Cheryl L Litman on tue 11 nov 97
I have a friend who goes to shows in NJ and NYC and finds that her sales
are dramatically increased on lower priced items when she brings her
wheel and throws. Of course you then need an assistant to man the booth
while your hands are covered in mud. She found that a lot of people who
stand and watch want to take something home with them, just not big
ticket items. She also found that the pieces she made at the show
frequently sold, some people want the pot they saw you make. Also
instead of the day being a "lost work day" she came home with pots ready
to trim.
She always tries to bargain/barter her throwing demo's into cheaper booth
prices. One group paid her to demo, most give reduced booth fee, several
gave her extra space for free (for the demo) and a few gave her the booth
for free, some give a more desirable booth location. Negotiate. You are
doing them a favor. She frequently gets her name mentioned in the
brochure if she does a demo. She's found that her sales increase only if
she demo's at her booth. If they have demo's in a special area away from
the booth, people forget by the time they find your booth.
Cheryl Litman
Somerset, NJ
email: cheryllitman@juno.com
>I just came back from a Tom Radca (cover of CM) workshop. I ask him
>the
>very same question about throwing at shows. I'll paraphrase his
>response. 'You end up with a lot of amazed, interested people standing
>around you but it won't increase sales and it is a lot of work to drag
>everything you need with you. I don't do it anymore.' Most bigger
>shows
>are inside and you only have a 10x10 space anyway.
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