What are the best practices for your art booth? Art fair season is an exciting time, as creatives get ready to sell their art. One of the most stressful components of this time is setting up your art booth! It’s a lot of work physically to lug your stuff, set up your tent, and perfectly display your items. It takes effort! This article will set your mind at ease. We cover everything you need to bring, what to do when you’re there, and how to capitalize even after you’re home and counting your profits.
What To Bring To An Art Fair
If you’ve set up an art booth before, you know how much stuff you bring. The tent, the tables, the bins. Plenty of inventory is key. You want to ensure that you can replenish as you sell. Don’t go overboard, but just be sure to have some additional prints kept under your table in the event of a high sale day! There’s also lots of extras to bring. It can be a lot to remember, so we are offering a FREE checklist on everything you need to bring to your art fair!
Art Booth Checklist
🎪 Tent & Weights
💳 Payment Options
🎀 Wrapping Materials
🪑 Chair
🃏 Business Cards
🖼 Display Risers
✅ Download Your FREE Complete Art Fair Checklist ✅
Setting Up Your Art Booth
Think of the art fair as a mall, but your booth as your own personal shop. You want it to be warm and inviting, and display your art in a way that the attendees can visualize your piece in their space. Be sure your table is nicely covered with tablecloths that go all the way to the ground. This way you can hide your bins under the table! Vertical space is key. Add taller displays so you can have height on your side. For some extra bonus, you can add fairy lights or flameless candles for some pazzazz in your booth. Consider the time of year as well. If it’s a fall event, add some fake leaves on the tables. If it is a holiday fair, get some faux greenery sprigs to make things jolly. Once your booth is set up, take a step back and ask yourself, “Would I stop and shop in this booth?”. Adjust as necessary. Don’t overcrowd the space. You can replenish with new art as they sell. And they will sell!
Offer Various Price Points
Bring art in all shapes and sizes. Having varying price points will provide options to shoppers with varying budgets. The larger items will naturally come with a higher sticker price. But have some variety. With multiple pricing options, your clientele will have choices that work for them financially. Options are good! Small sales add up! So don’t get down thinking small items won’t turn a profit. Profit is profit!
Beef Up Your Mailing List
People love free stuff! Have attendees submit their email for a free piece of art! Everyone loves a raffle for a free giveaway, trust us! Choose a smaller low price-point option (low cost for you) and entice passersby to participate by entering their name and e-mail. This will enter them into a drawing for said prize! It’s a win for them and a win for you! Your email list has now expanded, and the winner has your work in their space. It will be a great talking point and will create some buzz when someone says “Where did you find that beautiful, amazing, and unique piece of art?”.
Chat It Up
Your artwork won’t sell itself. People want to know the artists as much as they want to appreciate the art. If someone enters your art booth, take a step further than a simple “Hello!”. Offer up some backstory about your work, or how you got started in the art biz. Let the conversation flow naturally of course. And always, read the room. If your patron is not making eye contact or giving back one-word answers, you’ll get the point that they’re not in the mood for a chat. A simple, “Let me know if you have any questions!” will leave it to them to browse and speak up if needed. Sell yourself and you’re art will follow.
Multiple Payment Options
You never want to miss out on a sale because you can’t accept a certain form of payment. Have lots of options readily available so your guests can use whatever form of payment suits them. You know the saying, cash is king, but be sure to have some additional payment methods in case they don’t have the cash on them.
Suggested Forms of Payment
💸 Cash
👛 Venmo
💲 PayPal
💳 Credit Card
🏦 Zelle
📱 Apple Pay
Be Ready – Rain or Shine
Some events are indoor and some are in the great outdoors. One thing to keep in mind is to prepare for the elements. Most events are rain or shine, and if you’ve been unexpectedly caught in the rain before, you know what a damper it can out on the day. If you catch a mid-day sun shower you will want to be ready. Be sure your tent has walls you can easily pop up. You should also have some plastic on hand if you have to cover your displays for extra protection. This could be a tarp, plastic tablecloths, or just some good old extra-large black plastic garbage bags.
Artisan Allies Unite!
Don’t look around the event and see competition at the art fair. Look around and see artisan allies! There is no greater resource than your peers. They can help you in so many ways. Need advice on something? Want to know the best events in the area? Need tips on website sales? These are questions that vendors may have experience with and would be more than willing to share with you. Everyone makes mistakes when they get started with their art business. But others can help. Don’t forget to pay this sentiment forward as you gain experience. Help some newcomers fine-tune their business with the knowledge you’ve accumulated over the years.
Our Commitment To Artists
How can Frame It Easy help you turn a profit? Oh, let me count the ways! For artists and photographers, it can be tough to set yourselves apart at these events. But alongside your prints, may we suggest selling some framed options as well? A picture frame is like a finishing touch to your art. It adds another level of professionalism and attention to detail. You can pre-order our frames so you have some to bring with you to display in your art booth. Additionally, we have a Shopify app that allows you to seamlessly sell your framed prints on your website. We can print, frame, and white label your piece and ship it right to your customer’s door. It’s easy!
After The Event
Follow up with all of those e-mails you collected. Thank them for stopping at your booth, and let them know how to find you online, and where your next gig is. This will add a special personalized touch to some potential customers. They will appreciate the touch base, and maybe you’ll even see them at your next art fair. Add these newbies to your general mailing list so they stay up to date on all things YOU. Don’t forget to post about your raffle winner on social media! Post a picture of them with their new art! Hype up the fact that if they stop at your booth, some free art is possibly in their future. It’s all about creating some buzz!
Final Thoughts
So much goes into having a successful event. Be prepared for everything that may come your way. Sales are the primary objective, but success is measured in many ways. Did you grow your e-mail list? Yes. Did you find out where the next hot event is? Yes. Did you sell your biggest ticket piece of art? Of course, you did! Follow these best practices For your art booth, and you will walk away with a profit.
