Wireless - Mobile Credit Card Machines

Show Review Archives > 2009 > OCTOBER
 

July 3-5, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO

July 3-5, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver. Contact: Terry Adams, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, 2 Steele Street, B100, Denver, CO 80206. Phone: 303-355-2787. Fax: 303-355-2788. E-mail: management@cherryarts.org. Web site: www.cherryarts.org. 100% outdoors. Exhibitors: 230.

Compiled from FastAudit reports

Fresh off its top-10 placement in the latest 200 Best, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival again produced great sales for our auditors, though feedback on the show was limited this year. Although the 19th annual show was hit with some bad weather, four-fifths of reporting exhibitors gave it high marks and said they would return. Auditor totals averaged $8,900 from average sales of $368.

"Our sales for the three-day weekend put this show in the top five of our best sales ever," said Laura Maclay, one of roughly 75 artists who were new to this year's show. "Our average sale price point is about $160, [but] our average sale at Cherry Creek was $200, which suggests multiple items per transaction and more purchases of high-end items. [There was] not much functional pottery at this event; otherwise, it was well balanced. Other festival organizers could learn a lesson from Terry Adams and his staff in terms of layout."

A bronze sculptor made $12,000 from average sales of $800 and gave a six (out of 10) to sales. All other categories got even higher marks, and the artist plans to return because of "fabulous attendance, great community support and publicity, [and] great festival management."

A mixed media artist ($3,000 total sales/$200 average item sold), on the other hand, was critical of sales and the way the staff handled the bad weather. "It rained. My booth and many others flooded," the artist said. "Show staff gave no warning about flooding." The exhibitor also said the show was overrated and attracted an "unsophisticated art-buying crowd."

That exhibitor was in the minority, though, with most auditors echoing the comments of jeweler Julie Powell who said the festival was a "fantastic event [with] awesome sales [and an] incredible staff."