Taking Exhibitions abroad

[Ben Rubinstein]

Hi,

Are there any pro's here taking their Exhibitions abroad or travelling a long distance with them (for this Brit, abroad is what you Americans call a short trip to the countryside!).

What is involved? Do you print and ship, frame on location or ship framed prints with all the hassle involved? Is it hard to get permission to sell abroad from the authorities? Are you taxed on the material coming into the country, do you have to charge sales tax, etc?

Just a grain of an idea but a few photographers here are interested in grouping together for an international exhibition as a better way to introduce sales and kickstart exposure. Getting punters into the door isn't the problem, the subject matter is an easy to exploit niche and there are some big and recogniseable names involved. Funding is more of an issue but that is going to be relatively easy to work around, it just needs grunt work and as a group there is a huge amount of inroads into funding.

The logistics however might be far more interesting! Anyone done anything like this? Can anyone share experiences? I suppose I could do with an 'Alain' type long essay detailing everything but any help would be appreciated!

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

Forgot to mention, exhibitions would be going to Europe and the US.

 

[Alain Briot]

You would have to follow the sales tax laws of the location where you sell. Regarding import, I really don't know if the product is subject to import tax or not.

I would definitly get the work printed, matted and framed at home. This would be very difficult and a real challenge on the road!

Consider the total costs. I think it is very high and may not be covered with sales revenue. I have regular requests to do shows in France (that's where I am from while I live in Arizona) and I turn these down each time because I wouldn't cover my costs.

Also consider the time involved. I value my time above all else. I think it's not time or money but time. One can make more money, but one can't make more time. This is a very time consuming idea that involves many people working together. There's bound to be glitches, people who don't do their part, things that go wrong, etc. It all amounts to time lost.

Exposure is nice but it doesn't pay the bills. These days, with the internet, I find it better to invite people here than to go overseas with my work. I strongly recommend this approach. It is working very well for me.

The real issue here is learning how to sell your work. Going on a world tour is far from being the most effective way of doing so. It can work, but it will require a huge budget that may bankrupt you from the very start. I wouldn't recommend it.