The promotional hurdles of a new show:
Two event directors share their start-up experiences
By Donna Wilson
Ever wonder what it’s like to undertake the challenge of a new show? Certainly, when professional promoters such as Howard Alan Events and Sugarloaf Mountain Works try a new venue, much of the infrastructure and organization is already in place. But what happens if you start from scratch? What types of challenges, pitfalls and hazards might a promoter have to overcome to get a new event off the ground?
Richard Sullivan of the new Haldeman Creek Art Show in Naples, Florida, talked to SA about the debut of his Thanksgiving weekend show. In addition, Richard Rothbard of American Craft Marketing discussed his experiences with the two-year-old fall Artworks Toledo event in Ohio.
Both Sullivan and Rothbard said you needed to have faith in both yourself and your new show. Fortunately, because Sullivan is also the director of the prestigious Naples National, he had access to quality artists. "It's always difficult to get artists to participate in a first-time art show event," stated Sullivan. "We simply sent out invitations, and I was able to fill about 80 percent of my available spaces. "We also invited some young, developing artists and some local Naples Art Association members. ... It was probably our biggest hurdle - to get quality artists to try the show."
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