How to take part

Worcestershire Arts Trail Guidelines

This is a brilliant initiative for you to publicise and sell your work to the local community and beyond. It is a proud celebration of designer makers and artists throughout Worcestershire, welcoming the public your studio / workshop, as well as giving you an opportunity to network with other makers. You will be able to engage your past and future customers by not only presenting work, but also by offering explanations of practice and method, and by allowing visitors to view your sketch books and other design sources.

Opening Your Studio

Visitors love to see makers in their Studio space because it enables them to get a real feel for your work and the inspiration behind your designs.

Think about making a display board showing some of your sources and sketch books displayed to show how the design process moves from inspiration to creation.
Talk about your work with the visitors.
Demonstrate your craft in action, where practicable.

Once you have stated your opening times – please stick to them! It is exasperating for your customers to arrive and find that you are not open as advertised in the brochure. Please also provide specific advice about availability of parking in and around your studio/ workshop.

Risk Assessment

The basic process for this, as advised by The Health and Safety Executive (http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf) is:

Identify the hazards
Decide who might be harmed and how
Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
Record your findings and implement them
Review your assessment and update if necessary

You will need to tidy away all valuables, including tools or machinery.
Be clear which rooms are out of bounds and label them.
Flag up low beams, steps etc and secure wiring and lighting.
Ensure you have public liability insurance.
Let your neighbours know that there will be more activity than usual next door!!

Refreshments

If you serve teas and coffees, visitors will stay longer and may become customers. Ask for a donation for this service! If possible have a child friendly area with paper and pencils, so that adults can browse for longer.

Mailing List

This is a great opportunity for you to enhance your mailing list, so ask everyone for their contact details – you can then get in touch with them to let them know of your future exhibitions.

Selling your work

Be critical of how you display work, if in doubt ask a colleague, Label work clearly with a name and price. Have a simple but clear stock sheet so that it can be marked off when items are sold.

Have a range of different prices points available, be sure to have some entry level items available for sale. Why not have post cards of your work for sale? Do you have any seconds or old stock to sell as sale stock?

Sell your work for a sensible price; to undersell your work is to do yourself and other makers a disservice. Consider the prices charged by Galleries etc for your work, they will probably not deal with you again if you undercut them.

Have a cash float and plenty of change.
Have a duplicate receipt book so that you can see what is sold and the customer has a receipt, even for small inexpensive items.
Have a supply of appropriate packaging.
Visitors like to be able to take their purchase away with them, have replacements, or red dots and decide beforehand how they will collect their purchase after the exhibition if it can’t be taken away immediately.
Publicity and Marketing
Although there will be a website and a brochure, the rest of the publicity must be done by you.
Make sure everyone around and about knows Worcestershire Arts Trail. Word of mouth and recommendation is vital.
Distribute posters and brochures in shops, schools, surgeries, hotels, B&B, camping sites, other arts venues, libraries, restaurants, WI, church,
Make up your own flyer or invitation, especially if there are a few of you in one venue or a few venues in a small area.
Email all contacts and friends. Don’t forget Facebook and Twitter.
Phone up and get a slot on local radio, write copy for local magazines, newsletters and Parish magazines. Make it interesting and inviting. Check copy dates and don’t be late sending it in.
State who, what, where, and when. Keep it concise and include good quality images.
Link your website to the Worcestershire Arts Trail.

Worcestershire Arts Trail Signs

Take care where these are placed, otherwise the County Highways and Planning Services will remove them.

The rules to follow are:

Where ever possible place on private property
Never obscure the view of the road, in particular junction visibility and property exits
Signs mounted on posts no higher than 60cm
Directional signs only, so placed only where the visitor turns off
Signs only in place when the Studio is open and taken down when closed
No illuminated signs.

‘A’ Roads are governed by the National Highways Agency, and any signs on these roads will be removed.

Keep these signs carefully for use next year, they are expensive to reproduce or return them to WGDC

Count Down and Check List

A Month Before

Start to short list exhibited work, get your work framed, fired, finished etc
Send publicity info to local newsletters etc
Coordinate publicity with other venues in your area, swap flyers, produce local map etc

3 Weeks to go

Distribute posters and brochures to local outlets galleries church etc
Risk assessment of all areas public will visit

2 Weeks to go

Email and mail out invitations
Send info and good image to local paper
Start tidying studio and cleaning
Plan exhibition of work

1 week to go

Price and label work, printed are better than hand written
Duplicate book
Cash tin with float
Stock sheet and price list
Visitors, email collection book
Arrange work
Restock brochures

1 day to go

Check sites for signs
Print signs No Entry, Welcome etc for use at venue
Stock up with tea and coffee
Open Today
Put up signs
Relax and enjoy yourself, be welcoming