At our Festival Programme launch at Gallery North on Friday 24th August, Julian Sutherland Beatson gave us a few tips on how artists on the art trail can make the most of the festival week. Julian has had 5 years experience with the Eastbourne Festival and runs his own workshops for professional artists on how to make a living from their art.
These are some of Julian's suggestions.
Make it obvious that your venue is open - just opening the door is not enough, put up balloons (yellow and purple are this year's festival colours), bunting and signs. You can download and print off a poster to put up outside your venue HERE.
OPEN ON TIME. If you have advertised that you will open at 10, open at 10.
Put up signage inside your house / studio / venue - if there are low beams, label them. Make sure you have public liability insurance whenever you are opening a venue to the public. If there is an area that is private, label it as so.
Display the work professionally - make your venue resemble a gallery.
Be welcoming - smile, say hello, have a quick chat but don't hound guests. Be on hand to chat about the work if the guests want to.
Make sure your venue smells nice - be aware of food cooking smells, perhaps brew up some fresh coffee or have a vase of flowers to create a pleasant atmosphere.
Play some background music if possible.
Don't be surprised if someone wants to buy your work - take it in your stride!
Make sure everyone you are sharing the venue with knows the procedures for making a sale of any of the works. Be flexible in the forms of payment you accept - rarely will people walk into your studio with a pocket of cash.
Be open to accepting offers and make sure all stewards know the parameters for negotiations.
Seal the deal - if someone is hesitating about whether or not to buy a piece of work, offer to let them see it in their own home.
Promote other venues - you are not alone on the art trail, recommend another artist or studio on the trail for your guests to visit, create a buzz and get people talking. Be positive - don't be neagtive about any other venue or artist on the trail, it does neither of you any good.
Promote yourself - do not just rely on the Art Trail map and Festival marketing to get visitors through your door, do you own marketing. Email everyone you know to let them know that you are pert of the Art Trail, send information to the local papers, use facebook, Twitter and all of the online marketing tools. Print up some of your own fliers - remember to include the name hailsham Arts Festival and have the logo wherever possible. This gives credibility to your venture and the publicity for the Festival snowballs. Ask other Art Trail venues to take some of your fliers and have all of their fliers.
Josie Tipler
Festival Publicity Assistant
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art trail
If you would like to be part of the 2012 Open Studio trail click here to download an art trail application form, or email us for more information.
Advertising in the festival programme:
With distribution of 10,000 copies to homes and businesses throughout East Sussex, this is a perfect opportunity to promote your company, club or event whilst showing your support for both the festival
and the town as a whole. There are three ad sizes available, with the option to supply your own artwork or have an advert created. Click here to download an advert application form.
There are also opportunities for main festival sponsorship and event support, which in previous years has been generously given by Smythe & Barrie, Tesco, Waitrose, the Hailsham Pavilion and Hailsham Town Council. For details of current sponsorship packages for both businesses and organisations, contact us via email.
Deadline for all submissions to the Festival programme is Monday 2nd July 2012.
Volunteering:
There are many opportunities to help out with the festival - from flyering and programme distribution to serving interval refreshments...or simply tweeting about what is going on!
Been to see a band you'd love to have perform in Hailsham?
Seen a fantastic theatre production or dance show?
Or are you a musician, poet, artist, dancer or other general creative genius?!
We are always looking for ideas of events to include in future programmes so if you have any suggestions or comments on previous years' activities, let us know.
For all enquiries, contact us via email: hailshamartsfestival@gmail.com, or telephone the festival director Jenny West on 01323 848216.
The festival is for you, so get involved!
