Art Festival

What Art Festival does

Howard Alan Events, Inc. (dba ArtFestival.com) is a privately held, family-owned event production company headquartered in Jupiter, Florida that operates what it describes as the nation's largest portfolio of juried outdoor art and craft festivals. The company produces 85 annual events — 45 juried fine art shows under the Howard Alan Events brand and 40 craft festivals under the wholly-owned American Craft Endeavors subsidiary — across at least eight US states including Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland. Premium locations include Aspen, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Alexandria, Sarasota, and Pittsburgh.

The platform architecture is intentionally lightweight: the company uses the third-party Zapplication.org portal for artist jury applications (fully paperless), a Drupal-based content website for festival calendars and marketing, and a custom payment portal (artfestival.highsystems.io) for exhibitor balance collection. There is no proprietary software product, SaaS offering, or mobile application. The core technology function is operational coordination of 85 annual events rather than software delivery.

Howard Alan Events monetizes through three revenue streams: (1) booth and exhibitor fees paid by juried artists and crafters (with a $35 non-refundable application fee, $50 deposit, and balance due 30 days before each event); (2) food vendor fees with minimum $1M liability insurance requirements; and (3) corporate sponsorship revenue from brands such as Renewal by Andersen and Clarendon Alliance. The business serves four customer segments: independent fine artists and craft artisans (primary, SMB/individual), food vendors (secondary, SMB), corporate sponsors (secondary, enterprise), and festival visitors (free-admission consumers in most markets). Founders Howard Alan and his wife Debbie have operated the business as partners for 40 years, traveling to personally coordinate many shows.

Name

Art Festival

Legal name

Howard Alan Events, Inc.

Website

https://artfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Howard Alan Events produces 85 juried outdoor art and craft festivals annually across premium US locations, serving independent artists, crafters, food vendors, and corporate sponsors. Operates under ArtFestival.com with wholly-owned American Craft Endeavors subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Festival Production and Event Management

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Outdoor art festivals
• Craft festival production
• Juried art exhibitions
• Exhibitor booth rentals
• Handmade craft markets

Headquarters

HQ city

Jupiter

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Booth/Exhibitor Fees: Howard Alan Events charges artists, crafters, and food vendors booth fees to participate in their festivals. Artists pay a $35 non-refundable jury fee to apply, a $50 deposit upon invitation, with full booth balance due 30 days before the event. Late fees of $50 apply for cancellations within 60 days or late payments.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors such as Renewal by Andersen, Alexandria Times, and others sponsor individual festivals, providing additional revenue stream. Sponsors receive brand visibility at events and in marketing materials.
3. Food Vendor Fees: Food vendors pay fees to participate and must provide minimum $1 million liability insurance. Some categories like hot dogs, lemonade, and kettle corn are already contracted out.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Howard Alan Events (ArtFestival.com) produces and manages 85 outdoor art and craft festivals annually across the United States, providing juried exhibition venues, event logistics, marketing, and exhibitor management for fine artists, craft artisans, and food vendors. The company operates two event brands: Howard Alan Events for juried fine art shows and American Craft Endeavors for handcrafted craft festivals. Revenue comes from artist booth fees, jury fees, food vendor fees, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

ArtFestival.com (Howard Alan Events) operates as a festival/event management company producing outdoor art shows and craft festivals across the United States. The company organizes two primary event types: Howard Alan Events art festivals featuring juried fine artists, and American Craft Endeavors craft festivals featuring handcrafted goods. The portfolio includes approximately 85 annual events held in locations including Colorado, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland. The platform offers artist/crafter application services (via Zapplication third-party platform), exhibitor management, festival information, and visitor calendars. No standalone software product, SaaS platform, or digital tool module is described; the company is a physical event producer with a web presence rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Howard Alan Events Art Festivals Juried outdoor fine art festivals held in premium venues (e.g., Aspen, Beaver Creek, Sarasota, Alexandria, Pittsburgh) featuring 100-300+ fine artists and crafters exhibiting and selling original handcrafted artwork directly to festival visitors. Includes artist jury selection, booth space rental, event marketing, and on-site logistics.
• American Craft Endeavors Craft Festivals Outdoor craft festivals featuring handcrafted goods such as pottery, woodwork, glass, soaps, and other craft items from artisans. Craft shows allow draped tables unlike art shows, and include 40 annual events held across multiple U.S. states.
• Food Vendor Concessions at Festivals Food vendor booth rentals at art and craft festivals for food trucks, carts, and prepared food sellers. Vendors must carry minimum $1 million liability insurance. Some categories (hot dogs, lemonade, kettle corn) are already contracted out.
• Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities Brand sponsorship packages for individual festivals offering corporate sponsors visibility at events and in marketing materials. Sponsors include companies such as Renewal by Andersen and Alexandria Times.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 100 ranking in Sunshine Artist Magazine
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sunshine Artist MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunshine Artist Magazine rates the Alexandria Art Festival as one of the top 100 in the nation, providing third-party credibility and industry recognition for Howard Alan Events' festivals.
• Howard Alan Events (parent company)coreOthersHoward Alan Events operates as the parent company/brand for art festivals while American Craft Endeavors handles craft shows, both under the ArtFestival.com website.
• Renewal by AndersenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the Arlington Festival of the Arts, receiving brand visibility and signage at the event.
• Clarendon AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business alliance in Arlington, VA providing cross-promotion and community support for the festival.
• Various City Tourism Boards and Chambers of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnerships with local organizations in each city including Frederick Arts Council, Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce, Stuart Main Street, Downtown Sarasota Alliance, and others for cross-promotion.
• Bridgehampton MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bridgehampton Art Affair benefits the Bridgehampton Museum, held on the museum's grounds. Long-standing venue partner for fine art events.
• ZapplicationcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party online application platform used by artists and crafters to apply to Howard Alan Events shows. The company is fully paperless, using Zapp for all applications.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Artsy: Online marketplace and editorial platform for buying art from galleries and artists. Adjacent competitor for artist exposure and sales, especially for emerging exhibitors considering whether to apply to juried festivals.
• Saatchi Art: Online art marketplace selling directly from artists to buyers. Competes for the same pool of independent artists' time and sales channels, with a digital-first model that threatens to disintermediate physical festivals over time.
• Renegade Craft Fair: Curated independent craft marketplaces held in major U.S. cities. Direct competitor in the craft-festival category that overlaps with American Craft Endeavors' shows, though smaller in scale.

Direct peers

• Affordable Art Fair: International franchised art fair held in multiple U.S. cities targeting accessible price points. Direct competitor in the juried, booth-fee art fair category with overlapping exhibiting artists.
• Cherry Creek Arts Festival: Denver-based, juried outdoor art festival consistently ranked among the top U.S. fine art festivals. Direct competitor in the same juried outdoor art show category, with similar exhibitor economics and sponsorship model.
• The Armory Show: Major juried art fair held annually in New York City. Comparable in being a juried art event producer, though more upscale/contemporary and gallery-oriented.
• Coconut Grove Arts Festival: Long-running juried outdoor art festival in Miami, Florida. Closest geographic peer and direct competitor for fine artists applying to South Florida premium markets.
• Old Town Art Fair: Juried fine art fair in Chicago, ranked among the top U.S. art festivals. Closely comparable in operating model (juried booth-fee festival), size, and exhibitor audience.

Broad incumbents

• Art Basel: Global art fair operator running Art Basel Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Operates at a much higher price point and gallery-tier, but addresses the same artists' question of where to exhibit and sell.
• Frieze: Global art fair and media platform (Frieze London, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul). Competes at the contemporary art fair tier above HAE's juried outdoor festival model, with overlapping artist constituencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ArtFestivals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheArtFestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/HowardAlanEvents
• Instagraminstagram.com/artfestivals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howard-alan-events-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Art Festival