Show Review of the Month Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market
Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market 2025
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Dates: April 11-13, 2025
Contact: Events Management Group
Website: www.emgshows.com
Email: info@emgshows.com
Phone: 757-417-7771
Venue: 100% indoors
Exhibitors: 125
Attendance estimate: 8,500
COMPILED FROM FASTAUDIT REVIEWS
The Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market ranked CC78 in 2024’s 200 Best list. Eighty-six percent of the artists who reviewed 2025’s show said they would exhibit in it again.
A ceramicist would return due to having great sales. This artist made $3,950 at the show.
An exhibitor who reported $3,900 in sales would do the show again due to its management and the show being organized and well-advertised.
One mixed-media artist does not plan to do the show again due to low sales and attendance.
Another vendor would also participate in the future due to the management, saying they are great to work with. This exhibitor did not report a sales total and said, “We love it!”
A mixed-media artist would do the show again due to having a pleasant experience at it. This artist did not say how much was made at 2025’s event.
Also planning a return is a vendor who did not note a medium. “This show was amazing — very well-organized. I will definitely be doing this again,” said the exhibitor who had $1,200 in sales.
SHOW PROMOTER’S SELF‑REVIEW
Denise Wynn said this year’s Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market proved to be somewhat of a dark horse.
“While many artists reported record-breaking sales, others experienced slower weekends, reflecting a wide range of outcomes. We saw the same contrast among customers — some made significant purchases and even returned the next day to buy more, while others seemed focused on finding one specific item before quickly moving on,” said Wynn, Events Management Group’s event director.
She noted reports about President Trump’s new tariff cycle dominated national news in the days leading up to the show, creating economic uncertainty that may have impacted overall consumer confidence. “Compared to previous years, fewer attendees left with multiple purchases, possibly a reflection of this broader climate,” Wynn said.
In addition, a rare calendar alignment resulted in the show coinciding for the first time with a long-standing, well-known indoor art show in Richmond, Virginia, 90 minutes north. “We know some artists were unable to join us due to prior commitments to that event, and we suspect the overlap may have also impacted attendance and buying patterns,” she said.
Wynn said light rain fell throughout the weekend. That is typically considered good show weather, as it often draws more shoppers to the indoor show. However, it did not have the same effect this time.
“Crowd patterns were also unusual,” she said. “We track attendance every two hours and compare it against 38 years of historical data, and this year’s trends deviated from our expected peaks.”
They had more artists than last year, and attendance was up. Wynn said the diversity of mediums, especially among new artists was a highlight, with both artists and attendees sharing positive feedback about the range and quality of work on display.
“From our perspective, the event was well-organized, well-presented, and effectively promoted,” she said. “That said, we’re still puzzled by the lower-than-usual sales and are continuing to evaluate the possible contributing factors. Despite this, the energy throughout the event remained positive.”
What Artists Said
Artist feedback varied. “Many expressed appreciation for our thorough communication, especially in the week leading up to the event, noting how helpful it was to confirm details, such as amenities, booth needs, and hotel arrangements. Load-in was widely praised as smooth, straightforward, and well-managed,” Wynn said.
Most were pleased with the show’s promotion and advertising. She said a few offered constructive suggestions for additional marketing strategies to consider in the future.
“Sales reports were equally mixed — some artists experienced record-breaking success (either overall or compared to their previous years at this event), while others reported lower-than-expected sales,” Wynn said. “A common observation was that while crowd turnout was strong, many attendees seemed hesitant to make purchases at the level typically seen.”
What the Promoter Learned
She said the insights gathered from artists throughout the weekend were valuable. They are committed to continuing check-ins from time to time to ensure they are delivering the most successful, rewarding experience possible for their artists, while also creating a positive, memorable event for the customers.
Their Best Improvement
They tried something new to get better feedback from participants. “Our artist relations team made sure to welcome all new artists on day one and connected with the rest of the participants throughout the weekend to check in, ask a few key questions, and gather feedback about the event,” she said.
As their events have grown and evolved in the last few years, Wynn said it has become more important to understand what is working well for the artists and where there is room for improvement.
“These conversations also gave us the opportunity to follow up with certain artists after the show, especially in cases where expectations may not have aligned with our processes,” she said. “It allowed us to explain the reasoning behind specific decisions and provide greater transparency.”
Her message to those considering the show is, “We’re always on the lookout for talented new artists with distinctive, handcrafted work to enhance the diversity of our exhibitor lineup. We invite you to apply to one — or all — of our nationally recognized events!