Eyes on the Bonsai Considering the hundreds of hours that go into the preparation of a bonsai exhibit and the many thousands of dollars of finely styled bonsai on display, it never ceases to surprise me that the members actually outnumber the guests at some club shows. What's at work here? Low General Interest in the Hobby? Poor Publicity? Lack of Opportunity? Interest First, let's face the fact that bonsai does not have a very high profile in the general community, or even in the art world. Among the horticultural groups, a bonsai show might enjoy just a fraction of the draw you'd see at an orchid show, or even a dog show, for that matter. Some clubs run annual shows, and these are recruiting events for members that also provide the bulk of the club's operating budget for the year through donations or raffles, so these events are important for the club's financial success and well being. What can be done to make them more productive? Publicity When's the last time you heard a bonsai show advertised on your local radio station? I usually hear the local Home & Garden show advertised for months in advance of the show. These things cost money, but most areas have cable access stations that will provide public announcements free. Don't forget to canvas the general nurseries in the area with leaflets for the show. The nursery can send a lot of folks your club's way, and might even be willing to make a contribution in exchange for a note in the show program. Bring the Mountain to Mohammed The largest draw our San Jose club ever had was the day that our annual show happened to coincide with a rummage sale held in the parking lot of the high school where the show was held. That sale literally stopped traffic and got folks out of their cars. Once they were already parked, the bonsai show was able to attract a large number of those shoppers. When I suggested to the show membership that we might try to find out when the rummage sale was being held so we could leverage off it the next year, the program directors thought I was crazy. Has anyone else run into that wall of thinking that suggests that things should be done the way they've always been done? If you can't move the mountain, there is a chance you can find one nearby that isn't too hard to climb. Many areas have cultural festivals or fairs that are great at generating foot traffic. Midori has been able to participate in both the Chinese Cultural Festival in San Jose and the Cherry Blossom Festival event at Hakone garden in Saratoga. Bonsai brings another dimension to these shows, and the Club benefits from the exposure, in a true win/win. A few San Francisco clubs take the opportunity to cooperate in the big Home and Garden Show that takes place every year about this time. There is absolutely no shortage of spectators at stadium events like these. Timing is everything! One area club has a knack for scheduling its shows on Superbowl Sunday. I don't know if the idea was to provide an alternative to disenfrancised sports fans, but it never seemed to work out very well: Not only was it hard to find folks to look after the trees, but it wasn't too unusual to hear a cheer erupt from the deserted exhibit room, where someone with a earphone radio just got word of an pass interception or first down.

Speaking of timing, it seems the fall and spring shows never seem to match up with peak seasonal character. The spring shows are usually too early for most flowering plants, and the fall show is always staged to "miss the holidays" so it usually happens around October, when the trees are just looking burned out from indian summer and nowhere near any type of autumn coloration. In our mild mediterranean climate if there is going to be any color at all it might happen in December. Some clubs caught on and began holding their spring shows in January, when deciduous trees can be shown leafless. This has actually resulted in quite an improvment in the trees, too. Now that these trees are fully exposed, they need to look good! The California State group, Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF), holds its convention in alternating years in Northern and Southern California. But the annual convention is always pretty much at the same time. Maybe with a little encouragement or arm twisting they could be brought to change once. (Probably not, but it sounded good!) The Sideshow Some clubs invite a recognized bonsai professional (a "headliner") to perform a demonstration and that demo tree is often raffled off at the end, perhaps along with some door prizes. I guess this works, because most clubs do it, but it's harldy the kind of thing you rarely see at any other kind of "art show." Other clubs have bonsai sales of trees that are either commission sales of member trees, donated materials, club trees or even auctions. The auctions seem to pack people in, but those are mainly the "bonsai folks," who are usually already members of other clubs. This may in fact be the segment you want, but you need to target your activities to the groups you want to draw: A tree clinic, "Dr. Bonsai" booth is used effectively by the San Mateo club. Some clubs have beginner workshops associated with a show, where a visitor can, for a nominal fee, work with a juniper and have access to a few tools and wire. That is an event that coordinates well with a recruiting effort. Folks are likely to return for additional assistance with their trees. Brand the Show Take every opportunity to get your club name out in front of the public. The logo should appear on the show flyer, on the ID cards that accompany the plants and contact information should be available on any handout. Some clubs have member jackets or "happi coats" with a club logo. Anything you can do to get your name out there will help it be remembered. Keeping Records Does your club keep a record of attendance? Has anyone made a conscious effort to find out what works and what doesn't from year to year? If not, you might be missing out. Most clubs have little "interest" sheets that gather addresses for a mail list, but I don't think have seen one that said "Where did you hear about our show?" or maybe ask what people liked and what they didn't Bay Area Bonsai Associates (BABA) and Redwood Empire Bonsai Society (REBS) keep some extensive mailing lists and take the time to invite guests by mail. It really makes a difference in attendance. Summary Whether your club is large or small, having a respectable attendance at the group's exhibit offers numerous advantages: improving the status of the club in the community; motivating members to strive to create the best bonsai they can; promoting cultural awareness and social exchange; educating the community about the art of bonsai; and encouraging members to develop and appreciate their skills in composing bonsai displays - a sadly neglected aspect of our hobby.

What are your experiences in promoting and holding bonsai exhibits? What ideas have worked well for your club and which have been not so effective?

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Matt:

Your article raises many good points, which many clubs fail to address effectively.

It is clear to me that the public is curious, if misinformed, about bonsai. Last week, at the Philadelphia Flower Show, with its huge crowds, there was almost always a line to get in to the Pennsylvania Bonsai Association (a group of clubs) show. Chase Rosade's exhibit always had good crowds, when someone was working on trees .

What seems to be needed is a "grabber" to get folks out of their cars. Since the "million dollar" giveaway is beyond the budget of most clubs, we need to find a "stopper" to get folks near the door.

Once in, they will enjoy demos of almost any sort. It seems that the best ones are simple, by our standards. At Chase's booth, they found that it was best not to do anything that required too much concentration, as this work would be interrupted with questions. The simple creation of a bonsai from a nursery stock plant was fascinating to many.

I don't think that I have been to enough bonsai exhibitions to be forming any strong opinions, but I do have a few thoughts to the local bonsai society's annual show.

The Ottawa Bonsai Society's exhibition takes place at the Japanese Embassy downtown. Pro: quite a very nice setting, very appropriate for the subject. Con: terrible parking. Of course, there's enough parking to handle a relatively large crowd, if all the cars have 3-4 people in them. But I find that people come in small groups of 1-2, thus clogging the parking lot quickly. Highly unpleasant.

For publicity, I think that I find out about the exhibits in the newspaper, in the Entertainment section (along with the comics). A good thing is that it's posted alongside all the other weekend events, so anyone looking for something to occupy an afternoon may find out about. But it seems that very little other than that and a small fold-up sign that says "Bonsai Exhibit" is being done to publicize the show.

I don't think that I've ever seen a demo being held at the Ottawa Bonsai exhibit, the entire space is taken up by trees on display. I would definitely think that a demo would be interesting to have, although I don't know if there would be enough attendance to make it worthwhile.

As pointed out by Bart, a demo showing a relatively simple initial styling would attract many people to the show, simply because, for many people, the concept of bonsai seems to be shrouded in mystery. How do they "become" bonsai? Are there certain plants that are bonsai? A demo like that mentioned above would help establish a basic understanding, and would encourage people to learn more about it and then come back next year.

-Audric

As Public Relations spokesperson for two shows this year, Matt's article was interesting and though provoking. We did a LOT of mailing... I used all of the old lists from the past, plus thought of some new ones. Also a lot of internet calendars. I mailed a batch of fliers, with cover letters, to all of the local (within 150 miles) clubs; and single fliers to garden clubs; koi clubs; senior centers; libraries; and some past members. I went on the internet and put our shows on "local" calendars... "what's happening" type of things. Then there's newspapers. I made a "press release" rather than just a flier. The "press release" went to all local newspapers (and some have a regional office for every small city) along with a cover letter. I also called the "Garden Compass", whose host has always been very good to us, and spoke briefly about the show.

However, there were some venues I missed. Larger magazines need a LOT of lead time, so that didn't work out. I didn't think to send fliers with club members who were giving talks for other events... our members regularly speak at Women's Clubs, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and at garden club meetings. A pile of half-sheet fliers would have been very beneficial at those talks!! Having a pile of fliers available at the meetings leading up to the show also allows members to hand them out to other people, or on their "bonsai travels".

Using demos for shows is a great draw, IMO. We had people show up and ask when the demo was going to happen. One of the members gave a demo on mame... she's fantastic at putting tiny trees into tiny pots! People really enjoyed that one, as the tiny trees are often the hit of the show! Our big club has also, in the past, done a raffle drawing for people sitting in the demo audience. They gave away wire, stock, and pots. That was nice, but not really necessary.

The plant sale, if well advertised and anticipated, can be a great hit! But many people want trees in bonsai pots, (you know, like mallsai but without the twists) so make sure that your sale has some of those. Make them, if you have to, at a previous club meeting with stock provided by the club. A club needs to think ahead and prepare for their sale. Just counting on member's donations and commissions is a gamble.

Joanie