Where in the world am I today?: In Juneau, AK aboard the STAR Princess

Now I have to admit that I’m not the hugest fan in the world of performing at Fairs and Exhibitions… This is likely because the majority of my experience at these events has been performing in environments where I’m competing fairly aggressively for attention amongst the sights, sounds and smells of your typical Fair. Having to go head to head with a game barker or compete as half the crowd watch as someone gets launched in some sort of human sling-shot isn’t my ideal performance environment.

That being said, I’ve also had great experiences performing at Fairs where pulling focus isn’t such a challenge. The Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver re-instated their Street Performer’s Program in 2005 and dubbed it the PNE Street Stars. Performers were given a fighting chance with decent sound systems and staging provided by the fair. I was asked to come in and consult and manage the program 2005 – 2008 and will be back in 2009 with a brand new show as well.

My relationship with this particular Fair has been excellent and I think the experience for the performers who’ve come in and participated in the PNE’s Street Star Program have had a pretty good experience as well. Fancy checking out a bit more about what the program’s been like over the past few years? Then head over to the video area of my site and check out the digest videos I’ve created for each year of the program located at the bottom of the page.

One of the best things about this type of venue is that their are Fairs and Exhibitions all across Canada and the United States, so the sheer volume of work that’s available is quite impressive. In Canada the “Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions” (C.A.F.E.) hosts an annual conference around the middle of November. The convention takes place in a different city every year, but getting to the convention is an excellent opportunity to mix, mingle and strut your stuff to the players in the industry. More information about the conference and about C.A.F.E can be found on their website –

http://www.canadian-fairs.ca

The International Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (I.A.F.E.) is the biggy though. This organization helps fairs from all over the United States and Canada stay connected and their annual convention in Las Vegas is THE place to schmooze with the players in the industry. Meeting face to face with potential employers is an amazing opportunity which, if done right can lead to a very full calendar of work. More information about I.A.F.E. and their convention can be accessed on their website –

http://www.fairsandexpos.com/

I know some performers who work almost exclusively at Fairs and Exhibitions and swear by it as they love the crowds love the environment and love the atmosphere. If this is the right venue for you and your show then there certainly is a lot of opportunities in this world if you can craft a show and promo to convince both audiences and buyers that you’re the answer to their entertainment needs.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Job Opportunities, Performance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.