So you got into an art show? Fantastic! This is great news and you should be proud of yourself. Now you get to showcase your work in a different avenue that just online. You get to meet with people in person, and press the flesh and actually talk directly to the people that currently support you. Hopefully, they will also will become your future fans down the road. This is great news and you should be proud of yourself.
The next step is to begin planning for the show, there are a few things to consider as you make your gallery/art show debut. Below are some of the ways you can start to get ready.
Setting up the space
The very first thing to consider is, where is your space going to be held? Are you going to be in a dark room or in a light room? Are you going to have a wall to hang your work or are you in an open space/gallery? Will you need to get a display banner to showcase your work, or are you going to be presented with a table where you can spread your work out? All of these things play into how your work will be displayed and how you will want to catch the eye of potential buyers or viewers. For the Holiday RAWK show that I will be participating in next month, these are the exact things I will need to consider as I prepare for the show. Currently the space is an open area, with a gated wall that I can display my work against (think a gate-like fence where you can hang materials). For my event my plan is to hang a sheet over the edge and then project my work against the sheet. I have already received the projector in the mail and tested it las night (it’s pretty sweet). So now the next thing I will additionally hang a banner showcasing my name so people will know it is my work. I am honestly not sure how this is going to work yet. The good news is that I will be able to walk through the space and get a preview which will help with the planning. Seeing the space in advance is key for how you are going to display your work during a show.
Promotions:
I have several promotional ideas, I am just not sure which one will work. First-off I have already done the social media promotion right away, so that is done. Although done, I will need to keep posting and reposting until the day of the show itself. I also need to develop/update my business cards.
There are several sites you can use to do this, but the best sites that I have seen so far are:
MOO cards:
Have ordered from them several times, and I think I will keep doing so.
They have tons of options for card stock, it’s really easy to apply designs and make edits.
You will want to account for delivery time wen ordering by mail. So make any of the promotional ideas that require shipping early so that you are not stressed out about getting the materials to arrive.
Sticker Mule:
People love* stickers and they are a good way to have your logo or brand on visible items so that people start to gain brandd recognition. One of the next things to do is have stickers printed up and shipped.
For that I use Sticker Mule. They have lots of design shapes to choose from, and are fast and easy to use. Under the shame principle, make sure that you order the stickers early enough so that you get the materials on time for delivery.
Getting the Word out
The next thing I need to do is send out an e-mail to the people I want to directly invite.
The e-mail has already been drafted and I will spend time today looking it over to make sure that the e-mail makes sense and is not too dense or long.
From there I will complete the contact listing for the e-mail and send it today.
I think that today is a good day (Tuesdays). I can have the e-mail and the e-mail list ready to go, and send an e-mail every Tuesday and Friday leading up to the show to remind people to buy tickets.
However, e-mail communication part is only the first step. I think the most effective way to get the word out is just to ask people directly. I have already told several folks bout the show and my idea is to then follow up with them directly so they remember about the event and the tickets. The deadline for ticket is a week before the show itself, so it will be important to stay on people’s radar for purchasing.
All in all, I think the event will be fun, and the hardest part will be sending the word out, getting people to come, and not resting easy until all is done. More on how it’s all going next week I have 7 days left.
