One of the main ways to succeed at your local art festival is to have an attractive booth set up to appeal to potential customers. When I first started off selling my artwork at art festivals I had a big mess. Paintings were hanging on 2×4 wood. The tent was sent up improperly and I had lawn chairs sitting in the entrance of the booth where no one could really get in. After some trial and error, I found several tips that made my booth more inviting.
1. I bought display panels that look appealing and withstand strong wind. I also bought a director’s chair and threw away the lawn chair so I would not be so low when sitting and talking to potential customers.
2. I only put up work that focuses on one theme or style. I didn’t want to look like an amateur so I made sure centered around one theme.
3. I set up my artwork nicely and neat around my booth. I kept a nice amount of space between each painting so that the paintings didn’t look like a bunch of clutter. I wanted to make sure that each painting stood alone.
4.I change my attitude. One of the best pieces of advice I got from an artist was to always have a positive attitude. Customers can pick up on your attitude and it may have an effect on your sales.
5. I set up nice tablecloths, rugs, soft music, candles to set the tone for their space.
6. I realize my booth is my store so I stop eating, drinking, and talking on my cell phone while at work.
7. I told all my friends they could not hang out at my booth to socialize. I found customers don’t like coming into booths that are crowded with people who are not looking at the artwork. The only crowd that draws a bigger crowd at any booth is a line at your booth where customers are making a purchase of your artwork.
After making these few changes I saw a big difference in my sales. These are some tips you may want to consider.
