Aug 23, 2018
Recently, I had an exhibition at DLF Promenade mall, New Delhi, India. I had a great footfall of all the age groups, Had interaction with different institute students about photography, beginners photographers. Got the appreciation for all the photographs and sold few images too. Based on these exhibition experiences, I thought, I must write a small article and share the planning process for the exhibition for those who are planning to have their exhibition soon.
Proper planning of an exhibition, will always give you a profitable exposure. Let's discuss the exhibition planning
Finalize the venue- Before finalizing the exhibition venue, Please spend a couple of days to know about the footfall, age group of visitors, number of footfall, gentry type etc, Accordingly, you can finalize the images as per the age group. So that you can have the maximum number of visitors for your photography exhibition. Which is the main center of attraction for the visitors? The venue should be neat and clean, good parking capacity, good air conditioning and easily approachable to the visitors.
Finalize the date- Always try to have an exhibition at the weekend like Friday to Sunday. On the occasion of any important festival like Christmas, republic day, xyz important day or any other important festivals. These dates will increase the number of visitors to your exhibition stall.
Finalize the photographs- The most difficult job, to finalize the better photograph for the exhibition, Choose the photographs based on the visitor's age group like age group is a mix of young, middle, or old age then you should exhibit a mix of the images like one photograph of wildlife, one photograph of a portrait, one photograph of a fine art etc or depending upon your archives which categories you have the most images. These different photographs will attract all the age groups. If you are an exhibition in any specific art gallery where an elite group visits you, then, in this case, you must choose the photograph wisely to display. choose the specific theme to display.
Printing & Framing Photographs. You must have one vendor for printing the photographs, Who understand the quality of photographs, Should have a good printing machine and who can get the images framed. You must have one single-sourced for both the job printing and framing. This will save you time and energy. You need not explain the images for printing and framing. A vendor should be capable of handling, printing, framing the images.
Easily commute- Always have an exhibition in the center of the city where anybody can reach easily, no transport hassle otherwise all your friends, family, chief guest and other important guests can skip the exhibition and I assure you, this can really kill your exhibition and your all efforts. Think about this also. there is No use in putting up an exhibition which is so far from the city.
Groom or educate the assistant- It is very important to groom or educate one assistant who can take charge of your exhibition in your absence and can interact with visitors as per your guidelines or description. Also, he can sell the images. He is having full knowledge of the exhibition details. Because every time you cannot handle the visitors.
Marketing and promotion- If pocket allows, you must give one advertisement in the local newspaper to invite people. Use all your social media handles, promote your exhibition details on these channels. Publish all important information on your website and send a newsletter to your all contacts to invite all of them. Post an invitation to all important persons.
Punchline- This punchline plays a major role to capture your visitor's attention. Think on the punchline, discuss your media partners, photographer friends and decide the eye-catchy punchline for your exhibition. I hope, we all remember the punchline of any product campaign, movie dialogue or the punch line. This is the same thing.
Quality of frames- All the exhibiting photographs must have a decent and royal look and feel frames, Frames need to be strong so that if slipped never broken. easy to handle and easy to hang. Lightweight and should not have sharp edges.
Photographs stand- If you execute 2-3 exhibitions in a year then you must have your own photograph stand so that you do not need to spend money every time for the exhibition. Have a stand that can be carried easily, lightweight stand, Should have a good light source to pour perfect light on your photographs. It should be easily available in the market in case after sometime require more stand than you can buy the same look and feel stand.
Print material- Your print material like visiting cards, leaflets of your photography journey, must be ready on the exhibition desk. This also helps you to get a new contact for your business.
Thanksgiving email- Ask your assistant, to have email id of all the visitors if possible. at the end of an exhibition, you can send them thanksgiving email for visiting the photography exhibition. This will also create a database for your future clientele.
These small activities, preplanning actions, the positive thought gives you a good experience, good clients, new confidence, etc. I hope, This small article on the planning and execution of your exhibition will really help you to have your exhibition on.
Happy Photography to you all
Photographer and Blogger Prasenjeet Gautam (www.prasenjeetgautam.com) has captured all the above images, displayed in the exhibition, DLF Promenade Mall, India
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