art fairs for artists

How do you know if an Art Fair is the right place to show your work? For any artist, this can be a big decision as there is a lot of preparation, time, and financial cost involved.

Picture showing banner for art fair outside Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington

The three most important things to consider are research, affordability & practicality.

Let’s cover the basics first, location, date, and costs.

Where is the fair? Is it close to where you are based? Will you need to pay for accommodation, food, transport, and parking?

Are you available for the dates of the fair? Will you be able to finish and frame the work to meet the deadlines of the fair, including labels and pricing?

Do you know any artists who have exhibited at the fair in the last year? Consider reaching out to them and asking them what they thought. Can you get hold of a previous catalog or list of artists and check them out? Prioritise investigating who is organizing the event. Check if there have been any changes to the management.

Do you know any people who visited the fair as customers? What did they think? Did they buy any art? Was it easy to buy art? Did it feel spacious or were the artists crammed in? Was there a generally good vibe and buzz at the event? Were people leaving with paintings?

Can you find out what the footfall of the last fair was or the expected footfall for this year? Are there any reports of the previous year’s sales numbers? Remember not to compare yourself to other artists. Making sales is not the only goal. However, being armed with background facts on this topic is an advantage.

What is the process for sales? Are the artists responsible for packing or is there a packing facility managed by the event organizers?

What sort of publicity and marketing is on offer? Is there a social media presence? What excitement is being created for the event? Are there signposts in the local vicinity directing visitors to the event?

Is there plenty of parking for visitors and are the transport networks good?

Recently a friend did an art fair in Central London where there was no parking during the week, so she had to pay for a courier to deliver her work, meet them at a specific time and then hang her work in an allocated one-hour slot, this all needs to be taken into account as it can impact your costs.

Do you have time to attend the fair, so you can see for yourself if your work would fit, what the visitors are like, what the set-up is like, is there a buzz at the fair? Are sales being made?

Is there an entrance fee for visitors? Is there an opening night? Does this include additional attractions of refreshments or music?

Most important, the fair needs to be the right fit for you. Will you be able to meet the deadlines, cover the costs, deal with the logistics, and feel comfortable talking about your work in this environment, being in a busy hall with lots of other artists and possibly Galleries?

Checklist to help decide if an Art Fair is right for you.

Do some desktop research, research, research – do as much as you can
Check online to find a previous list of exhibitors, reach out to them and ask what was their experience?
Contact and speak to the organizers. Has anything changed in how the fair is managed since the last event?
Is it an established event?
What is the expected footfall, was this achieved last year?
What were the sales last year?
Are there any online reviews from previous fairs
Check social media, does the fair have a good following? Is there regular marketing?
Visit the Fair – if this is possible it is well worth taking the time to visit the art fair in person.
Is there good signage in the vicinity of the fair so visitors know where to find it?
If you can attend the opening night or the private view. What kind of vibe was there?
How are the stands laid out in the venue?
Get a copy of the stand layout. Are there stands that are a bit out of the way or hidden?
Be brave, talk to the artists exhibiting. Ask them if they have exhibited at that venue before. In my experience, they are always happy to share their knowledge.
How are the drop-off and hanging organized? Often you are allocated a specific time to drop off your work, does this work for you? Can you do it yourself or would you need to hire a courier (for example if the fair is in Central London)
Is there parking available for the duration of the Art Fair and if so what is the cost?
Where is the Art Fair, will you be able to commute daily or would you need to book accommodation, as this will be an additional cost.
Does the Art Fair organize the packing, is there a charge?
Is there a commission charged
What type of work is on display, would your work fit in and be shown to its absolute best?
What is the price range of work?
How do the stands look?
- Is there good lighting?
- Would you need any additional furniture?
- A table to put a signup form on and display cards
- A folding browser for unframed work
What is the cost of the stand?
Will you need accommodation?
What are the transportation Costs?
What are the parking Costs?
Are you available on the dates of the fair?

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A close-up image of a hand holding a pink pencil over a notebook, with a title overlay that reads 'ANNUAL PLANNING Artist Top Tips to Plan your Year'. The background features a soft pink workspace.

Annual Planning How to start

If, like me you are in the middle of your annual planning process you might find these steps useful as a way to reduce the feeling of overwhelm…..

At the moment everyone seems to be busy planning for the year ahead, working on calendars, scheduling events, courses and generally trying to fit in all activities that they want to get done in the coming year.

I myself am in the middle of planning and I’ve noticed how overwhelming it can feel, so I have taken a step back to apply some of the techniques I have learnt in the corporate world to help me get clarity and progress.

There is so much to do at times it really does seem unmanageable, but a simple step by step approach has really helped me keep focussed and gain momentum.

Step 1

Write down all the ideas you have for the year, these can include the following but you may have many more, so just jot down whatever pops into your head. Once it is out of your head you can see the wood for the trees and more importantly make some informed decisions of which items you want to pursue.

Step 2

Using a priority rating of 1,2 or 3, with 1 being the most important, rank each item. So for example, if you have already signed up for an Art Fair and paid the fee this might be ranked as 1, alternatively if you haven’t yet checked out the Art Fair to know if it fits your work or schedule then I would suggest ranking it as 3.

Step 3

For each priority 1 item you need to think about what does each one actually mean in terms of tasks that you will need to do to achieve them, taking the Art Fair example. Add these as steps beneath each item. For example here are a list of tasks when considering Art Fairs:

Research the art fair venues and organisers
Make a decision on which location suits you best based on location, cost, dates and any feedback you can gather from other artists you know.
Understand what will be available on the day; table, light, stand to display your work
Think about creative ways to display your work; step ladders or small easels
Do you need help at the fair on the day?
Do you already have the work available or do you need to create work
Arrange Insurance
Arrange transport & parking
Think about food and drink on the day
Order labels and price your work
Order business cards or flyers to give to customers
How are you going to market the event
Will there be promotion done by the event organiser, maybe you will need to provide a brief statement of your work.
Do you have packing for purchases made at the event
Do you have a method for collecting for contact details

A close-up of a person's hand writing a to-do list in a notebook, with various tasks listed.

Step 4

Review your priority ratings now you have a fuller understanding of the amount of work for each activity, you might feel that there is too much to do, or you simply don’t have enough time to carry out all the tasks, in which case you might decide to change the priority or in the example of the Art Fair you might choose to select a different date.

Breaking down = Success

By breaking each activity down into tasks, you are creating a manageable ‘To Do’ list that makes it easy to see what work is involved for each task, and will keep you on track. It is always nice to be able to tick things off a list and things will seem far more achievable. If you find that you have forgotten something, just add it to the list, and by having said list you can clearly allocate tasks to other people to help, therefore further improving your productivity.