booth make sure you take a couple of your best pieces. The idea is that these pieces will grab the attention of people as they walk by your booth. If your booth stands out, people are more likely to come and talk to you and look at more pieces. That means you’ll have a higher chance of selling more products.
5. BE MINDFUL OF THE WEATHER
When you are at a show all day, especially in states that experience sudden inclement weather, it’s important that you show up prepared. To avoid having your tent blown away by high wind gusts, it’s recommended that you stake your tent down. If your tent is on concrete, use heavy weights to keep the tent weighted down.
When the wind picks up, anything can happen. Check out this video to see what kind of damage wind can do to tents. If your tent blows away and damages your art or another vendor’s art then you may be held liable for the cost of damages. If you have art festival insurance from ACT then you may be covered if something like this were to happen.
WRAP-UP
Even though preparing for an art festival can be stressful, you can be sure that Howard Alan Events Art Festivals are professionally operated and well attended so your chances of success are high. To check out HAE’s calendar of events or to register as a vendor, visit their site here.
