How important are in-person shows and markets compared to online sales?

In-person events are extraordinarily important and often the primary driver of art sales, even though they’re not as glamorous as passive online income. Being physically present with your work allows people to see the actual quality, size, and presence of prints in person, which is extremely difficult to convey online. These events serve multiple purposes: immediate sales, relationship building, email list growth, and brand awareness. Attend as many local shows, farmers markets, and vendor markets as possible, especially when you’re younger and have the energy. The face-to-face conversations and relationships you build become the foundation of your collector base. Even small one-day pop-up events are valuable marketing opportunities. Many sales at these events are actually orders for later delivery or shipping rather than pieces carried away immediately, which works perfectly. The suffering and hard work of loading vehicles, setting up booths, and being on your feet for hours builds a customer base that sustains you later in your career when you have less energy for these activities.

---

Asked by artists building their business · Answered by Johnny Adolphson and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-12-14