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YOU DO THE MATH!
Why do we charge a 10% commission fee?
We have been asked about the 10% commission fee, and it’s really quite simple. Today show fees and travel expenses keep going up, totaling considerable sums before an artist even gets the chance to sell. Many years ago, before we began producing shows, we had the pleasure of working some shows that charged a small fee plus 10% commission. We loved this concept! If the show weathered out, or was just one of those weekends where the public wasn’t buying, our out of pocket expenses were much less. Let’s face it; sometimes being able to save a few bucks can make all the difference! On the other hand, if we had a great show, we had no problem writing a nice commission check to the promoter. We figured since we made great money during the show, the promoter had done his or her job in securing a good location, and getting the word out to the public via advertising, etc.
In the unfortunate event of poor weather conditions, where you can lose a day or more of sales, your loss will be much less with us, because of the small up front fees. With other promoters, you will be further in the hole, due to the higher entry fees.
Let’s do some simple math. A great percentage of the shows available in Arizona now cost from $250 to several hundreds of dollars to get into. Almost all of the better quality shows also require a jury fee. For the sake of using round numbers, let’s say you sign up for a show that costs $300, including jury fee. If you sign up for one of our shows at $100 and no jury fee, this is a $200 savings. Your cost of doing our show will be less than the other show until you have made $2000.00! The 10% fee ($200), added to my show fee ($100), equals $300. If you make anything less in sales, you are ahead in our show!
Here are a few points to keep in mind when comparing our shows with other promoters:
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We place half page ads in local newspapers for every show we do. Most are in full color! No other Arizona promoter can make that claim, unless they are promoting large shows involving hundreds of artists.
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We provide more booth space than most any other show, at no additional cost to you.
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We provide enough space to display your work on the outside walls, and most shows have room for storage of extra artwork, behind the booth. As artists ourselves, it has always been important to have ample room inside and out, so that our customers can easily see our work!
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Setups and take downs are much easier, partly due to ample booth spaces, and the fact that our shows allow for drive up room, or a very short carry distance.
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We have spent considerable time researching and securing profitable show locations. We have selected sites in affluent communities containing a large amount of people who own second homes. These people can typically afford to decorate their homes however they see fit.
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Our show locations are very popular, and we almost always have a waiting list to get into them.
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Although we have plenty of available space in our shows, we limit the number of booths, in order to create the best sales environment possible for each of our artists, while still drawing the buying public with plenty of choices.
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We NEVER oversell a show; we want every artist to have the best chance at having great sales!
The 10% commission fees allow us to keep our size down, create the best sales environment for our artists, and still pay the tremendous expenses involved with producing a show. WE DO NOT JUST SELL SPACES!
YOU DO THE MATH!
Thanks to all who do our shows, and for spreading good words about them. I constantly get new artists inquiring about future shows; most tell me one of you told them to call!
Here’s wishing all of us a great 2012 season!
Alan & Vickie Smith
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