Read what promoters send you.

I have written this before but it has been a while so, here it is again. When doing shows, promoters and organizers put thought into the literature they distribute to their vendors. Whether it is sent through email, in the prospectus, listed on the website or handed to you when you arrive; there is a reason for what they have written. I will admit, I have been guilty of skimming over for the the things I am interested in and have had to redo my submission a time or two but for art shows….. I tend to take a few minutes and read the documents.

I was at a show recently where the promoter had sent out an email to everyone listing information for her vendors. In it was clear instructions about where your booth location was, where to park and how to weigh down your tent. The morning of, people were parking where they weren’t supposed to, crowding each other and half of the tents had no weight at all. The event was supposed to give artists a chance to try doing an event for the first time. Perhaps it wasn’t the place for me to be but, I wanted a show to do in that time I had so I signed up for it. The thing that the vendors seemed to take for granted was that if their stuff wasn’t in the tent at night, there wasn’t any reason to weigh down their tents.

Now before I get into the fallacy of that thinking, let’s get into how much time it took the promoter to wander around finding the owners of cars and asking them to move. The frustration it caused vendors to have to move their complete set ups over so that a neighbor could fit their display in next to them and such. That was a bit of a concern and now I will get to the weight issue. When a vendor walks away from their tent that isn’t weighed down or staked; they are leaving a potential four legged missile waiting for the right gust to lift it and send it hurling around. It might tumble down the street, it might thrust a leg through a neighbors tent wall or even into a passing car. If a good storm blows up, it could even send it into a window of a nearby building, shattering glass and doing even more damage. When you walk away from that cheap pop up awning without concern since it only cost you $69, it might end up costing you several thousand more when it causes an accident.

As for me, I have vendor insurance. I carry a policy because you never know what kind of storm is going to show up unexpectedly. I have seen displays thrown into lakes, destroyed by updrafts and driven into by cars. No amount of weights are going to protect you from a drunk driver or a tornado. When people come to this business and think this might be a fun side gig, they really need to take into consideration the word “Business”. Even a hobby can wipe out a savings account in a hurry with a roll of the dice. A hobbiest can be just as liable as a pro for one tent that escapes and is wind flung in a storm. Anytime you are interacting with the public, you run a risk especially in a litigious society like ours. Keep that thought in mind the next time you consider a side hustle. From cleaning houses to walking other people’s dogs, you have an understood responsibility and you should look into protections for you and any assets you may have. That being said, a quick phone call to your home owners insurance agent can give you some inexpensive options and put your mind at rest. Good Luck!