Learning from the Process: My Lessons from Attending Art Markets

Hello again, my Creative Universe friends!

I hope you are doing well. There has been some exciting news in my world that I cannot wait to share! I have been accepted into some exciting new events this year, so keep an eye out for updates on my social media pages! 

In my last post, I shared how to get into markets and shows. Today, I'll dive into what I’ve learned from attending these events since April 2024. Though I still consider myself to be a noob, I’ve picked up some valuable lessons that I hope you can benefit from. 

Lesson One: Scope out the market as an attendee before committing.

This is one of the first things you should be doing when considering attending a market. The best way to see the crowd volume, the vendor types, and the vibe is to get to that event! I have found that most vendors will tell you about their experience with the event if you ask. I learned the hard way at one of my markets that the scorching asphalt pavement at the venue slowed summer traffic. Before attending the market, I registered for not 1 but 5 prepaid events, which ended up being a significant overall loss. Had I participated in this market prior, I would have waited till the fall season to reserve a space. Lesson learned the hard way for me; see, you can avoid this just by reading this blog post! 

Here are some things you can ask vendors to get a feel for the event. Is there a busy and slow season for this event? What is the foot traffic like for the seasons? How is the market or event manager? Do they promote their events heavily? Are there other opportunities from being a part of this vendor group? How have you personally enjoyed these events? These are just a few to get you started. As always, take everything with a grain of salt and compare what you hear to what you see. 

Lesson Two: Look up the weather for your event before and the day of, and prepare for it.

The summer season for events in southern Arizona is kicking my butt and many other vendors' butts too. There are monsoons every other day, and they love market days to get the winds blowing. The heat is cooking us from the outside in. There are many things that I need to prepare for to ensure I am safe for my events. If you see high heat warnings, you need to have extra water and a source of electrolytes ready. I recently found Bouy unflavored electrolytes, and they are a great option to have on you and can save you and others from severe dehydration. If the location of your event has heat warnings, you also need to think about your shade and clothing. Even with sunscreen, you do not want to be in direct sunlight for hours. One of my best investments has been a Ryobi 18v Mister Fan and a 5-gallon bucket with water. This tool has been a lifesaver. You can find one here or check your local Facebook marketplace or Offer Up. I see them there all the time! So far, I have been talking about heat, but if you live where it's cold, you must dress appropriately and think about a portable heater. If it's going to be windy, make sure to bring extra tent weights and items to weigh down displays or think about ways to display that will be more secure. The point is to look at the weather and prepare for what you see there. I promise you will not regret it. 

Lesson Three: Pack and organize the night before the event.

Do not be me running around like a chicken with your head cut off the morning of your event because you didn’t wake up early like you said you would the night before, and due to this chicken run, arrive at your event without your print displays only to have to jerry-rig a new display. Learn from my mistakes and pack and organize the day before! Now I make it a point to yell at myself, “KATELYN, YOU BETTER PACK THAT CAR TONIGHT, OR YOU’RE GOING TO REGRET IT!”. Bonus tip: if you can do your price tags and signs the night before, you are even more set up for success! I paint a custom wooden tag each time I finish a painting, and when I sell it, I can repaint it for the next one; that way, I only need to attach it to the painting at the event. I found my wooden tags at Michaels's Craft Store. Okay, one more bonus tip for this section: pack your car in a way that makes sense. Tents and tables should be able to be pulled out first, and your merchandise should come out last so that you can have the table up for you to put stuff on. This was a tip a fellow marketer gave me, and I have used it ever since! 

Lesson Four: Talk to all the people you can.

During my first markets, I was nervous and still in the process of perfecting my elevator pitch to people who walked into my booth. I believe that stopped me from saying things to people I felt were “just browsing”. I have found that even just asking how the person is doing can get them to be engaged with your story. So, my first tip is to say hello to every person who walks in and around your space. Ask them about their day, then introduce yourself as the artist. After that, it is up to you to provide the details of your work that are most important to them in the shortest amount of time. Coming up with this pitch takes some time, so my advice is to practice a lot and note which ones seem to work. I have a short and sweet one and a longer drawn-out one for the different types of potential collectors that walk through. While sales are an essential part of your event time, the connections you make can also skyrocket your business, so getting out there and talking to everyone can reap great rewards! 

Lesson Five: Track what you sell and find the silver lining

Okay, so I am combining these two because I am talking too much, and they go together; just stay with me. It is essential that you have a clear way of tracking what you sell at events like these. That way, you know what the people like, what you are making, and what to bring next time. For my first several markets, I didn’t track a thing. I was happy-go-lucky just to be there selling my art and talking to people. I thought I could track my card transactions easily, but when I use my card reader, it says the amount, not the item. What about cash purchases? Inventory was a pain for me once realizing this. So, you should have a way of tracking sales; I use a notebook and a pen, and as a way of tracking inventory, I use an Excel sheet, BEFORE your first event. I also track my connections here. This leads me to the silver lining. While I do not recommend you use delusion to tell yourself an event is great because the people are fantastic and keep going repeatedly without making any money, I recommend looking on the bright side when you have net loss days. Did you give away 100 business cards that day? What about social media follows or commission requests? These things can mean business growth even if there were no sales that day. So, find that silver lining realistically and make informed decisions about where you will continue to show up. 

Wow, that was a lot of information—many lessons to learn. I am still learning more whenever I attend another event, market, or show. I think that is part of the process of life. Be a forever student learning what you can about what you do. I will continue to share the lessons I learned and my journey with you all so you can learn along with me. If you do events like this, I would love to hear your tips and tricks and lessons learned. 

Until next time, keep dreaming, keep preparing, and keep creating!

-Katelyn with Creative Universe Productions