As a new art fair vendor, I was hesitant to invest in pro panel products. The initial invest was about $1900. I bit the bullet early on in my art fair career. I knew it was a lot of money, but I am really glad I did it. It allows me to look professional, and it is much easier setup.
In the summertime when I am not teaching, I want to do one show a month from May through October. That allows me about six shows a year. I did four this year and I am in the process of learning what sells at these venues. The pricing is a whole different ball game, but I think once an artist can get into shows that are high-quality fine art, that will make a difference in sales. I have noticed that $5 to $40 are the best marker. some higher ticket items sell, but the smaller sales are what makes the bottom line.
If you have been interested in getting into art fairs. I always say to start small and see if you will like sitting out all day/weekend at the shows. It is by no means a beautiful job all the time. You have to deal with the weather: hot and cold, wet and muddy, dry and dusty. You get the picture. Sitting there for a day or three can make you tired just from waiting for the next purchase. You will have to repeat yourself A LOT! People will ask you the same questions all weekend. If you are willing to give this art business a try then go for it.
I love to travel and talk to new people. That is why I chose to add this to my business plan. The hardest part is setup because you usually want to get there early, set up, sweat it out, and run back to your room to freshen up before buyers come. If you don't start early in the day it can get hot quick, and you run out of time to rest and refresh before the show opens. You don't want to look a mess for your customers. Just an FYI.
If you know that you want to invest and go pro. I would say yes to investing in the pro panel brand. They collapse down to flat surfaces and pop up in a jiffy. The panel walls and shelves are about 7 feet tall so make sure you have a vehicle to store them in. If you do not have a vehicle that will store that size wall. Pro panel does make walls that break down in half sizes for transport.
Be sure to draw out your booth design and know exactly how many walls, shelves, and brackets (T and L for walls) you will need to create your display. Remember when you design your booth the more open space the better. People like to walk in and move around. You will notice right away if there is not enough space when one or two people take up most of the booth space. That will deter other buyers from walking and looking around, and we don't want that.
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