It has been my experience, when you pay high dollar for a booth, you will get high returns. Not always but as a general rule. If the sponcers couldn't draw the crowd they wouldn't have vendors show up.
Most big show however require being juryed in and most of the time there is a waiting list for an open spot.
If their show is in Oct. and you are hoping to get in, start the process now! Come april or may and it might be too late, provided you can get in.
btw: I paid more then twice that to set up at the Cow Palace one time for a 2 day show. Was in the proffit before midway through first day.
but then again, I remember paying $150 to set up at one show and after two days had made $163... 
Only time I ever lost money on a show was when was invited to do a church, cost me $20 to set up and about $10 gas to get there. I made $5 after a whole day and a half.

Brad

thanks for the advice fellas!

It is indeed a juried event, and the space might definately be an issue. My plan is to start the application process when i get my tax return here in a couple of weeks.


Another concern for me is in the application, they ask for photos of the work, wich is no problem, but they also ask for pictures of your booth. I have never had a booth before so i dont know exactly what to do in this situation... should i go rent a table and bring it home and set it up in the yard and take some pics maybe?? then i also run into the problem of having enough inventory now to fill a table for a show in October.


I am sure i would at least see a small profit. This craft fair or whatever is heavily advertised, and is the biggest show in the state... In fact, i saw lots of license plates from out of state in the parking lot.


I am gonna do it for sure!! there are a couple of small shows between now and then that i am going to try to make as warm ups kinda... man i sure hope this goes good for me! I sure would love to sell turnings for a living..

I would have to go with Rev. Doug and Brad here.

The excitement of potential, whilst intoxicating, can also mask pitfalls.  I was going to suggest doing a few smaller shows to get an idea of what you sell best and to give you time to build up stock before doing a big show but Brad has covered that.  I have talked to people who do craft shows and one point they all made was that you need to have lots of stock that people would consider standard, in our case pens, bottle stoppers etc.  Buyers accept that they need to be there first to get larger, individual pieces like bowls and hollow forms etc but they expect you to have a good choice of smaller stuff.  This applies to any craft, I know potters who make loads and loads of eggcups and mugs to keep the passing crowd happy because people will complain if they feel your stock is inadequate - unless you are listed as a specialist in your particular craft offering a particular style.

Rev. Doug also made a good point.  If they normally have two turners and one decided not to go the other should have been delighted - but neither turned up.  There's a reason.

I think you should have a go at selling stuff because it would be a major thrill and you wouldn't know where it might might lead.  If I were doing a show (I never have) I think I would concentrate on lots of small stuff and business cards so that when people are showing off their new pen or stopper they have your card to show as well.

Good luck to you. Sounds like it may be a venture worth pursuing.
There are tons of sites on fairs, shows etc, for those selling and what to do, what to expect, how to, tips, problems, etc.
I'd recommend reading some. There is a wealth of information available to help you from having to reinvent the wheel.
I'd avise you research the show, visit if possible (which you have), and make notes on what you saw there to give yourself the best chance of being accepted. If their booth spaces are 10x10 for instance will your 10x10 booth with weights/tiedowns outside the frame be allowed? You might be surprised when they come up and charge you extra for exceeding their dimensions. bang head Another friend took his lathe and was going to turn some just to catch people's interest. When he was setting it up he was told he would be charged an insurance fee for using power tools in the public area. bang head Generally surprises at such events are not welcome and are rarely in your favor.

Junior, I've typically paid $200 to nearly $500 for a one or two day show in the Los Angeles area. Entry fees vary around the country, but unless you're out in the middle of nowhere, those sound like pretty reasonable fees.

When I first started thinking of doing art shows, I did like you and attended a few. I found a few vendors (net even woodturners) who were willing to offer advice, and learned a lot just from asking them questions.

For my first show, I had the same barriers as you...the product pics were no sweat, but I needed booth pics. So, I bought a booth, tables, and table covers, had a sign made at Kinkos, got a few baskets from Ikea, and set up my booth in the back yard and filled the tables with every turning I could get my hands on. I also had to submit a copy of my business license, so I had to go through the whole DBA, tax registration, and business license thing, too. All in all it was worth the trouble. I made more than my entry fee on the first show, and also made some great connections, including Ray Leier from Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or . (Ray was the promoter of the show, and I've done a number of shows with him since then.)

Brad's had better success as far as making back his entry fee than I have. It sounds like he's got a wider spectrum price-wise of products. Although I usually have a few pens, bottle stoppers, and confetti lamps, I mainly have bowls and hollow forms, which aren't always fast to sell. I've had a few shows where I only made a few bucks more (or less) than the entry, and had a couple where I only sold a $40 pen, yet paid $285+ to do it. Right now I'm a bit leery about entering anything in this area due to the economy, but I still plan to pick out at least one show to do this spring, just to test the waters. I really saw the effects of the economy hit the shows out here last fall. My best show ever was the Brentwood show last spring. Expensive entry fee for a one-day show, but I netted more that day than any two-day show I'd ever done. Then my worst show ever was last fall, at the same show in Brentwood. I sold a pen. Nothing else. Lots of people walking around the show, but nobody was carrying any merchandise. I wasn't the only seller who lost money that day. Fortunately, I'm not relying on the income to put food on the table. (But the extra shop fund money is always nice.) If I was serious about making money, I'd have more small stuff for sale, but right now I'd rather try to sell what I like to turn instead of turning things that don't interest me, just to make a sale.

The fact that you saw people carrying purchases around the show is a good sign. This sounds like a show that would be worth pursuing, but I'll second the advice of the others in saying you might want to do a couple smaller shows first to warm up with.

Sounds like you're going about things intelligently. Best of luck, and much success.  smiley=thumbsup.gif

Jr I used to have a link to a website that had a really good forum and info on Craft fairs I am going to see if I can find it again and I'll post the link here.  

thanks Phil