,
Three important lessons Ive learned:
– if you inquire about a fair/market that youve heard is good, and its filled,
asked to be placed on the wait list
– it doesnt hurt, the week prior to the fair/market, to call and ask if there have
been any cancellations [I did this twice and there were, and I got in]
– if youre on the wait list, dont be surprised if youre called the night before or
the day of [this happened to me three times] so be prepared, and be flexible,
if youre on a wait list
Vendors had told me about a show at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in Grants Pass Oregon. I checked it out; there were still spaces left, so I applied. I did not know there was a 30 day cancellation policy; I had applied less than 30 days before the mid-December date.
At the last minute, I had to cancel. My car was in the shop, and the mechanic thought that a part he needed would be delivered in time for me to drive to the show. Alas, the delivery was delayed, and I had to cancel. I gave 24 hours notice. I asked that the promoter wait until the dust from the show had settled to send a reimbursement check.
The week before the show, the promoter had sent an email to say that he still had booth spaces open for rent. In all the years Id been doing fairs/markets, no promoter ever made this known in an email. When you think about it, it telegraphs that there has not been enough interest, there has not been enough promotion, the fair/market is still new, but worst it communicates that its not a good venue. You dont give away your hand while youre still playing it.
When I wrote to the promoter, to let him know of my cancellation, this was his response:
My usual policy for refunds is when people give me 30 days notice. That way, I have time to fill their vacancy. At this point, there is a booth here with your name on it, and I have spent your money on renting the building, paying for insurance, advertising in the newspaper, radio, posters, handbills, banners, etc. It hurts the show to have empty booths. However… I am willing to offer you a 1/2 price booth at my next show (which is the "Winter Art & Chocolate Festival" in Brookings on Feb. 10-11, 2018). It's my flagship show, and is not easy to get into. There is always a waiting list and I think you will be a good addition to the show.
I thought his response heavy-handed, pushy, and patently unnecessary; I also felt that he was yelling at me at the beginning of the email.
My response to the promoter was:
While I understand policy, life does happen.
What I didnt say was that I felt cheated. That he was giving with one hand and taking with the other. What I wanted to say was Do you think this can possibly be called a good business practice?
But I didnt. I limited my response to: While I understand policy, life does happen.
Life does happen. And as a promoter, you need to be aware of this, and prepared for this. You have to be flexible, because vendors have a network and they talk. Between customers at shows, the talk usually turns to What shows have you done lately? What were the good shows? Which shows should I stay away from? The dirt does get dished, but then vendors have the responsibility to research further, talk with more vendors, search FB, read reviews, and then make the best informed decision that they can.
As a promoter, you also need to hear that if you keep my money and offer me half price on your next show in my book, thats mercenary. At the least, you could deduct an administrative fee, and return a per cent of my check. Thats reasonable. That makes good business sense. That buys you good future karma.
As I said, this is the first time Ive come across not having a check refunded. How many times have I cancelled in the last eight years? Twice. Each time, because the fair/market was a well-attended one, the promoters understood good business practices, and, wanted good things said about them to encourage vendors to continue to frequent their venue.
Perhaps you feel differently about refunds, but I dont like being manipulated like this.