I had an unveiling party on Saturday night with the client who commissioned the painting of the two teens on the stairs, which you can see below, or in a better photo on my site.
The ultimate test of whether the event was successful will come over the next year or so, once I see if any commissions have come from it, but there was a fair bit of interest at the party.
The client and I discussed the idea when the commission was in the planning stages. I offered her about a 12% discount on the cost of the portrait if she would do an unveiling party for me. This discount also helped her afford a full length painting when she initially planned on only doing a three-quarter.
I printed the invitations myself and the client, who loves to cook, prepared the food. In addition to the client's portrait, I had six other portraits on display and had my portfolio book and business cards out on a table.
The event was held from 7 to 10 pm at the home of the client, who lives in a wealthy neighborhood. We had about thirty people in attendance. I sent out twenty invitations and the client sent out another fifty. I think attendance would have been higher if the event hadn't been held on the first weekend after school let out in this area. Many people were on vacation. As it turned out, the next door neighbor was also having a party the same night, with many neighbors who attended that event instead.
The way I see it, though, even if no immediate commissions come from the people who were in attendance, the fifty people who received invitations from the client are now aware that the the couple have a great new portrait that they will probably ask to see the next time they visit. The invitations had my contact information on the back.
I had a friend go around with a guest book to get the names and addresses of attendees who wished to recieve more information. I will contact each of them this week and add them to my semi-annual mailings.
We'll see down the road if all this paid off or not!
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