HOME Gateway Questions Activities for Kids Art / Craft Community Scholars Cultural Tourism Folklife Heritage / History Success Stories KPAN Tools / Resources / Links Search Give us your Feedback!

Art and Craft 9 IMPORTANT THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: 1. Purpose of Your Festival Sponsors must be clear on why they want to host craft/art event and/or an event that makes the craft/art fair a component of a larger event.  Including crafts and visual arts as a sideline or entertainment to an event that has another activity as it's main focus (i.e. Bluegrass Music) may dilute sales, and in fact, compete directly with artists in their sales. If the purpose is to showcase the artisans, and generate income, whether a component of a larger festival, their needs and concerns would need to be addressed.  It is not unheard of for artisans to attend events as demonstrators only, and receive payment for their "show".  Some events take a commission on sales, which can offset the expenses of a show where the exhibitor does not sell well, but many established artists might see this as a red flag. Audience - Who is the audience for the event and how will they be reached?  Knowing the audience will help in the selection of exhibitors and also in marketing the event. Audience is very much tied to mission, and must be determined before other decisions are made or planning is begun. A local audience, or school children would be handled very differently from tourists that would be marketed to in a large region, state or even national level. Knowing what type of art and craft the audience expects to see will impact what they buy. The potential audience will also affect decisions about the type of products represented. Track Record/Reputation of the Event - Established events with known attendance will be more successful in attracting established, professional artist on a broad scale who selectively choose their annual line-up of shows they will attend. Until an event can predict a successful draw, a process for building a quality bank of exhibitors with have to be developed over time. New events might offer other amenities or benefits to attract artists such as inexpensive booth fees, meals, marketing appearances in local news media, or booth set-up. The show sponsor might work with local artist(s) to develop and promote the event to their peers while the show is developing a history. Being able to speak to the dollars invested in marketing and expected attendance are important to attracting professional artists. 2. Written Plan for Festival Develop a detailed plan that includes a business, fundraising, programming, marketing and a participation-building process.  Each plan should have a description of what will happen, when, where, how and by whom.  The plan would need to address staffing, committees, volunteers and a draft budget.  Make sure the fair does not conflict with festivals in surrounding communities. 3. Volunteers Volunteers can be secured not only for planning, and committees but also for onsite help during the Festival.  As a service to your exhibitors, booth sitters can be available to assist exhibitors who may need meal and bathroom breaks.  Many community events rely solely on a volunteer staff. There are many sources for volunteers available within individual communities, and developing a plan for recruiting, training, managing, and providing some amenities for volunteers must be considered in the planning process. 4. Artists and Craftspeople Juried Or Not - Show sponsors need a process for inviting or selecting artists to participate. This process can be very open, or more exclusive, depending on the mission and purpose of the hosting community or organization. Artist can be invited based on their participation with other established groups (i.e. Kentucky Craft Marketing Program (KCMP), Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen (KCAG).  Or, sponsors may establish their own guidelines and jury standards. The decision to include local or outside jurors will need to be given particular attention.  A selection committee comprised solely of local residents might cause certain conflict of interests. So outside, non-biased jurors, or a selection committee, should be considered.  Established craft professionals and artisans will often only attend juried events. This is their assurance that they will be represented with artists of a similar level of sophistication and professionalism and they won't be competing unfairly with hobbyists whose prices may be lower, or even items that are commercially produced and merely assembled or decorated. Booth fees and or commissions charged will impact the artisan decision to participate in a particular event. Booth fees must be in line with comparable events and predictable sales. 5. Basic Needs for Festival This is a potentially exhaustive topic. Certainly issues of in-door and outdoor fairs would be very different.  Outdoor fairs in particular, need to provide level flat areas, possibly tents that have been secured from wind and rain. Access to facilities, restrooms, and food must be addressed. Easy access for loading and unloading and clear directions, necessary permits, etc. must be provided. Concern must be given to the size of booths, or assigned areas and cost variations for each. Will there be restrictions on how, and what exhibitors can use in their display?  Will there be items or sizes of items that will be restricted from use? Will signage, table, chairs, electricity be provided, or will the exhibitor be entirely responsible? These items all become items of particular expense. Provision of some display items and materials such as tents, tables and chairs, can be an attraction for potential exhibitors, but are also a considerable expense to the show producer. Experienced exhibitors will generally have these items and be well prepared to go into a virtually blank space, while beginners may expect to have these items provided.   6. Appearance of Festival Attention to the logistical details of the Festival, such as the layout of the booths, the physical requirements for exhibitors’ booth, signage, and the type of vendors permitted to exhibit all affect the positive or negative perception of the festival to the visitor.    Creating a positive experience through the ease of set-up, clear guidelines and regular communication with the exhibitors and staff will enhance the general atmosphere of the Festival. 7. PR/Media/Marketing Deciding on who will be the target market for the festival is the first step in formulating a marketing plan.  A marketing plan should be developed on a central theme and a logo for the fair is invaluable in that it can provide a unified look for the event.  The logo can be used on signs, as letterhead, and possibly on the festival “souvenirs”, such as t-shirts, mugs, etc.  Obtaining the services of a graphic artist is recommended in order to market your event perceived as a professionally run event. If the budget is small some forms of free publicity might be utilized, i.e., through press releases or public service announcements.  Most TV and radio channels provide for some type of free publicity. Most events will rely on a combination of paid advertising and free publicity.  Signage can be created and distributed throughout the community. Develop a mailing list for important contacts for possible mailing.  An opening reception or premier event might be used to attract the media, future sponsors, or combined as a thank you for staff and volunteers. 8. Non-artisan Vendors at Festival Having food at a Festival is necessary both for your vendors and the public.  As with the craft and/or art exhibitors, guidelines should be developed for food vendors. It is important to have the food booths open during set-up for the exhibitors.  9. Activities at the Festival Music/Entertainment  - When adding music to an art and/or craft fair, organizers should consider finding entertainment that best fits the nature of the festival.  The festival should be marketed so that attendees understand it is primarily a sales event and that the music is an added feature.  As with the art, craft and food exhibitors, guidelines for participation in the festival should be outlined, which includes their fee, arrangements to sell their own cd’s/ tapes, who provides the sound system, etc.   Care should also be taken when determining the size and location of the stage if they are to be placed in proximity to art and/or craft exhibitors.  This will assure that the sound or crowd gathering does not interfere with the exhibitor sales.  Demonstrations - Demonstrating and selling at a craft/art fair is really two different things. While some exhibitors are comfortable demonstrating and see it as a way to make sales, it can become it's own entertainment and may distract from sales if someone else does not assist with the sales in the booth. When requesting exhibitors to demonstrate, it should be done in the proper context. Exhibitors, who solely demonstrate, generally would receive payment just as a performer might. It is possible to have both in an event, but they will function better if seen as separate issues, with separate needs on the part of the exhibitors, and separate focus on the part of the audience. Assistance with creating a written plan for your festival can be obtained by applying for help through the Kentucky Peer Advisory Network! RETURN TO TOP RETURN TO ART & CRAFT MAIN PAGE This document was developed by the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program specifically for this website.