Greetings fellows in glass,
I have a question for you experienced show people in regards to the best day and time of the week for a small group or private show. I'm organizing an event to showcase/sell my work as well as the work of a few artist friends. The event is planned for the week before Thanksgiving to avoid the jam-packed month of December (and hopefully catch some early Holiday shoppers!). A beautiful historic ranch house on our church's property will be the location for this first-time art event. We have a choice of either Thursday evening or Saturday during the day for use of the facilities. I'd love to receive some feedback on the advantages, or lack thereof, of weeknight vs. weekend shows. So, all you veterans, what do you think?
if it's art 4 sale, and an adult event, i vote for thursday evening.
if it's a arts/craft fair, with other stuff like food and things kids like, family oriented, then saturday.
more people may be free on saturday, but they'll wedge your show into a long list of other saturday obligations, and they'll have kids with them. which introduces a distraction and alters the tone of the show.
i used to have little sales at my house around the same time of the year you're talking about, with a couple of other artists involved. we had nice snacks, wine that was fit to drink, the pool lights on, pleasing music. people enjoyed it, and we sold a lot. it was an adult gig, and people used to ask us when the next one would be.
good luck ... i like these kinds of things. they can be very lucrative.
the phx area has one of these. it takes place the 2 weekends before thanksgiving, both sat and sun. i haven't seen a lot of kids on it, since it's a gallery/home studio tour with a lot of driving between stops.
people are generally too busy during the week to get out, although the art walks through scottsdale and cave creek are on thurs and fri nights, respectively.
I'm definitely trying to keep this a fine art show and NOT a craft fair with crocheted potholders (no offense to you potholder lovers out there!). I will be presenting my dichroic jewelry and fused glass ornaments. Others will be showing handmade journal books, watercolors, and stained glass. A local antique dealer will also have a table with fine porcelain and the like. I'm calling it the "Art and Antiquities Fall Show" (anyone with an idea for a better name?) and a portion of the proceeds are going to a fantastic local charity. My business manager/accountant/husband thinks that weeknights are too much for the 9 to 5 crowd and doesn't allot a generous enough time window, thus my original question. I myself like the Thursday night time, but figured I'd get some input from you artists experienced in such things.
Last year I was asked to do one of these by a women's arts group in S.CA. It was on a Wednesday afternoon, as I recall. Attendance was light because so many of the invitees were at work. In my experience, weekdays are not a good time for shows.
Personally, I wouldn't even do a show that was held during the week.
I've done private shows in a friend's psychiatric office on Friday afternoon and evenings. We were limited to that time frame because that was when she didn't see patients. When we choose weekends when nothing else was going on in town we had very good turn out. We were open from 3:00 pm until 9:00pm. Those who were free in the afternoon cam early. Most people stopped by on their way home from work. The late turnout was slow, but we did have some late traffic.
Alecia
Alecia Helton
Wear Original Wonders!
Carrollton TX
I'd opt for the Saturday afternoon and serve light munchies and
decent wine.....I've done several home shows on Saturday and
did very well. They started at 1:00 and ended at 4:00. In two
weeks I'll be doing a show at a private home on a late Sunday
afternoon. I have concerns with the day/time but will see what
happens.
Any reason you couldn't do both? Maybe it would give you a good baseline for the pros and cons of each of the days. It sounds like you may have the option and it only leaves Friday in between. Just a thought
Thank you all for sharing your inifinite wisdom on this! As it turns out, The facilities are available Friday evening so I'm am going to do both Friday and Saturday. Hoping to hit the best of both worlds this way and give my clients a good place to see and buy my new creations. Now its off to work, I've got a whole lot of organizing and fusing to do!
For holiday sales, I'd opt for Saturday, too. In my neck of the woods, art gallery openings which are traditionally held on Thursdays or Fridays, slow way down in the winter months especially if it's cold and/or you risk bad weather. That doesn't necessarily mean your sales won't happen, but heavier traffic helps the odds. Remember that meaningful traffic is key. If you're doing a mailing, a quick follow-up phone call to your best customers a day or two before the event might generate more serious sales traffic. Your venue sounds like an excellent antidote to those dreadful mall experiences!
