Printed from EventLister.com - Website Phone Support: 570-504-4304 ACTION IS NEEDED TO REMOVE RETAIL FROM HAND-MADE EVENTS Site Newsletter - Release Date: 8/28 07 EventLister.com is still growing by leaps and bounds - there were over 4,000 events added in the least month alone! Yet, there are still tens of thousands of events that we still do not list, let alone have a relationship with the promoter where they would have exposure to our info articles on Advertising, Jurying, etc. Help spread the word about EventLister.com and our resources:      Add our event listings to your site! Do so w/ only 1 line of HTML to have interactive event search results on your site! Or copy ALL our raw event data for re-display in your own way!!!! PLEASE!!!! Details:  http://www.EventLister.com/help/link_to_us.php      Tell people about us. List your EventLister.com personal page URL on your website, application, handouts, flyers, & advertisements.      Advertise us to the masses. Mention us on signs & banners and in any advertisement! Let the public know about us!      Help us to disseminate our listings to more websites! We offer free access to our database so any chamber of commerce, tourism, or to-do site could redisplay our listings – thereby advertising them to more  people.   Details:  http://www.EventLister.com/help/link_to_us.php Every user can only be either with me or against me. For what EventLister.com and I stand for or not. There is no sitting between stools possible. My intentions for and actions towards industry reform are clear and unassailable – all my words are archived online. If any individual is not actively make efforts to perpetuate this movement then they are actually retarding it, a barnacle on our hull. All but the rowers are but passengers. We are traveling roughening waters that only OUR OWN increased effort, preparedness, and ACTIONS will carry us through. Alone we can do nothing, together we can change it all. Don\\\\\\\'t talk about or complain about the situation any longer, TAKE ACTION. What TO DO is clear, if you care to. HELP TODAY! THERE IS ONLY TODAY! ONLY IMMEDIATE ACTIONS WILL READY US FOR TOMORROW! Thanks & GL! Louy --------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTION IS NEEDED TO REMOVE RETAIL FROM HAND-MADE EVENTS Buy/sell at juried hand-made shows will be a problem that all artists, crafters, and promoters will likely have to deal with henceforth. It is unfortunate, but a reality. The crux is that it can be and must be dealt with, and must not be ignored. Such a cancer can NOT be ignored, only dealt with or postponed. Retailers ARE prying their way into once untouchable shows, usually initially on the sly and without the promoters knowing that they are not actually making their wares but sometimes with full knowledge of such and out of sheer desperation, having lost many long-running artists after having had some retail slip through last year and now lacking sufficient quality applicants. Artists and Crafters must make efforts to ensure the continuation of the existence of the events they need. Artists and Crafters need to:      1. Alert Promoters at EVERT EVENT to what retail got past their jury. Write down spot numbers and reasons why you know; list identification techniques.      2. Volunteer services to ALL EVENTS WHEN APPLYING to help give jury advice in their category if called and asked a question or emailed photos. Include a note or letter or one of our write-ups on retail, then include your phone number and a request to volunteer your expertise to help in any way you are needed.      3. ACTIVELY EDUCATE ALL PROMOTERS ON BUY / SELL !           3. a) by sending a list of identification techniques for your category WITH EVERY APP YOU MAIL           3. b) by sending copies WITH EVERY APP YOU MAIL of the following article on retail and hand/made jurying online here: Original Tips and Thoughts on Retail Buy/Sell at Claimed and Advertised Hand-Made Juried Arts & Crafts Events from 500 Artists and Crafters     9 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=61     12 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=59     20 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=58     50 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=50 My mom did one event recently where a 100% buy/sell jeweler even won an award and plaque for best in category. When staff came around to mom\\\\\\\'s spot afterwards, the promoters admitted that many jewelers complained already and that they know and they apologized but still actually said that they didn\\\\\\\'t plan to confront them or remove the award from their table or do anything until after the 2 day show was OVER. My mom came back with: \\\\\\\'If you don\\\\\\\'t have the balls to remove them, then you need to have someone else on their committee remove them now\\\\\\\'. Then mom addressed the issue of the Indian CD\\\\\\\'s / flute / jewelery / shawl folks this year at the show and the most senior woman of the show committee group that was walking around replied with surprise that they had no idea they didn\\\\\\\'t make their stuff – my mom retorted with: Of course they don\\\\\\\'t! All your crafters here know it too, to the point where it\\\\\\\'s even a joke amongst us: once the flute music makes it into a show we all know that the show is likely done for and now WILL ALREADY be loosing quality vendors next year, since we all now know the promoter obviously does not care and is NOT paying attention to applications and will allow in and not question anyone that can send a check. This event seems to be a prime example of HOW well-intentioned events are penetrated by retail and how their demise begins. This show was not in NEED of vendors to fill unbooked spots.  They wanted to keep retail out. They DID jury. They simply were careless with their jury process – careless to the extent that their jury process is no longer demanding the requirements of applicants that are NEEDED and necessary to keep a show all hand-made TODAY. Not taking necessary steps and precautions IS carelessness. With today\\\\\\\'s retailers, yesterday\\\\\\\'s jury practices are no longer reliable and sufficient. What worked for events last year very likely will admit frauds this year. Events need to review re-applicants each year thoroughly and need to spyglass every new applicant with previously un-heard-of jury demands. Workshop photos, item fabrication photos w/ artist IN them, supply invoices, phone calls to applicants by EXPERT jury members or additional artist volunteers, day of inspection with comparison of items on display to sent in photos and item categories to be sold list from their app, photo album in booth of workshop, etc. all should be REQUIRED. If promoters are unconvinced of hand-made by photos and writeups sent for jury, DEMAND the crafter REDO and RESEND NEW PHOTOS if they want a chance at acceptance. Your putting them through that step and others will help all your exhibitors in the end, no matter how much they may complain, since you will be keeping retail out for them and providing them with the means to apply to and get into higher quality shows than they could with their few non-demonstrative photos they wanted to keep using forever. It is possible to hold a truly hand-made juried show! My parents sell at a few and we always look for more because they ARE our best shows. The customers for these shows come from hours around, often even to a town in the boondocks. They come because they know the the event\\\\\\\'s reputation. The era of Craft Shows is not over, but there will be event turn over, we are in a time of industry upheaval. Events that follow their old ways will become flea markets and will expire. Other promoters who do follow today\\\\\\\'s required methods will start to produce quality, money earning shows in the SAME, now abandoned, markets. There is no excuse to crying \\\\\\\'Not enough applicants\\\\\\\'! It absolutely astounds me how most promoters mention the lack of quality applicants but then in the same breath balk at taking time or spending money to post their listing in more places that applicants might LOOK for their event. NO JOKE  -  A FULL 80%-90% of the time that I mention EventLister.com to a promoter, usually when they come around looking for vendors at a show I am selling at with my parents at, they say they are too busy or don\\\\\\\'t have any time to list it online. One such promoter was head of a large balloon festival that hundreds of thousands of people attend and he certainly had staff that could do the deed, but he was too busy visiting events looking for vendors to take 30 minutes to post on Event Lister or to tell someone else to. You all know, how many events have only their basics listed here by someone other than the promoter, have the promoter getting calls mentioning their listing here, yet the promoter never bothers visiting and completing the listing even though it\\\\\\\'s free and already generating calls. And EventLister.com is only one of MANY Internet sites and then there are dozens of Printed Craft Event Publications that should be utilized: http://www.eventlister.com/text?PageName=Online+Directories HOW CAN EVENTS FIND MORE QUALITY APPLICANTS? * Mention on all signs, in all advertisements, etc. that the show will be improving in quality to all hand-made. Say if it is Under New Management. Rename or move location. Actually IMPROVE! * Upload pictures of all accepted artists\\\\\\\' work to your website or to your EventLister.com listing so applicants can SEE what you are allowing in. Mention on apps that they can look there. * Seek more thoroughly, don\\\\\\\'t wait for them to find you! Place ads in all the printed and online event guides. Visit other quality shows and invite those in categories you need if they pass a brief inspection. * EventLister.com sells mailing labels of either artists, crafters, retailers, and/or food vendors. * To \\\\\\\'Jury\\\\\\\' vendors can mean essentially anything. State on your app what YOUR JURY means. * Remove generic term \\\\\\\'craft show\\\\\\\' from name. State Locally Handcrafted on/in all signs/ads. * Advertising more? Handing out apps at shows? Shared Mailings? * Advertise shows earlier and in more crafter resource guides, all even, print and online! * Mailing Lists shrink each year to moves & retirements, they must be ADDED to! * Emails go bad even more quickly, one third go bad per year! 1 out of 3 each year! Do not rely on email for applications. Send physical copies to all past attendees by mail. * Solicit artists not only at quality events – realize that great local craftsmen get sucked into bad shows. * If all else fails, considered having an 80 quality artist event instead of 100 exhibitors with 20 junk ones. * If you don\\\\\\\'t get the show filled, give the exhibitors more room to spread out. Almost every exhibitor will appreciate extra space. The public does not notice as long as the show looks full. They will notice bought-for-resale or bad work and will not be back. BEWARE! THERE ARE TODAY \\\\\\\'GANGS\\\\\\\' OF RETAILERS SEEKING VULNERABLE SHOWS TO RAPE, PILLAGE, AND PLUNDER, STEALING SALES FROM AUTHENTIC ARTISTS! These are not mythical, they EXIST! I speak of foreign import product regimes where one  person fraudulently applies to events for their many teams of people that then go sell at whatever events the booker can get the gang accepted into! * These con artists are skilled at getting past juries. They do it for a living. Many, no-joke jury procedures, precautions, and steps are required to keep these folks out! * Promoters must heed the advice herein and jury effectively. Artists and Crafters need to provide the promoters of ALL juried, hand-made shows they are doing with a printed copy of the jury advice document. Original Tips and Thoughts on Retail Buy/Sell at Claimed and Advertised Hand-Made Juried Arts & Crafts Events from 500 Artists and Crafters     9 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=61     12 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=59     20 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=58     50 Page Version:  http://www.craftlister.com/craft_experts/articles/read.php?ID=50 Thanks & GL! Louy Ideas? Comments? My cell: 800-568-2634 ( 800-Lou-And-i ) Promoter Add On: Vendor Add On: P or V Add On: V NON-Member Add On: Member Add On: P w/ No Listings Add On: