YuleLog Ornament Collector's Bulletin Board Forums Discussion Ornament Collecting Discussion Looking for general info on artists signings

I started to post this under the "numbers at artist signings" but didn't want to hijack the thread because this veers off from just numbers.

I know we'll be getting lots of information from Hallmark in the coming months but Yulelog has always been such a wealth of information that I thought I'd ask here for your opinions.

I have never been to a signing so this should be interesting! I'm assuming from all the comments that I've read here and in previous years that Hallmark sets up a ticketing system (rather than the individual stores) and you can get a certain amount signed each pass through the line? Does Hallmark set rules about whether items have to be purchased that day or is that at the store's discretion? Does Hallmark just assign the artists to a location or do they have a say in where they are going? Any other do's and don't's?

It's interesting to read about others experiences with the signings so far. I'm assuming a huge part of the turnout has to do with who the artist is and how long they've been designing, which of course would determine how big a library of designs they can sign for?

Are there certain artists that you really love to go to a signing for? Do some chat more with the customers? Any who pass on really interesting tidbits?

Aside from the artists, is there anything that you feel makes a signing really successful? Anything that you've seen as real pitfalls that should be avoided?

We want to make our signing as successful as possible so thanks in advance for any info you're willing to pass along!

Karen

I hate it when the store makes you buy ornaments just to get some others signed.
Mary

I think the turn out depends on many factors such as how many collecters are in the area of the signing, who the artist is and what the event piece is going to be. My main reasons for attending a signing is to purchase the event piece and to meet with other collectors.

My club members have been to many signings. We have a few charter members in our club that have done this for a while. I remember reading something on Yulelog about a signing where you had to buy something, but I do not believe that is the norm.

Because there were not many people there, we just got in line and when we got our item signed got back in line. Our store sponsor found some older ornaments from this particular artist which was great and of course we all bought them to get them signed.

Karen, a great idea for your club is to have a pin made for the event and sell them. People seemed to like that. Our store owner actually had them made and gave them as a local club member gift on Friday night. I say pins because I think alot of ornament collectors like them and I like to buy other local ornament club's pins. If your store owner wants to do an event pin, your club can make a pin just to represent your local club. I remember our store owner got very little info from Hallmark until the last few weeks. It was this board that told us that the artist sometimes will make an appearance on Friday night with local clubs that are visiting, they are not allowed to sign anything that night. Our store sponsore had wine and cheese and such and it was really fun to meet and talk to people from other clubs.

Another fun idea if your store is willing is to do ornament bingo. You can charge a dollar a sheet or something and play for a new ornament to be signed the next day or anything the local club wants to donate.

Our store sponsor supports Toys for TOTs so we make a donation from whatever we collect durinng the year.

The day of the event our store owner raffled off a group of ornaments by the artist who was attending including the special event ornament.

At the KOC-sponsored signings (as opposed to the type where the store/club pays the artist fee, travel expenses, etc.), I don't think they want the store to require purchases in the store in order to get something signed. Like SamIAm, I've only read of one place that does that.

Most attendees will naturally find something in the store they want to buy though, if only the special event piece.

I went to the Party Shop at the last artist signing in Warsaw Indiana. It was a good signing with Ken Crow the only issues that I had was the handling of the tickets and what time you could get your signing done. Unfortunately the staff was a little misinformed and Dave immediately cleared that up. People were getting tickets and going to Kinkos getting copies made and going through the signing line. In example they would be in the time slot of 1-1:30 they would get their items signed and walk right back around with another ticket give it to the person taking tickets and walk right ahead of everyone else again. Even if it was 1:35 they would say oh I have a 1 oclock time slot and would be ushered to the front of the line. People finally caught on and reported it to the staff,at that point they did try to corral that. My suggestion was to print them on different colored paper. White paper tickets was not a great idea.Like I said the store handed out the tickets but all in all we did have a good time.

Gordy






I have never been to a signing so this should be interesting! I'm assuming from all the comments that I've read here and in previous years that Hallmark sets up a ticketing system (rather than the individual stores) and you can get a certain amount signed each pass through the line? Does Hallmark set rules about whether items have to be purchased that day or is that at the store's discretion? Does Hallmark just assign the artists to a location or do they have a say in where they are going? Any other do's and don't's?

Karen [/quote]

Hallmark signing events, like this year's, usually allow you to take three things through the line each time you go through it. At the Warsaw event we were limited to two each time, probably because they wanted to get as many people through the line as they could.

Two things that I really appreciate at a signing event are tables for you to use to unpack and pack up your ornaments/event pieces and baskets to use if you've already unpacked them and are standing in line. At the Katrina Bricker signing in KC in 2006 they didn't have enough baskets for collectors to use (and plan on some of them being in someone's hands most of the day) so people were using the gray plastic baskets you use for shopping. I sent my baskets I've picked up at Goodwill and other thrift stores so that they could be used at that signing event. I never pay more than 25 or 50 cents for them, and I look for ones that have sides on them. Flat surfaces don't do a good job of keeping items on the basket so the sides help to keep them from falling off and breaking. Think about baskets about the size of what you'd put dinner rolls in and you've got the idea about what you'd need.

When I went to the Sam Butcher (Precious Moments) signing, they had someone from their local club available to take pictures of you with Sam Butcher. That was really nice since you didn't have to ask someone else in line or someone who had just finished going through the line.

Some places have had refreshments (doughnuts or doughnut holes in the morning, coffee and something like water or tea all day) for the collectors. When I was at an event in KC the cart with this was by the door. I always made sure I enjoyed the refreshment there so that I didn't risk spilling my drink or dropping food on merchandise.

Some artists do like to chat, so be prepared with questions or comments. My husband, a non-Hallmark addict, went through the Ken Crow line with me once and enjoyed hearing that Ken majored in journalism and worked for a newspaper briefly. Since my husband is also a journalist, he had me ask Ken where he worked and what newspaper he worked for. That was definitely an interesting conversation topic for both of us! Last year my husband saw Ken at the KC event and he thought maybe Ken recognized him because he smiled and waved at him.

I sometimes ask the artist which ornament is their favorite. It's interesting to know why that ornament means something special to them. I knew that Ken Crow's favorite ornament is Our Little Blessings since those are his children and the idea came from a family picture from the 1800s. When Jack took that piece through the signing line Ken asked him to take a picture of Ken with that ornament and my husband did (Ken had a camera there for moments like that).

One thing that collectors may or may not know is that the boxes for the big signature pieces (like Santa's Toy Shop) are designed so that you don't have to take the piece out of the box to get it signed. The box is designed to give the artist's arm and hand support while the piece is being signed.

I will confess that I usually show up at events with most of what I have by that artist. I figure it can go home unsigned but if I leave it at home it doesn't get signed. I don't bring a shopping bag or suitcase (I saw someone at one signing event show up with an older molded-side suitcase bring in the big event pieces like this) into the store. I make trips to my car to pick up additional pieces and to leave what's been signed since I don't want to get my arms tired holding everything or walking around with that much stuff.

The store will definitely want to think about where to set up the signing table. At Audrey's in Blue Springs, MO they usually set up the line so it went through the sale aisle. Breakage and loss can be issues if you don't put the line in an appropriate place.

One club that was associated with an Ed Seale signing event took one of his drawings and had it copied on heavy cardstock (it was the size of 8 1/2" x 5 1/2") and then put the copy in a white paper envelope with a sticker indicating where and when it was from. I don't know if they gave one to every collector as they went through the line or what. Ed brought these to the second signing event in KC that I worked on and we used them as door prizes.

I have been to a lot of signings over the past ten years and I think that the most successful ones are run like most people have said, get three signed, get to the back of the line. I have no problem saying that I bring as many as I have for that artist and I will keep getting back in line. I get to the back of the line like every one else so I do not feel like I am doing anything wrong. The best part is really talking to other people in line and chatting with the artists! The one in NH was really well organized and one of the best ones that I have went to Have fun and good luck

The best signings I've been to have a festive atmosphere where the concern is to have a good time. It seems to me that if stores make that the priority, the sales will come. If they make sales the priority (requiring a purchase to get a signing ticket) then it dampens the mood, they probably get fewer sales, and the people attending aren't thoroughly enjoying it, they are budgeting how much they can spend.

One thing that is easy to do, and not expensive since Christmas collectors already have an abundance of decorations on hand, is making the place look festive. To me, the ambiance is important. And it can change people's attitudes immensely. It's hard to be grouchy when music is playing and it looks and feels like a party.

I went to a John Collin Francis signing eons ago and the place was decked out with lots of greenery. It made for fantastic photos and really made everybody feel like there was a celebration on hand.

Thanks Gordy for the heads up on people copying signing passes. Think I'll recommend to my club that we make a stamp on the backs of the passes to help keep them legit.

My friends from my Indy local club were accused of having a copy machine in their car and making duplicate copies of signing passes. I don't believe that they did have a copy machine (that doesn't fit with what I know of them), and I can't say that they didn't go to Kinko's. From the way I saw one of them approaching people at the store I suspect that they got more than one signing pass for a certain half hour - and I remember that someone was counting the passes as I went through the line to make sure that no more were used than were issued by the store.

My friends were also rudely thrown out of the Collectibles Outlet based on supposedly making copies of the signing passes. I almost got thrown out of there also because I was seen talking to them. The woman asked me if I had a car there, and I told her my husband had taken it to go get something to drink since it was a warm day. I stood outside the store waiting for him to come back, and since it was so warm there and between the two sets of doors I stood just inside the doors into the store for 10 minutes waiting for him to come back. I kept getting the ugliest looks from that lady, like I was going to steal something or cause some kind of scene. I made sure that my hands were in plain sight and were holding on to my purse and my shopping bag. That's about the rudest treatment I've ever had in any situation.

Oh Nancy, how awful for you and your friends! What a way to sour what is supposed to be a fun time.

This has made me think about how stores differentiate between ornaments brought to the signings, and ones being purchased from the store - especially in the case of that year's ornaments. Do stores do something like Walmart where you get a sticker or ticket for each item being brought into the store? And then they check tickets and receipts at the door on the way out? Or how? Do people leave the signing line to buy the event ornament and any current ornaments they want signed, or do they purchase first and then get in line or ??? It's funny, I've been to a lot of signings and I can't remember at all how those things were handled - guess I just never gave it much thought.

Great information from everyone!



Heading out to make copies of signing tickets? Wow!



OK, now there's something I never would have even considered without reading it here, how do you handle that?

I'll definitely be printing off this thread to bring with me to our meeting on Tuesday. Thank you everyone for your replies and please feel free to add anything more you think of!

Karen

That's just crazy---to photocopy signing passes?! I guess a roll of tickets that are numbered would be a good investment and be turned in when the items are signed.

A night before dinner/get-together/desserts with a holiday theme really sets the mood and atmosphere, as Diana mentioned. I've attended and have helped plan quite a few events. I have also hade the privilege for the past 10 years to help clubs with their embroidery, pins and other "special giveaways", so I've heard the good, the bad and the ugly.

Karen, you have a wonderful sponsor, so that will really help. I would suggest to them that they offer a 20% discount for the weekend, as it will sway people to that signing and keep sales very brisk. My mom and I attended a couple signings in West Virginia where a discount was offered all weekend and I can't remember the register not having a line!

I don't think festive will be a problem for your night before event or store, as you can use your Frosty's, etc.....that you already have and add onto that. Maybe make it a Frosty theme or start from scratch, if you really want a challenge. :] I think your signing is shortly after Premiere, so the decorations at the store can already be in place in the store. If there's an empty store or community room, etc.. near the store I would look into renting that for your Friday activities------you want to get people comfortable with the area. I know for the West Virgina signing the Friday evening program (which was great) wasn't that easy to find (even with GPS), so Mom and I missed a bit of that as we drove around. Better than when we were lost in NYC for that event, but still a bit frustrating.(note that GPS doesn't read well in tall buildings) If you can throw together a secondary show and have it at the same place you rented for Friday on Saturday, that would be great, as most folks would already know where it is.

For anyone and everyone having a signing-------congratulations and if you'd like embroidery (special and or your local club logo), please let me know. I still offer no minimum orders and free set-up! I can help with pins and other items too!

I think the emphasis should be on fun. If the atmosphere is festive on Friday then it will follow through the weekend and any glitches that happen along the way will be forgotten. I can think of a few signings we've attended that did not have a Christmasy theme and they just weren't as memorable. I think it's a great suggestion to have a cute backdrop behind/beside the artists so their pictures will say "I was at the signing in Maine". I'm thinking Frosty with a Moose or something? We have so many pictures with artists that if we didn't know the year we wouldn't have a clue where they were taken. - Karen

The last in-store artist signing I attended in Waco, TX, they handed out a signing time and raffle ticket after you made a purchase when the store opened for the day. The raffle drawing took place every half hour during the artist signing. (Yes, you needed to be present to win.) If you already had a signing event piece or were not making a purchase, then you could just go up to the person and get your signing time ticket. Every time you made a purchase that day at the Hallmark (Coach House Gift) store you got another entry in the raffle. They even let you use your receipt from the previous day purchase to get another raffle ticket. The receipts were stamped on the back upon issuing you a raffle ticket. Some of the prizes were signed event pieces, Hallmark ornaments designed by the signing artist and Yankee candles. There was a store employee who stood at the back of the signing line and issued signing times to everyone who got in line once the original signing line was formed.

Note: The signing times and raffle tickets were not handled at the Hallmark cash registers. A roped off exit line was formed so local club members handled the signing and raffle tickets. Also, people gave away their raffle tickets to others when they left the signing event.

The Waco is the only Hallmark sponsored in-store signing that I've gotten to go to. The other in-store signings were store sponsored, so they got to make up the rules. I was trying to remember how the signing tickets and raffle tickets worked, so I'm glad that you posted. I know that Bill and I went through the line a few times. And, I know that I won big on the raffle drawings (two of the 1st Noel Nutcrackers already signed by Sue Tague and some other stuff), so I was wondering how I got so many tickets. I bought signing event pieces for all my local club members plus some other stuff so I had lots of tickets. It was a very festive atmosphere that day. I heard lots of funny comments from non-Hallmark collectors as we walked down the mall, too.

Linda

I would get some definite clarification on how Hallmark wanted to handle some of the things that they specified in their list of what the winning club would receive before I committed to too many plans. When do they plan to have the local club only time with the artist - does that mean that if it's Friday night you can't have people that don't belong at your club present, or do you have to tell people who don't belong to your club "sorry, this is for local club members only?" How do they want to handle the special signing times on Saturday for the local club?

I could see some offended people and hurt feelings happening if plans are made that have to be changed later.

I haven't seen documentation that cryptic since I worked for the IRS. Not even Sprint's Human Resources documents come that close to being unclear (and they have some that looked like they were inspired by government documents).

I'm not sure the clubs have time to wait for all the information from Hallmark, as sometimes they are a bit on the slow side. If our store had won, I would already want to be making plans.

At many D56 gatherings you actually pay 1.00 or so and become members of the hosting club, so I'm pretty sure that a local club could plan their Friday night activity and have all attendees join, if need be! The artist generally doesn't sign the night before, so I wouldn't think it would matter if there are 20 people or 200 there. Some artist like to mingle and others welcome Q&A's, so there's always going to be additional planning. Some people will base where they go on the artist, some on location, some on activities, some on discounts, etc...Hopefully Hallmark will announce the artists and details to the stores and local clubs in the next month or so before it's announced on Hallmark.com and then plans can be pulled together. As a local club who won a signing I wouldn't put a deposit on a hall just yet, but I would call around to see what's available that weekend and what the rent would be. I wouldn't wait on Hallmark to start making plans, just my opinion. The signings are only going to be as successful as the local club and their sponsor make them and in my experience, it takes a lot of prep to be ready and 6 months isn't that much time. Maybe if the local club president or store owner called Hallmark they could get the important details now? On the other hand, Hallmark may not know. - Karen

I think the signings I have attended had different colors for the signing times.

I agree, that was horrid of those people to do that. GREED has it's way of kicking those who do this in the behind.

Too bad the Store did not kick them out for being so GREEDY!! I know I would, even if they traveled far, they had "NO RIGHT" to do that!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and comments. I'm printing them all off to take to our meeting tonight when we will hopefully get the ball rolling!

Karen

I am perfectly ok buying something during a signing. I could never leave without picking up something anyway.