Naples National 2008

<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>Naples National 2008</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>February 23-24, Naples National Art Festival, Naples.</B> Contact: Tom Taylor, Naples Art Association, 585 Park Street, Naples, FL 34102; phone 239-262-6517, ext. 109. E-mail: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>festivals@naplesart.org</U></FONT>. Web site: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>www.naplesart.org</U></FONT>. Application fee: $30. Space fee: $350-$700. Space size: 10x10 to 10x20. 100% outdoors. Exhibitors: 275. Attendance: 30,000 (2007 gate). Admission: $3. </div> <bR> <div> This was the fifth year for Patty and me at this show. Despite its high ranking in the <I>200 Best</I>, it’s never really been a well-above-average show for us, but it’s close to home, we love Naples, and there is always the potential to do really well here. Most of the people who have bought from us in the past at this show own multiple homes, here and somewhere up north, so there’s a very wealthy clientele in Naples. </div> <div> The booths are located in two areas: in Cambier Park and on Eight Street next to the park. Booths on the street get much more traffic than those in the park. In addition, the park layout is very confusing to navigate and has lots of areas that get very few patrons. This year the show had a new director, Tom Taylor, and he advertised the park layout as being new and improved, but I still heard complaining from a few artists who got very little traffic by their booths. </div> <div> It was very warm for a February show this year. Our booth was on the street, in the sun, and it was really hot. Booths in the park, on the grass and under trees, were about 10 degrees cooler. I’ll still take the extra traffic that goes with being on the street! </div> <div> Setup took place the day before. Artists in the park could set up starting on Friday morning while booths on the street had to wait until after 6 p.m. Setup was very organized and well run. Bring a good dolly for this show: The street booths are tight, and all park locations require a dolly.</div> <div> This year Patty and I got very lucky, selling five pieces on average sales of just under $2,000. Then late in the day on Sunday, a couple came back and purchased a $5,500 piece that more than doubled our total. I spoke with two woodworkers at the 29th annual show: One reported about an average show while the other did well above average. Three painters reported different results: One had an average show while the two others reported well-below-average results, with one zeroing for the weekend. Two glass artists gave feedback, one coming in well above average and the other well below. Lastly, a jeweler reported average sales but said her show average was down this year, forcing her to lower her expectations at events in general. </div> <div> Breakdown was pretty typical for a show this size, with some people dollying, some pulling up close to their booths and others waiting until later. Overall breakdown was neither good nor bad.</div> <div> I made a point of going around after the show and asking artists who had been doing the show for at least a few years how they liked the new director and what they thought about the changes made to the show. The former director, Richard Sullivan, was very well liked by many, including myself, so I was interested to see what others thought of the show now. Personally, I thought things were about the same. There were a few improvements in some areas, although the quality of artists slipped slightly. Also, there was some obvious buy/sell or mass-produced work that slipped past the jury this year. Two artists said they did not like the direction of the show now and would not reapply. On the other hand, I spoke with several others who said they thought the show was better with the new director and would definitely be back. This is another example of how difficult it is get a group of artists to agree on anything! </div> <div> For Patty and me, sales wise, it was our best year ever here because of the one large sale at the end. I would recommend this show if you have another in the area the week before or after. It’s possible to pull really big numbers here, but, unfortunately, there are still too many artists either just getting by or not making it at all. </div> <div> <I>Editor’s note: Our lone FastAudit as of press time fell into the category of “not making it at all.” The graphic artist labeled his/her sales as simply “low” on average transactions of $175 and wasn’t sure about returning. “The show did not seem to be properly advertised, and most patrons complained about the layout,” said the exhibitor. “It would be so much better if they cut down on the number of artists to improve this very confusing layout, or revamp the layout.” But even this unhappy exhibitor admitted that the economy was largely to blame. Watch for this granddaddy of Naples art shows to survive the current slump in the business and remain relatively strong when compared to other Florida events.</I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>