Horse show stands/Stalls

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cassiejames600

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So for the 2012 show season i would like to have my own stand for my equine portraits i do..

could someone give me ideas for it and tell me what i would need etc?
 
My brilliant dad built my wooden display stands. I also needed public liability insurance which was £80 ish.

tradestand.jpg
 
oh wow thats amazing!

after looking at your artwork i have decided i no longer want to do this your work is amazing! mine isnt as good as that lol,

i would love to get a square shaped gazebo with sides with my artwork around the inside like yours but what kind of little things would i need, like when i take orders etc
 
My DH started with a gazebo from argos a couple of chairs and a small table.

Since then he has exapnded somewhat........

It depends what kind of shows you are doing really, indoor, outdoor, marquee etc and whether you plan to sell on the day or take commissions. It also depends what transport you have got, DH wanted boards for ages but he didn't have space to carry them so he went with a frame and hanging system.

But the main thing you will need is lots of money. Buying show plots is VERY expensive. Then there is the fuel, the stuff you need for the stand, food for yourself, printing publicity materials etc etc etc etc. Don't underestimate it, you are likely to take some time before you show a profit.
 
big shows/county shows are very expensive for stand space. Approach your local shows/pc/rc and ask if you can have a stand (your gazebo and work displayed) and offer to sponsor a class in return. start small and work from there. make some gift cards from your work to sell, contact your local equestrian magazine and offer an editorial about yourself and a comp to win a free portrait as it gets you really good publicity. Good luck.
 
Not something I personally have any experience of, as others have said its very expensive to do. There is however a wealth of info on the pet portrait forum on trade stands at shows - something I found really interesting reading. Maybe worth a look at for ideas if it's something you are considering.
 
Thanks guys, ive been drawings horses at this level since 2009 but just want to get my work out there, as i dont drive i would only go to local shows and events, the shows around where i live ae pretty cheap to have a stall and some organizers i know them and said i can pitch a stall up for free..

I had an extra idea..
a girl i know does photography, she is brilliant and kind of the same as me (needs to get out) i thought about working along side her at the show as when i draw i like to have a really good quality photo therefore if anyone decides to have their horse draw i have my photographer there to take a photo of their horse there and then what do you think ???
 
You should also do a health and safety risk assessment (really not hard to do, honest!:)) which will help cover you if anyone falls over or anything like that at your stand.
 
What about local farmers markets too ?? I don't mean a market I mean the posh ones They atract folk that are willing to pay £3.50 for a cupcake so you could do well
 
cassiejames600 said:
Thanks guys, ive been drawings horses at this level since 2009 but just want to get my work out there, as i dont drive i would only go to local shows and events, the shows around where i live ae pretty cheap to have a stall and some organizers i know them and said i can pitch a stall up for free..

I had an extra idea..
a girl i know does photography, she is brilliant and kind of the same as me (needs to get out) i thought about working along side her at the show as when i draw i like to have a really good quality photo therefore if anyone decides to have their horse draw i have my photographer there to take a photo of their horse there and then what do you think ???
Click to expand...

I think that's a really good idea, my friend done me a portrait quite a few years ago as a Christmas present (she was the YO so picture wasn't necessary as she could look at the horse out her window and had looked after it for about 10years at that point), but I'm crap at taking pictures if I wanted another one done by another artist I would probably end up that frustrated I wouldn't bother.
A lot of photographers now at shows are also taking laptops and clients can view all the pictures taken. The only problem I could see here would be if the shows already had event photographers they might not be too pleased at having their toes trodden on.
 
You need to be wary of the copyright issues of using someone else's photographs.

RC type shows can be a good place to start getting out there and they are cheap, but that tends to be because they are of limited commercial use. You pay a lot to go to big shows for a reason.

You will need public liability insurance, and a risk assessment. You will also need to be registered with HMRC for tax purposes.

In terms of magazines etc, you are highly unlikely to get editorial space without paying for advertising. Sponsoring a class at a show isn't a bad idea if you can afford it.
 
me and the photographer are both 19 years old, her photography use would be purely for my artwork, and the shows we are to go to are small local fun horse shows nothing major and most the events were we live are very affordable to have a small stand etc
 
just remembered I replied to this and never checked back!

Don't underestimate the number of business cards you will get through - I did my first trade stand at a local county show and went through in excess of 250 cards, I had to resort to painting my web address onto bits of scrap paper (professional eh :o).

Any largish show will get you to provide a current PL insurance certificate, and a risk assessment. When I did my trade stand, large crowds of people amassed round my easel as I was painting, and kept coming back to check progress - so its a good idea to have something to work on through the day (plus it gets REALLY boring!). Also trade stands were limited to one person per stand, so no sharing was allowed.

Good luck! Im just starting out, it's very daunting! :)
 
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