Artist emails - 2023

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CONGRATULATIONS! You have been selected to participate in the 24th Annual Denver Arts  Festival. We are pleased with the quality of art that has been accepted  into the festival. We had a 40% increase in applications this year  making it one of the most competitive shows ever.

PAYMENT OPTIONS (PLEASE READ!)
(DUE MARCH 15)
Please note that you will need to Accept (on Zapplication) but you have two options for payment. If you pay through Zapplication the booth fee is $525. If you want to save money  ($30 per booth) you can pay for your booth fees with Checks by March 15.  (After that date if you haven't paid for your booth, it will go to an  artist on our waitlist.) If you are not able to accept the invite,  please let us know ASAP.

Payments for electricity, and corners are with CHECKS ONLY. Please use separate checks for each item and we will only cash the checks for those things that we are able to give you. Please do not use PayPal since those fees come out of our budget which we would  rather use for advertising. I have kept the booth fees the same for the  last 16 years due to you paying by checks and the show not losing  $3,000+ in fees to Zapp and PayPal. Thanks.
*Booth $525 (ZAPP) $495 Check – Save $30
*Double Booth $1050 (ZAPP) $990 Check – Save $60
*Electricity $50 Check ONLY
*Corner booth $125 Check ONLY (limited number of corners)

Send all payments to (Make checks out to DAF):
DAF
PO Box 1743
Berthoud, CO 80513

Booth Layout:
I have attached the booth layout map. Please email me any booth requests you may have.
We  have some early PR opportunities this year so the earlier you accept  and pay the better the chances that we can use you in our Press  Releases.

I will be in touch soon with updates, Hotel deals, Taxes, Insurance, etc.

Again, congratulations on being accepted and thank you for supporting the festival.

Please contact me with any questions – 303-330-8237.

Sincerely,
Jim DeLutes
Director
Denver Arts Festival 

Jdphotos7@gmail.com

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MARCH 23

We are 60 days away from the Denver Arts Festival. We are working hard and things are coming together nicely. This email is filled with important info so please do not just skim over it. Thanks!

At the bottom of this email is your booth assignment. I have attached the layout map for you also. If you have a C or E after your booth number that means Corner and Electricity. (Please note that not all corners appear on the layout map). I will notify you as soon as I have all of the artists on the website.

If you are needing to rent a canopy, etc. you can now fill out the form. You need to have your booth number in order to submit your order. You will find the order form at this page on the website - https://denverartsfestival.com/rentals-hotel-deals

Also, keep in mind that if you need any info from the emails I sent so far, you can find them here:
https://denverartsfestival.com/emails

Insurance and Taxes

These two things are critical to your ability to do the show. As stated in the application, you will need to have liability insurance. I am still negotiating the best price for the insurance and I’ll get that to you soon.  

Taxes (State and City)

You will need to have both a special events sales tax license from the State and a sales tax license from the City & County of Denver. You will find applications for both at this link - https://denverartsfestival.com/taxes There are phone numbers for both the city and state listed on that page if you have any questions.

IMPORTANT!!
BOTH THE CITY OF DENVER AND THE STATE OF COLORADO HAVE STATUTES THAT I MUST GIVE THEM YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND SALES TAX LICENSE NUMBERS. I HAVE TO DO THAT AT THE LATEST, 30 DAYS BEFORE THE SHOW. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SENDING THOSE TO ME BY APRIL 26.

Hotels
I have a deal for you at both the Staybridge Suites which is half a block from the show and The Residence Inn which is about a mile from the show. The rate for both is $159 (usually $204). The link for the deal is on this page - https://denverartsfestival.com/rentals-hotel-deals

If you have issues, just call the hotel and tell them you’re with the Denver Arts Festival. Do not procrastinate booking since hotels fill up quickly these days.
If you want to search online for deals, the address of the festival’s location is 8304 E. 49th Pl. Denver 80238.

DISPLAY PANELS FOR RENT: I have one set of gray ProPanels for rent. They are $100. We will set up and tear down the panels for you. Contact me directly if you are interested - jdphotos7@gmail.com

Also, I have created a hidden page on the website that has all of the emails that I have and will send. You will also find the hotel information plus the form for tent rental there. There are two ways to access this page. The first is using the following link: -https://denverartsfestival.com/emails

The other way is to scroll to the bottom of any page on the website and you’ll see the pages for the website. At the end of the list is the letter ‘E’ – click on that to go to the email page.

Please let me know if you have any questions – jdphotos7@gmail.com

Thanks,
Jim DeLutes
Director - Denver Arts Festival
www.DenverArtsFestival.com

________________________________________

APRIL 24

Just 5 weeks to go! Just want to update you on some items.

Some of you have still not sent your CO State sales tax license number. I need that now since I have to get that info to the state soon.

Promotions: We are currently working on our promotions for the show. I have attached the poster for this year and ask that you use it when posting about the show on social media or on your emails to your clients.

Setup:
There will be a very detailed schedule for setup coming soon but for general information, the setup is on Friday May 26th starting at 7AM until 8PM. The morning is usually busier but the afternoon is pretty quiet. The morning will have specific times for setup but you can set up anytime in the afternoon. Again, more details will come later.

Sales Taxes:
You will need to have a current Colorado State and a City and County of Denver Sales tax license. Both entities have Special Event permits so you don’t need to get the full-blown license if you don’t need it. Tax rates will be in your packet when you arrive at the festival.

For the State of Colorado Special Events license and City & County of Denver license please find the links or forms on this webpage: https://denverartsfestival.com/taxes  

Questions? Call: Colorado – 303-866-5643   City of Denver – 720-913-9309

Hotels:
The deadline for the hotels' deals is 4PM this Wednesday the 26th. You can find the deals at the bottom of this webpage: https://denverartsfestival.com/emails

Rentals:
We will be using a rental company this year for canopies, etc. You can find the price list on the website at this link - https://denverartsfestival.com/artist-emails . You can fill it out and send it to Chair Rental or you can call them with your order. Please make sure you have your booth number on any orders. Also, if renting, keep in mind that the rental tents can’t go up until 7AM on Friday the 26th. If your setup time starts at 7AM you may want to wait 30 minutes to make sure your tent is up. (Set up schedule will be sent to you shortly before the festival) We will do our best to have them up quickly but please be patient. You will have all day to set up.

I only have one set of ProPanels (gray) left for rent. They are $100 and we will set up and take them down for you. They usually go quickly, so if interested contact me directly ASAP.

Insurance:
Please note that you should not wait until the last minute to get the policy since I will pull the list of artists 2 days before the festival and that is what I’ll refer to see who has it. You cannot participate in the festival if you do not have a proper insurance policy.

As stated in the application, due to insurance regulations, all artists (and sponsors and food vendors) will need to have their own liability policy. To make it easier we have a policy created for the show that is easy to get. The fee for most states is $42 (other states’ prices are listed onsite) and please know that we do not make a dime off of these policies. If you use them, they will send me your policy so you don't have to worry about getting that to me.  Check with them if you have any questions.
https://denverartsfestival.com/taxes

If you already have your own policy, that will be accepted. I have the names of the also insureds you will need to add to your policy at the bottom of this letter. Add those and send a copy of the policy with those additions to me.

Dogs
There are no dogs allowed in the vendors’ booths at the festival (except service dogs). Please make arrangements for your pets.

To access info on taxes and insurance go to this link: https://denverartsfestival.com/taxes

In case you want to see all of the emails I have sent out you can go to this hidden webpage to see them: https://denverartsfestival.com/emails

Look forward to seeing you soon! Any questions – jdphotos7@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Jim DeLutes
Director
www.DenverArtsFestival.com
303-330-8237

NAMES AND ADDRESSES FOR ALSO INSURED ENTITIES:

DDAF, LLC

PO BOX 1743

BERTHOUD, CO 80513

jim@denverartsfestival.com

MCA

8351 E. NORTHFIELD BLVD.

DENVER, CO 80238

ddeeter@stapletoncommunity.com 

PARK CREEK METROPOLITAN DIST.

7350 E 29TH AVENUE

SUITE 200

DENVER, CO 80238

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MAY 17

This  is a long email but very important. Please take the time to read it.  It’s not as long if you just read the info about your booth for setup  instructions.

Just  10 days away from setting up on Friday the 26th and I want to fine-tune  the setup schedule. Please understand that we have 4 sections to the  festival and all four streets are different widths. I’ve tried to figure  out the best ways to get everyone in without undue traffic jams. Please  be patient during setup. We have all day to do it. If it’s jammed up,  go sit in one of the restaurants and come back out when it lightens up.  Please remember that we are in a neighborhood so please be respectful  especially early in the morning and later in the evening. Thanks.

Everyone  (with the exception of booths 103-116) will enter the show from one  street ONLY and that is 49th Place. DO NOT GO AGAINST THE FLOW OF  TRAFFIC OR YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL  THERE IS ROOM TO GET BACK IN.

I am attaching a map showing flow and direction of traffic. I know that most of you are visual people so I hope this will help. Please print this out and bring it.

Just  to confuse you more, there are two Valentia Streets, one on the west  side of the park and one on the east. Please make sure you’re turning  onto the correct one.

Booths 1 through 102 will enter on 49th from the east (coming from Verbena St). Booths 1-31 will turn left on Valentia. When exiting you will go out onto Northfield Blvd.

Booths 32-44 will continue straight to access your booths. You will exit by staying straight on 49th Place to Uinta Street. Do not make any turns until you get to Uinta

Booths 45 – 102 will turn right on Valentia. When exiting you will turn right on 50th Ave.

Booths 103-116 will  enter on 50th Avenue from the East (coming from Verbena St) and  continue straight to access your booths. You will exit by staying  straight on 50th Avenue to Uinta Street. Do not make any turns until you get to Uinta

Booths 119 through 186 will enter on 49th from the west (coming from Uinta St).

Booths 119-156 will turn left on Valentia. When exiting you will turn left onto 50th Ave.

Booths 157-186 will turn right on Valentia. When exiting you will go out onto Northfield Blvd.

Booths 117-118 Come in on 50th St. from Uinta and park along the curb on 50th near your booths. Please call me when  you arrive so we can go over your loading procedures – 303-517-1964.

IMPORTANT  – PLEASE IGNORE THE ONE-WAY SIGNS ON VALENTIA. THE ROADS ARE CLOSED SO  WE CAN GO IN WHICHEVER DIRECTION WE NEED TO. PLEASE FOLLOW THE  INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE.

LOAD IN TIMES: Due to the sizes of some of the streets we will need to alter some of the load in times. The odd numbers can still come in at 7AM and out by 9:15AM (if you’re done earlier or can get your vehicle out earlier, please do so).

The  Following Even number booths will begin coming in at 9:30 BUT we will  need to stage them into some of the areas due to narrow streets.

9:30 - Booths 2-16 and Booths 172 -186 will  line up at their respective sides of Valentia at 49th Place. We will  then try to get the vehicles that are present into the area in numerical  order. You will exit onto Northfield.

10:00 - Booths 18-30 and Booth 158-170 will  line up at their respective sides of Valentia at 49th Place. We will  then try to get the vehicles that are present into the area in numerical  order. You will exit onto Northfield.

BOOTHS 41-97 AND 110-148
I BELIEVE WE CAN GET ALL EVEN BOOTHS IN STARTING AT 9:30.

Remember,  you can dolly in at any time no matter what your booth number is, and  after 12 noon you can come in anytime there is room.

Big Rigs or Large Trailers - We will see if we can get you in. Otherwise, you may have to park on  the side street and load in. If you aren’t sure, please call before  driving into the show – 303-517-1964.

YOU  CAN ALSO PARK ON SIDE STREETS AND DOLLY IN AT ANY TIME. PLUS, AS LONG  AS YOU CHECK IN BEFORE 6PM YOU CAN SET UP IN THE EVENING UNTIL 10PM (I  would advise being done by 8 since it's pretty dark after that). You could also set up just your tent and panels, etc. and then come back in the evening to load your artwork.

Again,  we have all day to do this. Being patient and working with each other  will go a long way in keeping it somewhat sane. I know that’s my  personal goal…being somewhat sane.

TEAR DOWN - I  don’t like a lot of rules with tear down since I believe most of you do  this enough through the year to know what to do. That said, if the  weather is dry through the weekend, I want everyone to tear down as much of your booth and artwork before pulling in. The show ends early at 5PM so we have 5 hours before we have to be done. Again, wheeling out may make sense for some of you. Remember, you will enter and exit the same as during setup.

Parking - There is street parking all around the festival. If you don’t need to  be close, please park a little farther away to leave parking for  customers. There is also a lot Northeast of the show at the High Tech  Elementary School at Verbena St. & Stoll Place (about 2 blocks from  the show). Also, at the corner of Northfield and Wabash is the Goddard  School (about a block east of the show). Please only use these lots on Saturday and Sunday.  Although we don’t have an official parking area at the Northfield Mall  you probably can park on the outer lots or over by Target.

DO NOT PARK IN THE LOTS BY THE RESTAURANTS at Northfield Blvd.

Landscaping – When setting up and during the festival please be very careful if you  have landscaping behind your booth. Do not lay panels or boxes on any  plants (or planters).

Check-in - The  check-in booth (info booth) will be on the corner of the small park by  booth 31. We will set it up temporarily so that we are not in the way.  You can pick up your packet. Please put the parking pass on your  dashboard. Don’t need it for parking but it will let us know your booth  number in case we need to have you move it. Also, you may need to sign  the Central Park Right of Entry form at check-in (unless we have yours  from last year.)

SECURITY – We have a security team overnight on Friday and Saturday. We have a  uniformed Denver Police officer patrolling during the festival hours.  Also, I’m at the Staybridge over Friday and Saturday nights in case  there are any security or weather issues that need immediate attention.

Wind -  Since this is Colorado, and for those of you who might be new to  Colorado shows, just know that it can sometimes be ‘breezy’ here. That  said, do make sure you bring extra weights. Since we are on the streets  there is no way to stake your tent. If you’re unsure about whether your  booth is secure, feel free to ask me or one of my staff to double-check  it.

Volunteers (they wear red T-shirts) –  Since the pandemic every event I know has had issues with getting  enough volunteers. We are also having issues. We’ll have enough to  handle everything but instead of getting a scheduled volunteer to watch  your booth while you take a break, you will need to call Laura  (303-678-3041) and put in your request as you need it. We will send the  next available volunteer to you. Please be patient since we might get  backed up at times.

Insurance - Please make sure to have your insurance forms with you in case we need to confirm that you have it.

Show Map – There will be a map of the show at the info booth and also on large  A-frame signs at each street intersection. They can also find any  artist’s booth number at the info booth.

I know this is a long email but the setup instructions have worked great for the past 5 years so please follow all instructions.

See you soon,
Jim DeLutes
Director
Denver Arts Festival
jdphotos7@gmail.com

PS - Remember that all emails that have been sent can be seen at this link - https://denverartsfestival.com/artist-emails

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MAY 17

Great news for those who have been asking about staying in their RVs. We  have two locations for RV’s: The Goddard School, which is one block  East of the show, has allowed us to use their parking lot for the  weekend. Please wait until all of the employees have left on Friday  evening before pulling in. Please park smart so that we can utilize the  space. If there is space left after all of the RVs have been parked,  then other artists can use the lot also. RV’s can also park on either  side of Runway 35 park (see attached map) Since both of these are in  neighborhoods around the show, please be respectful and quiet so that we  can use these spaces again in the future.
During the show Saturday and Sunday (Friday only after the school has  closed) all artists can park at the Elementary school that is at East  Stoll & Verbena (just a block from the show) See map for all  locations.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jim DeLutes
Director
jdphotos7@gmail.com

_________________________

MAY 23

Some final clarity about the setup schedule. The odd number booths come in at 7AM and out by 9:15AM. Even booths come in at 9:30. If you have a double booth you may come in either time and if you want to wait until noon or so, you can come in no matter what your number is (as long as there is room). Also, you can park outside of the show and dolly in anytime you want.

SOCIAL MEDIA - Please make sure you do your part to drive your customers to the festival. Please email or post on Facebook or post on your website. If you haven’t yet, please ‘LIKE’ the festival on Facebook and then ‘SHARE’ some of the posts that we are putting up every day - https://www.facebook.com/DenverArtsFestival/ and for those of you who know how to do live video feeds on FB, etc. – please post some during set up and more during the show.

INSURANCE – If you have your own insurance or if you bought it through our link, please make sure to bring the page showing your coverage and DDAF, LLC as also insured. A clear picture of it on your phone will also work. Remember that Liability insurance is mandatory. You will not be allowed to set up without it. You can get a policy at this link and it takes 5 minutes: https://securevendorinsurance.com/PFS/ApplicantInformation?GroupEventKey=08fbef2a3cae

RESTAURANTS - We have several restaurants at the South end of the festival and several Food Trucks at the north end of the show.

RESTROOMS – There are nice indoor bathrooms on the south end of the show in the building named MCA – The Cube (near Jersey Mike’s Subs) and there are porta johns on the north end on 50th Ave. just east of the show.

PROMOTIONS:
So that you know what advertising and promotions are being done to help you have a successful show, here are some of the promotions we have done:

Our 60+ TV commercials & promos are running on KDVR & CW2 plus 76+ commercials on our radio station KOSI. Three hundred Posters have been distributed and 10,000 rack cards are on display around downtown and the Central Park area. Yesterday I was on Colorado & Company on Channel 9 (NBC). Last Friday I was on Great Day Colorado on both Channel 2 and Channel 31 and on their live news shows.  We have run many online promotions since March with 5280 and 5280 HOME magazines. We had a ½ page ad in THIRST magazine. We had a half page ad in the Front Porch newspaper in May. The Front Porch is distributed to the residents of both Central Park and Lowry hitting 35,000 people. We have a ¼ page ad in Colorado Life magazine. We have a ¼ page advertisement in the Colorado Ballet program and also APPLAUSE Magazine which is handed out to every patron at the Performing Arts Theatres for the past 4 months and has a 100,000 distribution. We are listed in the calendars of 5280 Magazine, Denver Post, EnCompass Magazine, The Denver News, KOSI radio, and many other outlets.

Our Host Sponsor, MCA, has also done promotions to the residents of Central Park. We have done 2 large targeted emails (110,000) through the 5280 Magazine. Mass emails are going out through several other channels reaching at least 200,000 people who are looking for things to do in Denver. We are on many website calendars (to see how many, Google ‘Denver Arts Festival’). We have done social media promotions through 303 Magazine, 5280 Magazine, KOSI Radio, KDVR and CW2 TV, Only in Colorado plus, the promotions through our Facebook page. We have many online ads and promotions happening this week. Not to mention that our bands have large followings and the bands have been promoting the festival also. Currently, there are large banners (see attached) on Northfield Blvd. which has over 20,000 vehicles driving by each day plus we have dozens of smaller signs that will be placed once the festival opens. 

All told we have well over $90,000 in promotions happening. Please understand that our advertising is very targeted towards upper-income neighborhoods and demographics so to help bring a quality crowd to the show.

There is more that we’ve done but I figured this much should let you know we are serious about promoting the festival. We are still working on more live TV coverage as the weekend gets closer.

I will have at least one more email before the show. I know how much you enjoy reading all of this…

Sincerely,
Jim DeLutes
Director - Denver Arts Festival
jdphotos7@gmail.com

PS – Remember, if you’re interested in getting a booth shot done, talk to me on Friday to set up a time. I usually do them on Saturday morning.

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MAY 25

First of all, it looks like good weather but a chance of a passing rainstorm each afternoon. It may be just fine but I would recommend that you try to add a little more weight to your canopy. Please remember your sunscreen and water. Especially those of you not used to the high altitude and the low humidity. The sun can fry you in 15 minutes and it’s easy to get dehydrated when the humidity is 10%. Drink lots of water.

No dogs are allowed at your booth (except service dogs). 

GPS Info – The address to the festival location is:   8304 E. 49th Place Denver 80216

Let me know tomorrow if you are interested in a booth shot this weekend.

OK, that should be enough from me. Keep in mind that if you need to get in touch with me on Friday (and you need a quick reply) please call or text me since I will not be checking emails as much – 303-517-1964.

See you soon,
Jim DeLutes
Denver Arts Festival

PS – If you’re interested in applying to the Affordable Arts Festival, the deadline is next Wednesday. You can click here to apply - https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=10838