What's the value of doing in-person art shows and fairs versus only selling online?

In-person shows are an incredible accelerant for your art business, even though they require significant effort—time away from family, being on your feet all day, working weekends when you already work all week. While digital marketing is important and can be done from home without discomfort, in-person events provide something digital can’t: face-to-face conversations, immediate feedback, the chance to explain your work, and opportunities to acquire customers rapidly. If you could commit to even just four shows per year, the compounding effect would be significant. The repetitions and practice you get from hundreds of in-person conversations teaches you things you can’t learn online. Young artists especially should hammer in-person shows for a decade while they have the energy—combined with digital efforts, this creates exponential growth. The playbook approach to in-person shows can make them highly effective for both immediate sales and long-term customer acquisition.

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Asked by an artist primarily focused on online sales · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-08-29