The Handmade Tile Association members had the last formal meeting of 2013 at Jan Hohn's home in St. Paul MN on October 16th. The main agenda item was the assessment of the Minnesota Tile Festival. Where do we go from here on this event?
Basically no one is content with the show. It is not achieving the goals it needs to be successful in almost every category. It has never made money for the organization as a fundraiser, it has actually lost money every year. This year was only a loss of under $110 but still a loss. The festival has been going down in attendance since we came back to the American Swedish Institute site in 2012. The vendors are not making enough money to want to continue to register for a booth. Many other issues add to these complaints.
There have been many positives that have come from the MN Tile Festival that are felt through out the tile community locally and nationally. Handmade Tile is definitely on the radar of many home owners, designers and the media since the inception of the MN Tile Festival. Much of the awareness came from the tile festival showcasing the amazing variety and quality of handmade tile and mosaics. Over 9000 people who attended the Minnesota Tile Festival over the past 12 years. People who attended spoke high praises of the show every year. The event has accomplished what it was designed to do. But everyone at the meeting and in other conversations are ready to try something new.....but what?
There were many ideas floated at the meeting like more collaboration with other groups who put on shows or creating one. Home and Garden, Arts & Crafts shows, Home Tours. Some are interested in a seconds sale. No one idea or concept seemed to stand out over the others. Your engagement is necessary to the next type of programing for the organization. Meetings next year will be designed to work on concepts. The Board Vote
The Handmade Tile Association board has been discussing the challenges and viability of the tile festival since July. The board had a vote on how to proceed after the meeting. The motion was "The Handmade Tile Association will not produce a tile festival in 2014." It was passed unanimously by the board members.
Where do we go from here? All of our success as an association has been about communication and meeting to discuss issues and goals of the group. The end of the tile festival is a chance for the members to focus on new ideas and experiment with fresh concepts. The directory is still showing strong participation. There are needs and challenges to work out for the handmade tile community. Please send the board your thoughts, questions and ideas to help shape the debate of what we want to focus on for 2014.
Board members
Attendance: Host Jan Hohn
Wendy Penta, Christine Nelson, Alex Chinn, Lisa Trnka, Roger Mayland, Amy Baur, Brian Boldon, Sheryl VanerPol, Josh Blanc, and Margo Ashmore.
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