| set up || Fri. 8am - 2pm || 6
 
| set up || Fri. 8am - 2pm || 6
 
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| artist hanging and check in || Fri. 2pm - 7pm || 5
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| artist hanging and checkin || Fri. 2pm - 7pm || 5
 
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|-  
 
| rowspan="3"| open to public || Fri. 7pm - 11pm || 4
 
| rowspan="3"| open to public || Fri. 7pm - 11pm || 4
 
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Setup doesn't use the room on Thursday, partly because we didn't have it until 8am Friday, and partly because there was no point opening Friday morning - programming started at 6 pm.
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Setup doesn't use the room on Thursday, partly because we didn't have it until 8am Friday, and partly because there was no point opening Friday morning; programming started at 6 pm.
    
Setup includes panels, lighting, office, and Print Shop; starting to hang mail-in art, putting up signs, and removing spare panel parts.  We're generally done with the panels by noon, but we don't want to start hanging art until we're done with lighting, signs, or anything else which might be a hazard to pieces on panels or tables.  The setup time is sufficient for a 120 panel show with about 900 pieces and about 40% mail-in.
 
Setup includes panels, lighting, office, and Print Shop; starting to hang mail-in art, putting up signs, and removing spare panel parts.  We're generally done with the panels by noon, but we don't want to start hanging art until we're done with lighting, signs, or anything else which might be a hazard to pieces on panels or tables.  The setup time is sufficient for a 120 panel show with about 900 pieces and about 40% mail-in.
 
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Artist hanging and check in takes longer than theoretically necessary.  If all the artists showed up at once, they could all be done within two hours.  Of course, they don't all show up at once.  Particularly, many local artists won't show up until after they get off work on Friday.  The art show could otherwise open around 5pm, but we don't want to be open while lots of artists are still hanging work.  Many artists set their work on the floor while they're working on their panels, and it's too easy for it to be stepped on.  Many local artists show up late at this show - if that's not the case for your show, you could open earlier.
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Artist hanging and checkin takes longer than theoretically necessary.  If all the artists showed up at once, they could all be done within two hours.  Of course, they don't all show up at once.  Particularly, many local artists won't show up until after they get off work on Friday.  The art show could otherwise open around 5pm, but we don't want to be open while lots of artists are still hanging work.  Many artists set their work on the floor while they're working on their panels, and it's too easy for it to be stepped on.  Many local artists show up late at this show; if that's not the case for your show, you could open earlier.
    
You'll notice this show kept late hours.  More recent MileHiCons are only scheduled to stay open until 10pm on Saturday, but we stay open later as long as we have a decent number of people coming in.
 
You'll notice this show kept late hours.  More recent MileHiCons are only scheduled to stay open until 10pm on Saturday, but we stay open later as long as we have a decent number of people coming in.
 
In this compressed schedule, a Sunday auction conflicts with recording bids before auction.  Without recording bids, auction prep would only be an hour - we could stay open an extra 1.5 hours on Sunday.  Bids don't generally need to be recorded until the auction is over, but here the auction ends so close to the end of the convention that we open for buyers to pick up their art while the auction is still running.
 
In this compressed schedule, a Sunday auction conflicts with recording bids before auction.  Without recording bids, auction prep would only be an hour - we could stay open an extra 1.5 hours on Sunday.  Bids don't generally need to be recorded until the auction is over, but here the auction ends so close to the end of the convention that we open for buyers to pick up their art while the auction is still running.
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We left lots of time for art pick-up (for ~ 400 pieces and 130 buyers).  We've sorted the sold pieces by buyer, which makes pick up fast - most buyers actually pick up their pieces from 1pm-1:30 or 3pm-3:30pm.  Our staff could probably handle all the buyers in just one hour, but as with artists checking in, not all buyers could get there during a shorter period.   
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We left lots of time for art pick-up (for ~ 400 pieces and 130 buyers).  We've sorted the sold pieces by buyer, which makes pick-up fast - most buyers actually pick up their pieces from 1pm-1:30 or 3pm-3:30pm.  Our staff could probably handle all the buyers in just one hour, but as with artists checking in, not all buyers could get there during a shorter period.   
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Time for artist check-out is adequate for ~38 artists attending and 28 mail-in.  We check out individual artists earlier as needed, but most artists wait until 3:00pm (after the auction, so we can pay them as they check out).  We're also using this time to start packing up mail-in artists.
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Time for artist checkout is adequate for ~38 artists attending and 28 mail-in.  We check out individual artists earlier as needed, but most artists wait until 3:00pm (after the auction, so we can pay them as they check out).  We're also using this time to start packing up mail-in artists.
    
Tear down time is a bit short, but we've already started on teardown before 5pm.  It includes taking down the lighting and panels, finishing packing all the mail-in art, packing up all the records and office, and putting everything either on the truck or in our hotel room.
 
Tear down time is a bit short, but we've already started on teardown before 5pm.  It includes taking down the lighting and panels, finishing packing all the mail-in art, packing up all the records and office, and putting everything either on the truck or in our hotel room.
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This is an aggressive schedule on Sunday.  The non-open times are short.  They require good staff and don't leave much time to recover in case of problems.  This schedule manages to be open 20 hours without setting up on Thursday.  Overlapping auction and art pick up decreases semi-open times but requires good organization.  Overlapping art pick up and artist check out also decreases semi-open times, but requires us to consider abandoned art as sold.  This schedule requires art show staff to put in long hours each day; in exchange, total staff time is low and half the time we are in the room is open time.
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This is an aggressive schedule on Sunday.  The non-open times are short.  They require good staff and don't leave much time to recover in case of problems.  This schedule manages to be open 20 hours without setting up on Thursday.  Overlapping auction and art pick-up decreases semi-open times but requires good organization.  Overlapping art pick up and artist check out also decreases semi-open times, but requires us to consider abandoned art as sold.  This schedule requires art show staff to put in long hours each day; in exchange, total staff time is low and half the time we are in the room is open time.
    
==Schedule B==
 
==Schedule B==
 
Auction prep and the auction are shorter than for '''A''' - it was a smaller show.  Tear down is the same as '''A''' or '''C''' - again, less staff cancels out smaller show.  
 
Auction prep and the auction are shorter than for '''A''' - it was a smaller show.  Tear down is the same as '''A''' or '''C''' - again, less staff cancels out smaller show.  
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This is a less aggressive schedule than '''A'''.  It's still a three day convention, but it started around noon on Friday, rather than Friday evening.  Since it was a longer convention, we didn't need to stay open as long on any one day.  It does manage to stay open three more hours than '''A''', but you're in the room an extra nine hours, so percentage of open time drops a bit, from 50% to 47%.
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This is a less aggressive schedule than '''A'''.  It's still a three day convention, but it started around noon on Friday, rather than Friday evening.  Since it was a longer convention, we didn't need to stay open as long on any one day.  It does manage to stay open three more hours than '''A''', but you're in the room an extra nine hours, so the percentage of open time drops a bit, from 50% to 47%.
       
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Like '''B''', this is for a longer convention than '''A''' or '''D'''.  It, too, uses the room on Thursday, which allows it generous setup and art check in time.  The setup and artist check-in times are quite similar to schedule B. So are the open times, until Saturday evening.  It assumes that your audience is there by noon on Friday and that artists will be there by 11am on Friday.  It's a good schedule if both are true (which it wasn't for '''B''', thanks to weather delays).
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Like '''B''', this is for a longer convention than '''A''' or '''D'''.  It, too, uses the room on Thursday, which allows it generous setup and art checkin time.  The setup and artist checkin times are quite similar to schedule B. So are the open times, until Saturday evening.  It assumes that your audience is there by noon on Friday and that artists will be there by 11am on Friday.  It's a good schedule if both are true (which it wasn't for '''B''', thanks to weather delays).
    
Like '''A''', this show is open to the public for 20 hours.  It also has four additional hours of after auction sales - I counted them as two hours of open time.
 
Like '''A''', this show is open to the public for 20 hours.  It also has four additional hours of after auction sales - I counted them as two hours of open time.
 
The schedule shows sales being recorded during the auction, which is one option.  Alternatively, after the auction you have the whole night to do paperwork, or you can do it on Sunday morning before art pickup (or you can just not record sales until after the show is over - see records).
 
The schedule shows sales being recorded during the auction, which is one option.  Alternatively, after the auction you have the whole night to do paperwork, or you can do it on Sunday morning before art pickup (or you can just not record sales until after the show is over - see records).
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Art pick-up and artist check out each have enough time and do not overlap.  This allows the show the option of treating abandoned art as unsold, should they want to.
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Art pick-up and artist checkout each have enough time and do not overlap.  This allows the show the option of treating abandoned art as unsold, should they want to.
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This schedule uses after auction sales. This usually precludes pulling sold pieces off the panels and sorting them, though you could also shut for half an hour before art pick up to sort the sold pieces, then use less time for art pick up.  It won't save you any staff time - it about breaks even there - but it will cut the time buyers have to wait.  (see buyer pick up).
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This schedule uses after auction sales. This usually precludes pulling sold pieces off the panels and sorting them, though you could also shut for half an hour before art pick up to sort the sold pieces, then use less time for art pick-up.  It won't save you any staff time - it about breaks even there - but it will cut the time buyers have to wait.  (see buyer pick up).
    
Teardown time is much like '''A''' or '''B'''.  Overall, this schedule is mostly similar to '''B'''.  It has one less hour of open time, and your staff spends two less hours in the room, so you're still open about 47% of the time you're in the room.
 
Teardown time is much like '''A''' or '''B'''.  Overall, this schedule is mostly similar to '''B'''.  It has one less hour of open time, and your staff spends two less hours in the room, so you're still open about 47% of the time you're in the room.
 
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This schedule has perfectly reasonable times for set-up and art check in.  It looks a lot like '''A''' until Saturday evening, when it closes after only two hours.  Then it opens an hour later on Saturday.  By 11am on Saturday, '''A''' was open six hours - this one has only been open three.
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This schedule has perfectly reasonable times for set-up and art checkin.  It looks a lot like '''A''' until Friday evening, when it closes after only two hours.  Then it opens an hour later on Saturday.  By 11am on Saturday, '''A''' was open six hours; this one has only been open three.
    
The auction time is reasonable, though an hour later would help keep the show open a bit more.  But there's no need for two hours of auction prep here.  If you need to record all the written bids, you can do it during or after the auction.
 
The auction time is reasonable, though an hour later would help keep the show open a bit more.  But there's no need for two hours of auction prep here.  If you need to record all the written bids, you can do it during or after the auction.
 
This schedule doesn't stay open very long on Friday.  It doesn't open as early as it could on Saturday, or stay open as late as it could.  If they stayed open just one hour later on Friday, opened an hour earlier on Saturday and stayed open two hours later (pushing the auction back an hour), they'd have been open 14 hours.  Four more hours may not sound like much, but it's 40% more than this schedule started with.  I'd expect a 15-20% increase in sales as a result.
 
This schedule doesn't stay open very long on Friday.  It doesn't open as early as it could on Saturday, or stay open as late as it could.  If they stayed open just one hour later on Friday, opened an hour earlier on Saturday and stayed open two hours later (pushing the auction back an hour), they'd have been open 14 hours.  Four more hours may not sound like much, but it's 40% more than this schedule started with.  I'd expect a 15-20% increase in sales as a result.