Quilt Show Admission... $$

What do you think is a reasonable admission fee to a one day quilt show that has approximately 100 quilts, 4 or 5 vendors, a small quilt auction... your basic quilt show.

I've been searching and searching the web -- and see things from $2 to $10 (which seems really high to me!)

We have our first planning meeting for our very first quilt show on Saturday morning and I'm trying to get some information pulled together. One is a budget.

Not ever having had one before -- I have NO IDEA how you go about estimating how many people you might expect?

This will be a real learning experience.

Any other ideas you might want to share with me to help me prep for this first meeting would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks in advance!!!!

Reply to
Kate G.
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Is there free parking for the people coming, or do they have to pay? That may be a factor.

Are there other quilt shows held within a 30 mile radius by other groups? Does your area have anything else going on the same weekend you will have your show, that may draw a variety of people ["Oh, hon, you go ahead on to the farm show. I am headed to the quilt show!"]?

How much do you have to lay out for the space rental? How much are you charging the vendors to rent space? Printing programs or brochures? Looking to make some money or as much as you can? Going to have food services? Security?

You want to at least break even! I can see paying $3-5 to get in, but that's me.

G> What do you think is a reasonable admission fee to a one day quilt show th= at

Reply to
Ginger in CA

Our guild shows almost 200 quilts and only charges $5. I think for your first show, you need to draw in anyone who is even slightly interested. If you have the admission charge too high, they might not be enticed to come see your fine work. I don't think you need to charge less than $5 either. It is difficult to guage how many people will attend. Is this a guild? You know each member will attend and perhaps you can guess how many friends and family each member might attract to the show. That might give you a baseline number to work from. Good luck and have fun!

Reply to
KJ

Any quilt shows we've had in our community will charge $5.00 admission, then $1.00 for a program if you want to buy one. They usually have a raffle quilt too that they sell tickers for. If you don't have quilt police wandering amongst the people to remind people to keep their hands off the quilts, some quilt shows will have a basket of white cotton gloves at the entrance for people to wear - then they just drop them off on their way out. It's hard not to touch the beautiful quilts on display and people do it without thinking. Good luck.

Sharon (N.B.)

Reply to
Sharon

It is a guild show -- there aren't a lot around here. Most do one every other year -- so maybe only 1 or 2 a year withing a 50 mile radius.

Still working on finding a location -- trying to work backwards a little bit to see what we can afford... which is a tough thing to do.

Thanks for your input!

Reply to
Kate G.

We went up to $5.00 a few years ago. We have around 100 quilts, 25-30 vendors, and a nice size mini auction which usually has about 100 minis. Our show is a 2 day event. It is held at the same time every year. Parking is free. We are lucky because we do not have to pay anything for the recreation center where we have our show every year.

Sherry Starr

Reply to
Sherry Starr

Another question to consider is what, if anyhting, members will be charged to attend the show? At a time when they are working the show? At a time when they are not working the show?

Mary

Reply to
Mary in Rock Island IL

I'm wondering if you could increase interest and attendance by involving other groups. One quilt show in a small college town in south Mississippi has a special division for the 4-H clubs. We're always delighted to see these beginners and I know getting a ribbon at a 'real' quilt show is a big deal; not to mention the families that come to see their quilts and the others, of course. Would the local Methodist Church like to do a food booth? They are always good cooks and have a project that needs funding. What about the Kiwanians or Shriners? [ too funny here. Spell Check substituted Iranians for Kiwanians. Mercy.] What about a ribbon for a Quilts of Valor or Wounded Warriors patriotic gift quilt? Is there an American Legion or VFW Post active in your community? Perhaps some of them would like to receive the quilt or award the ribbons or something? I don't know if any of these are good ideas or not; just off the top of my tired little head, Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

We may be the exception but when we do our small show with no vendors but a craft table of items donated by the quilt group, we have a donation jar and then someone selling raffle tickets right next to it. People watching the donation jar are amazed at what people will throw in when it is by donation...sometimes 2-3 times more than what one would have charged.

We are fortunate though that a local caterer has a large house she has redone with a large veranda allows us to have our show there for no fee. She makes us for it when attendees buy lunch and tea on the veranda where last year she fed almost 200 people. Perhaps you could find a similar arrangement with a local large B&B. The B&B gets free advertising as people come through the building and you get to keep more of your at the door money. I have heard and driven by quilt shows being held at a church. Drape the quilts over the pews and people can look from the aisle--helps reduce the number of hands on the quilt without the white gloves as well. Most churches have a hall where vendors can set up and the ladies group at the church could serve coffee and cookies or sandwiches to benefit their activities. They may have a smaller rental fee if any at all.

Just a few ideas to think about.

Marilyn

Reply to
Marilyn

I formed an opinion in my head before reading the other responses. The number that came to me was $4.00. I've now read the others and see that we're basically in sync.

My reasoning goes like this. If I see a sign for a quilt show, I'm going to pull over. That's true whether or not I've seen any advance advertising or know anything about it. If the price is high, in the over $8.00 range, and if the show turns out to be nothing special, I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. I not going to do anything about it or complain, but I will remember the name of the guild and associate bad feelings with it.

On the other hand, if there are quilts on the walls, I'm going to find something to enjoy about the show. With a hundred quilts, one of them is going to make an impression on me even if it's just applying cool colors to a familiar pattern. That alone is worth $4.00. If you charge less, you're giving away money.

There are other ways people don't mind parting with their money once they get to the show. Can you get a coffee urn and have self-serve coffee with a big tip jar in front of it? That's easy to maintain, and most people will put a dollar in the jar. (Someone has to go by the jar regularly and empty the money. In a largish group of anonymous people, there's the chance that one of them will steal.)

Can you include a bake sale? I know I'm often enticed to buy homemade cookies or brownies that are attractively displayed. I usually don't want a lot, but I will buy a little something. I suggest having a big plate with all the varieties of cookies, bars and cupcakes on it. When people have pointed to what they'd like, they get handed a small baggie from the tray on the table with the goodies already packed in it. That's easy and sanitary. You can charge $2.00 for about 5 cookies.

Unless I utterly hate the raffle quilt, I always buy a ticket. Any bed quilt, even in colors that don't appeal to me, is a bargain for a dollar. I'm more choosy about buying tickets for smaller art pieces. With those, it might not be worth even a buck to me. If you can pull together a bedsize raffle quilt, do so. It's bound to be a money maker.

--Lia

Reply to
Julia Altshuler

Some great ideas there! Thanks much!

Reply to
Kate G.

I'd love to do a raffle quilt -- but I'm not sure what the rules are. We are a "club" -- not an official non-profit 501(C)3 organization (never filed... don't have by-laws...etc). I'd need to do my homework to see about the gaming permit. But I agree -- sure would be a worthwhile venture!

I don't know if there is a way to do it that you can "advertise" without "selling" tickets.... ask for a donation maybe? But then you have to give tickets away if someone doesn't want to pay -- don't you? There has to be some way to do it!!

Reply to
Kate G.

Network, Kate. Talk to the Sheriff or the County Attorney or the Exalted Ruler of some organization. You probably won't need a fleet of corporate lawyers; there's probably someone who knows and will be qualified to guide. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

Howdy!

Ours is $6, and well worth every bit of it! And, it's next weekend, here in Arlington:

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I'll be there, Friday, at the handquilting demo, for 4 hours.

Cheers! R/Sandy

*snipped to make more room to hang quilts*
Reply to
Sandy Ellison

Charge $3-5, maybe number the tickets and use for door prize drawings. Roberta in D

"Kate G." schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:nfudnXrBC4o09IfVnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

We charge $5 for ours over 200 quilts and two days.... Everyone loves the door prizes, free demos that are offered on Sundays covering everything from prairie points, to free motion quilting, and we also have a booth set up for guild members to sell items to the public (the guild takes a percentage of the sale price). Another BIG moneymaker for us is our raffle quilt, in our state you have to apply for a license as a nonprofit org. but sometimes another organization will take you under their wing...... For years we had our show at the church of one of our members,and their youth group sold lunch.....Now we are in middle school which costs LOTS and so we have started charging more. We have in the past done afabric challenge, local shop donated fabric and we made up kits that we sold from $3-$5, some years were more successful than others. WE also award handmade ribbons for first, second, and third place winners, THESE are treasured and coveted by the winners, they are little works of art.... Last year we offered, Walk in classes, no pre registration, Make and Take classes taught by guild members that were $10 each and you came away with a project and a new technique. Penstitch applique, beginning quilting, hand applique, hand quilting, three dimensional applique. These were quite successful. all supplies were donated by local vendors and so they got a plug in all our advertising....This takes some organization and forethought, if you are interested, it is best to have one person in charge of this alone so all suppplies and tools are on hand.... Mauvice in central WI

Reply to
Mauvice in central WI

Reply to
allisonh

Our quilt show had about 200 quilts and 10-15 vendors and we charged $5 and over 80 got in free. The parking was free and guild members got in free.

Reply to
Donna in NE La.

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