You see, my bathtub faucet has been leaking for a long time. It got to the point that I was feeling so guilty about wasting water that I would save the water in the tub and use it for toilet flushing and laundry. So, why didn’t I fix it sooner?
Many years ago a plumber friend of mine came out to replace the same faucet. He was grumbling that the fixture was no longer manufactured and it was hard to find parts. He led me to believe that it was going to cost a fortune and require tearing out the wall if I ever wanted to replace this fixture. He did find replacement parts and fixed it. But now I was concerned about what to do if this one ever failed.
When the faucet started to leak, I ignored it. I didn’t want to deal with what I thought was going to be a huge project. The leak continued to get worse. I continued to ignore. My boyfriend became aware of the dilemma and offered to pay for the plumber. Thinking that it was going to be a couple thousand dollars, I couldn’t accept. So, I continued to ignore.
My boyfriend made yet another offer to pay for the plumber. Eventually, I relented. I found a plumber and asked for an approximate price. I was expecting a really big number. $185! Hmmm, how much to fix the loose toilet and replace the shutoff valve? $100!
Ahhhhh!!! Why didn’t I do this sooner?
I was working on an assumption. It was based on one piece of information. That information was not correct.
When you are investigating a show, get your information from as many different sources as possible. Start by looking at the information provided by the show promoter. Is it clear and informative? Does it answer all your questions? Does it sound like the promoters know what they are doing?
Do some research on the web. See if you can find the show online. If not, then neither can your customers.
If possible, visit the show as a customer before actually applying to the show. See what the space looks like and what difficulties you might encounter with setup. Talk to the other vendors and ask questions. (Just don’t try to talk to them if they are busy selling.)
The more information you have about a show, the better prepared you will be.
To learn more about how to investigate shows and what questions to ask get the book:
35 Questions to Ask Before Applying to a Show: The Shy Artist's Guide to Researching Art and Craft Shows
So, what do you do to find out about a show?