Wholesale Opportunities for Juried Members

Best of Missouri Hands juried members who were excited after attending the Wholesale Panel Discussion at ArtSmart, have an opportunity to participate in a free Guild Booth next January in Washington DC. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, we have been invited to receive a complimentary 10 by 10 booth at the American Made Show (formerly the Buyers Market of American Craft) held January 16–19, 2015  at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

This is a great opportunity to enter into the wholesale world without spending a lot of money. The complimentary guild package includes:

• 1000 watts electric and standard carpet
• Discounted Buyers Guide advertising and additional Buyers Guide marketing
• 8-ft. high drape, company ID sign, chair, wastebasket, guide listing, online listing, promotional materials

The normal fee for a 10 x 10 booth is $2138, so this is a substantial savings. Additional space can be purchased at the rate of $700 per exhibitor for 5 linear feet of space. Booth cost does not include material handling/drayage, labor, decoration or required lighting, flooring and insurance.

What can an artist who participates in the Guild Booth expect to pay? This is dependent on how many sign up among other factors. It could be as low as $200 but experience suggests that $500 per artist would be a reasonable starting point to begin planning expenses.

The American Made Show requires that a minimum of 4 artists must be represented in each guild booth. In addition, the guild director/president and at least one exhibiting artist, other than the director/president, must be present to represent the guild for the duration of the show. This means that if 4 artists’ work is present in the booth but only two people are present, the people working the booth will act as representatives for the others who are not present. Details regarding how to compensate representatives will need to be worked out prior to signing any agreement to participate. The simplest thing, of course, would be for all four artists to attend the show, but this may not be possible for everyone.

All exhibiting artists must fill out a standard American Made Show application and sign a contract. Guilds are subject to the same deadlines and cancellation penalties as single exhibitor booths. Each artist must carry an individual insurance policy as stated in the contract. Exhibitors must be accepted into The American Made Show prior to exhibiting within the guild booth. Three to four images must be submitted with an individual application.

Best of Missouri Hands is also pursuing a Guild Booth at the ACRE shows with Wholesalecrafts.com, but we haven’t yet received a firm offer. It is uncertain at this writing that they will offer a free booth, but it does appear that they will offer some discounts.

Dates and regular 10 x 10 booth fees for the ACRE shows are as follows:

• ACRE Northeast- Edison New Jersey August 12 to 14, 2014 $1695
• ACRE Philadelphia February 14 to 16, 2015 $2280
• ACRE Las Vegas May 28 to 30, 2015 $1880

Many members already sell wholesale to galleries across the nation. Existing accounts are great, but they always seem to drop off with time. Doing wholesale shows are one way to get new wholesale accounts and to keep your new work in front of your existing buyers.

To add your name and receive more information about Guild wholesale opportunities, please email doncrozier@gmail.com and include WHOLESALE in the subject line.