MOST IMPORTANT – Plan on having a great time, meeting interesting people, and selling art. Create a welcoming atmosphere. People most want to meet the artist and see their work.

MARKETING – Send invitations to your mailing list, invite friends and relatives, and post on social media. Share posts from others on the Tour. Take a few postcards to your favorite businesses. Have your business cards, brochures, and maps ready to pass out. Have a guest book available to collect valuable email addresses, or encourage guests to go to the NVST website to join our mailing list. Every studio will receive a poster with a QR code that leads to the Sponsors Page; encourage guests to scan the QR for local restaurants and businesses.

NEIGHBORS – Let your neighbors know that you are on the studio tour and there may be a lot of cars on your street. Offer them a postcard or brochure, and invite them to come by for a visit.

CURB APPEAL – Consider the entrance to your studio. Start now with needed cleaning, trimming, and staging to make your place attractive so that visitors may admire the way an artist lives.

SAFETY – Anticipate and mitigate any likely hazards. Liability rests with the building owner, not with the Tour. Plan to keep your pets in an area not visited by your customers.

SIGNAGE – The Tour will supply you with three roadside signs to help direct traffic to your studio. Make sure that signage is visible and effectively placed. You may need signs from a main street, to your street, and to your house or studio. Mark a clear path in your yard so that visitors can see where your studio is located on your property and are not left to wander trying to find it.

ASSISTANT – Plan on having an assistant to help handle sales and watch your inventory and valuables while you are mingling. Think about whether you will offer restroom facilities. Have wrapping or packaging materials at the ready.

SALES - Be sure to have a payment platform for credit card sales, and double check it before the Tour. Have a plan with regard to discounts or haggling. Have a receipt book ready, and a calculator. If youwelcome commissions or layaways, put up a sign. Know the gross receipts tax rate in the locality where your sales are made, and be sure to follow through on paying it.

STUDIO – Clean up your studio in advance to avoid a last-minute crunch. Think of your studio both as a gallery and a creative space. Consider having products at a variety of price points. Will you place price labels with each work or have a master price list? Make sure that your studio is well lit. Soft music may add to the atmosphere. Refreshments are optional.

PEOPLE – Talk about your art and your process during the tour, especially your current projects. Perhaps show work in progress. People love to look into the mind and life of an artist. Mingle with visitors.

Welcome questions. Overlook no one. You may hear back from them in the future.