ClayFest 2004 Debriefing Meeting 10/12/04

In attendance : Kathryn Finnerty, Dan Schmitt, Mary Hindman, Frank Gosar, Don Clarke, Michael Baines, Susan Fishel, Jeani Holder, Tracie Manso, Paula MacCullen, Linda Williams, Merry Newcomer

ClayFest 2004 - Quick Show Numbers

More in depth information on the show's performance can be found on our informational webpage by clicking this link .... GRAPHS

Total sales : $66,018 - Saturday: $44,793 and Sunday $21,225. Currently showing $216 shortage which may be corrections in bank deposits. 2003 sales were $62,083, $172 shortage. This year's sales were up ~6%
Attendance: 3,049 total - which is lowest attendance ever (4,400 first year, 3,959 in 2003). Saturday - 1,949 people and Sunday - 1,200. Don will check with the Home Show to see if they have corresponding attendance drop on Sunday. Next year we want to track the number of sales after 5:00PM. Weather this year : Saturday had showers with heavy rain at times and Sunday was cloudy early with PM clearing.
Receipts : Committee Chairs please submit to Susan Fishel ASAP, would like to have done by end of year to close out 2004 books. Remember to put Chair and Committee name, and expense on each receipt.

ClayFest 2005 Show

The show will be held on October 15th and 16th 2005; is same weekend as Home Show. Don will reserve the auditorium building including two set-up days (Thursday to allow building committee earlier access for set up). This could allow earlier access for participants on Friday and would make things easier for Chairs who have major duties during the set-up period. It was resolved that we are not yet ready to move to a larger space and that the Columbus Day holiday probably has no significant impact on attendance.

Committee Chair Descriptions : Don passed out current descriptions and asked all Chairs to please update and return to Don before the November Local Clay meeting. Kathryn will write one for Visa sales.

ClayFest 2005 Chairs Positions : ClayFest policies state that after a person has held a Chair position for three years the position must be opened up to the general public. It was felt that those Chair positions that would be in their third year in 2005 should have Trainees so that the transition in 2006 would be smoother. The table below lists the current openings for the 2005 show (the asterisk indicates a Chair that will continue on after three years if no Trainee is found). Openings will officially be announced at the next Local Clay meeting on November 17th.

CASH	Dan Minard	TRAINEE
Chairperson	Don Clarke	TRAINEE
Demonstrations	Rhoda Fleishman
Gallery Display	Paula MacCullen	TRAINEE ( * )
Kids Clay	Elise Corin
Mailing-Distribution	Cynthia Spencer	TRAINEE
Poster/Graphics	Frank Gosar	TRAINEE ( * )
Publicity	Dan Schmitt	TRAINEE ( * )
Registrar	Don Clarke	TRAINEE
Sales	Faith Rahill
Secretary	Merry Newcomer	TRAINEE ( * )
Security/INFO Desk	Cheryl Kempner
Show Set-Up	Michael Baines
Signage	Michael Fromme	TRAINEE
Sponsorship	Mary Briggs	TRAINEE
Treasurer	Susan Fishel
VISA	Kathryn Finnerty	TRAINEE ( * )
Workshifts	Linda Williams	TRAINEE

ClayFest 2004 Show concerns

The remainder of the meeting was a sharing of ideas on how we could improve the show's management and function. Attribution has not been noted since the objective was to capture all the ideas in an open dialog.

• Keep award pieces in Gallery until end of show. Feasible to make arrangements to deliver pieces to buyers after show if they are agreeable and local. It was suggested to have a digital camera on hand if a piece sold and not able to remain. Point for discussion in 2005 : have a photographer come in to photograph pieces in event of above and to keep an historical record and provide materials for web page, publicity, etc.
• Recycle box at exit for maps.
• New floor plan worked well with the exception of some congestion around the Demo area. Look at more compact arrangement of chairs to keep things flowing. New Demo location did seem to draw better audiences. Need a mirror over the Demo. Don has been unable to find a local rentals of same, Showcase built theirs, cost was thought to be around $400.00. Will check feasibility of borrowing Showcase mirror and/or building one. The Demo sign was missing from the area (usually hangs on the backdrop).
• The "This potter is working and Take to sales table" signs were not around. Info or Signage committee needs to distribute at set-up or possible include with Move-In packet (will people remember to bring them with them to the show?). General agreement to inventory all the "stuff" we have accumulated over the years so we know "who has what" and then move into storage unit.
• Set pricing instructions : current method is confusing at best, we agreed to an alternate method which needs greater clarification in Move-In packet.
• Names on price tags : put the graphic description back in the Move-In packet.
• Small post cards : many left overs : do we need it or just print less of them?
• Music : prerecorded vs live. Apparently it caused some discordance and distraction having a potter playing in his booth area. We need no distractions. General agreement not to permit live music in individual booths, but no agreement on individual artists having recorded music in their booth.
• Demo sound system better than building sound system. How do we get a better building sound?
• Need a Gallery Check-In sign (to match other ClayFest signage) so participants know where to take their submissions.
• New gallery lighting was better but provided less outlets for fountains, etc. Need to make accommodation.
• Need shelving in back room for extra Gallery pieces - it was suggested to borrow from Showcase.
• Galley hosts : need instruction/briefing on their duties. Perhaps a small card as people not doing well briefing their relief
• Gallery Typewriter : keep on-site during the entire show for labels for new Gallery pieces from booth participants.
• Gallery only 3-piece rule : we will accept 3 pieces maximum from Gallery Only participants (due to storage limitations). If all pieces sell, person may submit new pieces (one at a time) that they are responsible for storing and transporting (we should not limited the number of pieces at 30% commission).
• Gallery labels : There was some discussion about upgrading the display cards, at a minimum we should not use headings (Name: Title: etc.).
• Booth participants : Sign in sheet when place pieces in gallery:
• When setting up their booths (or at Move-out) people did not remove tape and name tags from floor; also trash and empty boxes were left behind: Need to stress clean-up in Move-In packets, consider a deduction or fee for not following these guidelines.
• Clay for Kids area was obtained from an other source this year. Georgies and Bob Richardson were disappointed, they are major supporters of the show, suggested that they be asked first.
• Baskets : need stacks at strategic areas around show to make is easier for buyers to pick one up. Participants need to be encouraged to watch for buyer's needs and be responsive and helpful : get them a basket, let them know about holding table. Do we need aisle hosts? It was suggested to have a briefing for participants at beginning of show to advise what they can do to make show better, remind about tags, clean up, etc. Do we need to bring more baskets from Portland or look at purchasing our own?
• Holding table had no time limit and some pots were there all day. Place a 3-hour limit, put name and start time on a slip. Who could monitor this (Sales supervisor) or do we need holding committee to monitor during the show? Do we have a holding committee (who sets up?).
• Workshifts : some out of towners are signing up for extra workshifts in lieu of committee work and they are experiencing burnout during the show (they end up with four three-hour workshifts). Can we give them options such as committee work they can do upon arrival (set-up, security, etc.). Some Committee work has tighter time constraints, are Chairs taking this into consideration when requesting number of people needed?
• Don suggests we have an ad-hoc group discuss alternate ways to handle getting all the work done (in light of the confusion and apparent unfairness of the current committee and workshift designations).
• The new Gallery from OPA was installed without much problem. Should we consider building our own gallery structures vs borrowing from Showcase. Would have up front costs which may be offset by eliminating need to rent truck to transport from Portland. It costs ~$500.00 per year for transport costs plus extra work for those transporting, liability issues to Showcase if items damages, lost. It was suggested that a design and budget we developed for presentation to the Steering Committee at the initial budget meetings for the 2005 show.
• Pipe and drape : This year "corner booths" were initially set-up with all three sides which meant lots of re-do as most artists wanted to take advantage of the extra open space of the corner. Application packet will cover this next year.
• The overnight bookkeeping extravaganza : okay now but will need a committee member as sales increase - this would be good for out of towners.
• The "back room" business office ran frighteningly smooth and the new (old) copy machine from the Farmers Market was very helpful.
• Sales Area ran smoothly except tags with no names and tags that fell off. Need to stress in Move-In packet : first initial and last names, and IF putting tag on non-glazed surface, use tape or some other means to keep attached to piece. We also had some computer generated tags that were extremely difficult to remove intact from pots.
• We ran out of paper bags again and it was decided to look at purchasing bags in bulk and keeping only the "box" requirement.
• One potter had a "representative" staffing their booth. Our policy has been that this is not allowed. This was not broached during the show, but should be highlighted in the application packet.
• This year the postcard mailing was slightly earlier than usual and we agreed to move mailing of postcard back one week so it is closer to show, more time for graphics to complete the card.
• A possible sponsor was introduced if we can use their hemp based products. The paper did not appear viable for the postcards, but possibly for 8.5 x 11 paper needs.
• A participant: expressed concern about student photographing work without permission. Remind teachers to advise students to ask permission. Also, no interviews at Sales table or during any other work assignments.
• Application improvements are going to be integrated. Also we agreed to decrease application period to move up booth selections, work and committee assignments, etc.
• Do we need a policy for Chairs and/or Trainees not doing jobs?
• Missed Workshifts are subject to 5% deduction. It was agreed to add non performance of Committee work as well.
• Signs showing "open hours" of the show (for the front doors) during set-up did not get to the show.
• Still had people confused about where ClayFest was. More signage on building, more on the fairgrounds, possibly sandwich boards. Need to get all these things to the storage unit so that they get to the show.
• Register Guard Ticket section needs to get more than one-line coverage (send a press release).
• The large map for the Gallery wall needs to be posted only at show time. Potters can check small map on hand-out for booth locations to prevent damage to large map.
• It was suggested that we laminate a set of show posters to display on gallery walls. Need to get a good copy of each.

Next meeting : Tuesday January 25, 2005, 6:30PM, at EWEB.