Having Trouble Finding Shows in My Area!

by Fatima
(Buffalo, NY)

I have been making jewelry, and I think I am ready to sell at a booth or festival. I would like to sign up and have a deadline so I have all my pieces made by then.

It is too late for the winter / holiday shows, but I want to register right now for the spring shows.

My only problem is that I cannot find local listings on how to register for the shows?

Whenever I receive the newspaper, I see all this information about holiday markets, festivals in the area, etc. However, then it is too late for me to try to get a vendor's table.

How can I find local shows in my area? I want to start now for the spring festivals, but do not know where to start.

I've been searching online and cannot find anything, until it is too late.

How do you guys find shows that you can register for in your area? Any information would be appreciated please!

Thank you!

Fatima

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Having Trouble Finding Shows in My Area!

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Tips for finding jewelry shows
by: Rena

Hi Fatima,

I've just updated my strategies for finding good shows - see my Art and Craft Show Listings tips.

In addition, be sure to see my Craft Show Ideas - my top-10 listing of alternative venues for setting up your jewelry display and selling your work without competition. You can use these ideas any time of year, without needing any official event listings months in advance.

And regarding all the current show listings you're seeing in your local newspaper - why not contact the people in charge of these events and ask them:

1) To put you on their mailing lists for future shows. That's a great way to start getting notified of upcoming events in time to apply for them.

2) To let you know if they have any last-minute vendor cancellations for their upcoming shows. Often show organizers are willing to let you fill the place of an unexpectedly vacant vendor space at the last minute. Of course, this means you'd have to be pretty much ready to pack up and head down to the event at a moment's notice, but it can offer you some good opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise.

I hope this helps, Fatima - and hope others here have some good ideas for you too!

Never too late!
by: Delia Stone

Rena's article is a well spring of information. I wanted to add that all of those shows whose deadlines you've missed should not be overlooked. Instead, contact the promoter and ask to be added to the list. It may not help you for 2011, but it will give you a head start on the following year.

Also go visit these shows as an observer. Take note of things like; the number of exhibitors, the number of patrons, do you see people walking around with packages? Ask some of the other jewelry vendors if it's a good show, ask how many years they've been doing the show (if they've done it for several years then they deemed it a good enough show to reapply to). Collect business cards from other artists at the show, especially jewelry vendors, then go to their websites and check out their show schedule. This is a good way to find new shows in your area and often shows just outside your area.

Depending on how serious you might like to get about doing shows, you might consider buying a subscription to the Art Fair Source Book. It's a fantastic resouce, but it's costly. If you're going to become an official business then it's well worth the investment as long as you consider traveling a possibility for shows. Just google it if you're interested.

Good luck to you!

Try local Guilds
by: Anonymous

If you have a local crafters guild that might be worth joining. Those crafters always seem to know what's going on, as well as staging their own shows in some cases.

Here's an idea!
by: PDRjewelry

Try eventlister.com. You can get a month listing for free and small fee to see all of year. That's were I looked. Now I just want to get my jewelry on line. 2 1/2 years doing shows and not fun anymore. May start again in Feb or March. (last show was in May!) oh, google "craft show", "craft event" for your city and see what they does! Buy Rena's E-Book!

finding craft shows online
by: Oxcart Jewelry

Personally I would never spend $500 for the Art Fair Source Book when I have the internet available for free. Simply google "craft show or event" and be amazed at what comes up. I especially like Fairs and Festivals.net -- enter your zip code and choose the radius (in number of miles) you'd like to explore. I also get ideas for events I never considered selling my work at. Good luck!

Other Ideas
by: Anonymous

In my studio I have a box that I put all adds for craft shows that I missed or it was too late to sign up for. Then when I need craft shows I look up the company or place that put the event on and see if they have any upcoming shows and when it is.

Also when I really like a craft show I was a vendo at, I research the company that put it on, and see if they do more shows throughout the year. If its a big company they usally do a couple every so often. I did a craft show through a company and loved the event. I reaserched the company and found out they did several events a year. Now I go to all of them. A single show turned out to be a whole years worth of shows for me! Good Luck!!!

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