2008 Wheatsville Arts Festival wrap-up
Dec. 8th, 2008 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillian13Sales Sunday were very slow and light. A couple of vendors left early because they didn't sell anything! The dust was terrible, and the wind kept gusting strongly enough to knock over parts of my displays. I now have to take everything out of the bins, clean it, and replace it. Plus, I need to take all my table covers to a laundromat--between the Celtic Festival and this weekend, they are filthy.
Because they close the show at 5:30 and the sun goes down at 5:15, we got to tear down in the dark. Awesome.
Overall, it's nice to have the extra money in my business account. And I bought myself some more great soap, a new tie-dye shirt, some ornaments, and a cool notebook. But the show needs a serious overhaul.
My comments to the people who run this show under the cut.
Dear Wheatsville Board:
I understand that you have never held this show anywhere but in the confines of your parking lot. That being said, please take the following suggestions to heart:
1) PUT UP SIGNS ON THE ROADS. There was no signage directing the casual driver or pedestrian to the show. None. The AMOA show, which was a couple of miles west, had many, many signs, plus one hanging over 35th St.
2) ADVERTISE THE SHOW SOMEWHERE BESIDES YOUR (CRAPPY) WEBSITE AND IN YOUR MEMBERS-ONLY NEWSLETTER. You cannot count on casual walk-ups, since the show is no longer on a busy street. Plz to have advertising! We didn't even get mentioned in the "Things happening" section of the local paper.
3) START THE JURY PROCESS IN MAY, NOT AUGUST! Seriously, I shouldn't have only 4 weeks notice for a pretty major juried show. Please set a good timetable and KEEP TO IT.
4) PROVIDE MORE TRASH CANS. 'Nuff said.
5) LOWER THE VOLUME ON YOUR MUSICIANS. This is not a concert. This is a craft show with music. If the music is bad (and the opening "act" was terrible), you drive away customers and annoy your vendors.
6) THE LAST MUSICIAN OF THE DAY ON SUNDAY SHOULD END BEFORE THE SHOW CLOSES. Seriously, the show ended at 5:30, and the music went to 5:45.
7) END THE SHOW AT 4 ON SUNDAY. The park gets really dark after 6, so we were packing up by our headlights. There were lights in the parking lot at your store; there are no lights in the park. Closing at 4 would be better.
Because they close the show at 5:30 and the sun goes down at 5:15, we got to tear down in the dark. Awesome.
Overall, it's nice to have the extra money in my business account. And I bought myself some more great soap, a new tie-dye shirt, some ornaments, and a cool notebook. But the show needs a serious overhaul.
My comments to the people who run this show under the cut.
Dear Wheatsville Board:
I understand that you have never held this show anywhere but in the confines of your parking lot. That being said, please take the following suggestions to heart:
1) PUT UP SIGNS ON THE ROADS. There was no signage directing the casual driver or pedestrian to the show. None. The AMOA show, which was a couple of miles west, had many, many signs, plus one hanging over 35th St.
2) ADVERTISE THE SHOW SOMEWHERE BESIDES YOUR (CRAPPY) WEBSITE AND IN YOUR MEMBERS-ONLY NEWSLETTER. You cannot count on casual walk-ups, since the show is no longer on a busy street. Plz to have advertising! We didn't even get mentioned in the "Things happening" section of the local paper.
3) START THE JURY PROCESS IN MAY, NOT AUGUST! Seriously, I shouldn't have only 4 weeks notice for a pretty major juried show. Please set a good timetable and KEEP TO IT.
4) PROVIDE MORE TRASH CANS. 'Nuff said.
5) LOWER THE VOLUME ON YOUR MUSICIANS. This is not a concert. This is a craft show with music. If the music is bad (and the opening "act" was terrible), you drive away customers and annoy your vendors.
6) THE LAST MUSICIAN OF THE DAY ON SUNDAY SHOULD END BEFORE THE SHOW CLOSES. Seriously, the show ended at 5:30, and the music went to 5:45.
7) END THE SHOW AT 4 ON SUNDAY. The park gets really dark after 6, so we were packing up by our headlights. There were lights in the parking lot at your store; there are no lights in the park. Closing at 4 would be better.
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Date: 2008-12-08 04:12 pm (UTC)Re: blowing dust, I am reminded of the time a few years ago... 2005, if memory serves, when the wind blew ridiculously hard all weekend for the Medieval Fair, here. Everyone went home caked in dirt -- you'd blow your nose, and it'd be *black* -- and the Rogues had to wash all of their tshirts and wipe down all of the CDs afterwards.
I can only imagine how much "fun" it is for you to have to wipe down all of your merch. Eep!!!