From Florida to Michigan - How Directors Market Their Shows

How does an art festival market their event to the public without big name entertainers, wine tasting areas, children's stages, interactive activities for fairgoers? In other words, strictly an art fair.

Sharon McAllister, Executive Director of ArtFest Fort Myers (FL) joins Sara Shambarger, Director of Art Fairs, at the Krasl Art Center, including Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph, MI, on this episode. Sharon and Sara have been in the art fair business for well over fifteen years, travel to visit other art fairs and have a wide perspective on creating a community-wide event that facilitates "buy-in" by the local population.

This show will have strategic information that will be useful to artists and show organizers

We'll talk about:

• what they do to make an art fair attractive to buyers and how artists are their partners in doing this
• how artists can help them in their mission to bring buyers to the shows
• what they think artists can be do to maximize their sales 
• the challenges they face marketing tthe events during "high season" in their resort communities
• how to bring in an audience when the focus is solely on the art fair, without big name entertainers, wine tasting, road races, zumbathons, stilt walkers, intrusive sponsor booths, children's stages