Summerfair 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>Summerfair 2006</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>June 2-4, Summerfair, Cincinnati.</B> </div> <bR> <div> Summerfair is held at Coney Island Park on the southeast side of Cincinnati. There are paved roads that allow you to drive right next to your booth for unloading. Most of the booths are on grass, with lots of room between and behind for storage. Artists are spread out over the park, though, and layout can be a bit confusing. Organizers distribute a map that makes finding booths a bit easier, as each row is named for a different color (purple, white, etc.). </div> <div> This was our second year at Summerfair. Last year's sales were well below average, but we had lots of interest in large pieces. Patty and I didn't close any of those large sales but thought there was potential here, so we came back for one more try. Last year the weather was brutally hot, so this year we were preparing ourselves for more of the same. We were pleasantly surprised! A cold front came through on Thursday night and brought lots of rain. The show officially opened on Friday at 2 p.m., and that's just about when the rain stopped. After that, the weather was perfect the entire weekend, with temperatures in the mid 70s and lots of sun. Because of the rain, though, our booth had become lakefront property, as the area was a marsh for most of Saturday. Thankfully, festival staff spread out straw to absorb the moisture. </div> <div> Crowds came out in record numbers for the 39th annual event. For us, this was one of those magical art-show weekends: two sales on Friday, three on Saturday and four more on Sunday for a total of nine pieces, with an average ticket price of just under $2,000. It was our best show of the year to date! All nine of our sales were to people who left our booth saying they would be back - and then came back! Sometimes it pays to give a show a second try if you feel it has sales potential. </div> <div> I spoke with quite a few artists at the end of the show to see how everyone did. Two painters reported above-average sales but took different routes to get there: One sold larger pieces, while the other had success with smaller ones. A metal artist and a jeweler each reported above-average sales, with larger pieces favored. A stained-glass artist, a fabric exhibitor, a potter and a glass artist also enjoyed above-average sales, with the latter two selling mostly smaller pieces. A photographer reported mostly smaller sales and a below-average show, however, as did two woodworkers. Most exhibitors said they would definitely return. And the $10,000 in awards didn't hurt, either.</div> <div> Breakdown was very well organized and one of the simplest of the shows we have done. With everyone trying to leave at the same time, we chose to eat, relax and go back at 8:30 p.m. It was still light out, and we were one of the last ones still there. We parked right next to our booth, loaded up and were driving out by about 9:30.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>