Selling art at conventions, shows, and fairs

[cmetznerdotcom]

Hey! I was wondering if I could possibly request a class or even just start a discussion about working at Artist Alleys, good travel/storage ideas for your inventory, good display ideas, and just how in general do you guys sell art at conventions? I've done two now and each time I've learned valuable lessons but I'd love to hear from the teachers and other members who work conventions and get their insight!

[TessaW]

Can't help you too much in this area, but I would recommend watching Will Terry's youtube videos about his convention experience. It looks like he had a pretty sweet setup.

[Jon Anderson]

I've been curious for something like this, too. I don't have any "Con's" close to where I live but there are several outdoor art shows and I'm curious about that setup. Thanks for bringing this up.

[Lee White]

We are definitely going to do a video on this. Jake and WIll sell at cons and do quite well. I don't do well at cons, but I kill it at the art fairs. There is a lot to consider with these and the cost and effort is high getting in (especially for outdoor fairs). Still, there is money to be made and it's a corner stone for our business model and brings in an extra $30,000 to $55,000 per year (gross sales).

[cmetznerdotcom]

@lee-white Thanks so much for addressing this Lee, I absolutely didn't know it played that much into the career of an artist! I look forward to seeing it, thank you!

[Lee White]

@cmetznerdotcom It can pay that much. The problem with fairs/cons is that each artist will have different results. Sometimes people next to me at fairs make twice what I make. Some make half (or less). So what the video is going to focus on is how to ease your way into it. You don't want to spend $8000 on a pro setup only to realize that your work isn't selling.