Are You Thinking of Going South for the Winter?

About this time of year, exhibitors are booking shows in the deep South for the winter season. Before you apply for any show, budget for your expenses. Since the 2004 & 2005 hurricane seasons, lodging has skyrocketed. Gas prices have moderated somewhat the past few months, but the election is over now. Even on Wednesday as I traveled around Georgia, I saw prices climb a nickel from early morning to afternoon at the same stations. Food prices have risen, but they would be higher at home, too. Make a written guess-timate of what you'd spend to apply and get a booth, and then make the trip. Double that figure.  Do you believe that you could make that much at the show(s) you're thinking of applying to? That's your rock bottom goal of what you are hoping for. That's wholesale.

Next, ask questions about the shows you are considering. Ask the show director questions. Will she give you names/emails/phone numbers of past exhibitors? Ask past exhibitors questions. But remember, quite frequently, what seems like an excellent show to one craft maker is just a fraction of what another craft maker needs to get by. And make sure that what you have will sell in the events you are considering. If you have contemporary work, it may or may not sell at a country show.

Doing shows is always a gamble. The wind can blow you down, a weeklong media campaign can bring in more buyers than the event has ever had, your product can be exactly what the whole town has been anxious to buy... but before you invest in a Winter trip south, make sure you have better than even odds of making money doing so.

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