Bayou city 2006

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Show Reviews</B></div> <div> <B>6260 N.W. 19 Street, Sunrise, Fl. 33313 Toll Free 1-877-512-3333    Email: </B><A HREF="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com"><U><B>mike@mikealbin.com</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mike Albin.Com "><U>Mike Albin.Com </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web design"><U>Web design</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ma.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Articles"><U>Marketing Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sr.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Show Reviews"><U>Show Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Tools"><U>Marketing Tools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="l.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#777777" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>March 24-26, Bayou City Art Festival, Houston.</B> </div> <bR> <div> Houston's Bayou City Art Festival occurs twice a year, with the spring show running for three days in Memorial Park and the fall event taking place over two days on the streets of downtown. Setup for the spring show begins on Wednesday and runs through Friday morning. However, very few artists take advantage of the Wednesday setup and instead set up on Thursday. Patty and I had heard horror stories about how bad setup was on Thursday and wanted to avoid that if possible. So we set up on Wednesday night and pretty much had the park to ourselves. It was a great way to do setup! </div> <div> The show was held along a paved circle that ran through the park's picnic area. The road was wide enough for one row of booths and a lane for driving, but there were no parking spaces! There were a few areas to pull off to unload, though, but some artists still chose to dolly from the parking lot.</div> <div> Friday's crowds were small, and the weather was sunny but a bit chilly. Most artists we spoke with said sales were slow on Friday. On the other hand, Saturday and Sunday were a completely different story! The weather was sunny and in the lower 70s, and the crowds were massive! This was one of those shows where you really needed a helper. </div> <div> This was our first time at the spring show, although we had done the downtown fall show for the first time in 2005. We sold only four pieces all weekend this year, and two of those went to one customer. The pieces were a good size, though, and we ended up with slightly above-average sales totals. </div> <div> The photographer in the booth next to us had people waiting in line to buy, and I'm sure he lost sales from people not willing to wait. His sales totals for the weekend were above average. A glass artist who had been doing the show for a number of years said the show was usually well above average and was again this year. (His mailing list works very well here.) </div> <div> A wood sculptor and a jeweler also reported above-average sales. In addition, I spoke with two painters: One said the Festival was usually well above average but this year's sales were only average, while the other reported slightly below-average business. Finally, a stained-glass artist reported slightly below-average sales but had hopes of custom making a few large pieces that would make this a well above-average event. Every artist I spoke with said they'd come back if given the chance.</div> <div> Breakdown was a bit hectic. Some artists chose to dolly, while others chose to wait. You had the option to break down on Monday, though. (Empty spaces make for closer parking and less dollying.) We broke down late Sunday night, at 10 p.m., after most exhibitors had left for the evening. We found a parking space fairly close by, and loading up was pretty simple.</div> <div> This is one of those shows with a good buying energy. Artists who have been coming here awhile say they look forward to it every year. We definitely plan on coming back!</div> </td> </tr></table></body>