Potfest 2021

Potfest organiser Matt Cox explains how he and the crew coped with final Twelve months’s restrictions, and what this Twelve months holds for the Potfest sequence of exhibits

Factual like every other Twelve months, in slack autumn 2019, the capabilities for the 2020 Potfest exhibits went dwell on the internet site. By January, the picks for every level to had been made, the exhibitors informed and work on the internet site updates for 2020 commenced. Two months later, when Covid19 began to request like it should also reason major disruption, we despatched out an email to gauge the emotions of people who had booked to participate within the exhibits.

By early April, we’d determined to effect off all three events except the stop of the summer season. Potfest within the Park may well be held on the starting up up of September, Potfest Scotland may well be held on the stop of September (this became as soon as as slack within the Twelve months as we dare protect an exterior, marquee occasion to this point north), and being an (almost) indoor occasion we determined to chance our arm with Potfest within the Pens on the very stop of October.

One amongst the difficulties when organising exhibits in such unsafe instances is that infrastructure and advertising on the total need to be booked and effect in space several months ahead of the events. By April, several thousand pounds had already been spent, venues and infrastructure booked and deposits paid. The internet site had been renewed for that Twelve months’s events, and saddest of all, over 50,000 flyers for the Scottish Potfest had fair correct been delivered, all with a now flawed date on them.

The choice became as soon as made that should anybody make a call to execute at that level, in space of shedding the same outdated £50 reserving payment, we would cut up the liability, refunding all of them but £30 of their customary reserving. We determined that we’d protect off making all other major expenditures except the most widespread that it’s good to per chance remember moment, which may well enable us to refund as grand as that it’s good to per chance remember to people who had chosen to “follow us” should now we must execute the events. With a vastly lowered quantity of exhibitors, though, by July, every of the exhibits stood on a knife-edge as to whether or not they may well traipse ahead or now not. At this level, with out the belief and toughen of people that had chosen to protect immediate and come by segment in final Twelve months’s events, Potfest would have needed to execute and barely presumably taken a financial hit orderly ample to sink it for fair correct.

As the summer season stepped forward, the country began to commence up all every other time, but with none level of easy job, most other ceramic and craft exhibits opted to slither digital ‘on-line’ events. With fingers firmly crossed, we ploughed on; a few extra exhibitors dropped out alongside the come as considerations grew and the virus affected people’s nearest and dearest, many pondering 2020 simply a total write-off and opted to simply are trying to live to converse the tale from on-line sales.

Plans were made to slither the exhibits with Covid19 measures in space, conferences were held with native authorities and environmental health officers, adjustments and alternatives discussed with the venues, infrastructure suppliers and the exhibitors.

The good deal in exhibitor numbers allowed us to facilitate more uncomplicated social distancing measures with a spacing between every stand and a a tiny bit numerous format within the marquees. On-line tag sales were launched, interaction and sales recommendation were despatched out to the exhibitors, restrictions and measures signs and sanitising stations were made up. Talk over with Britain’s ‘Appropriate to Hurry’ accreditation became as soon as done, and all too soon, the level to dates rolled around.

Potfest within the Park ran over the weekend of September 4th, fifth and 6th. This became as soon as the first major British ceramics occasion of 2020, and 6 months’-price of stress and terror reached its pinnacle at 9am on the Friday morning as we began to commence up. With a month’s price of rain over the preceding week and a comparatively combined forecast for the weekend, myself, and I suspect all the exhibitors, waited to ogle what the first day of the level to would elevate.

We had runt the quantity of daily tickets to make certain that the occasion wouldn’t be crowded, although now not even all of those had equipped. As the gates opened, a daily circulation of enraged company arrived. These within the know had brought wellies and umbrellas, but even the occasional heavy downpour didn’t appear to dampen people’s spirits.

By lunchtime, a palpable wave of relief looked as if it would have washed over the level to, people were coming, they were adhering to the Covid19 solutions, but most importantly, they looked extremely contented to be commence air, having fun with a tiny bit little bit of a return to normality, and they also were supporting the exhibitors by making an are trying for work.

On the stop of that first day, I had driven into Penrith to construct up a takeaway meal for all of my helpers. As I became as soon as stood in a position to be served, I looked thru the Potfest Facebook feed. The astounding comments and thanks that had poured in correct thru the day (doubtlessly combined with a level of sleep deprivation) lowered me to tears. A relatively concerned takeaway employee asked me if I’d like a seat and a tumbler of water. I became as soon as having a Keith Brymer Jones moment, but I actually didn’t mind. As the weekend stepped forward, so did the record of agreeable wants, thanks and certain comments.

Potfest Scotland went very grand the same come as Potfest within the Park, although we were blessed with surprisingly astounding sunny weather in space of the Cumbrian rain. Company came and equipped work while the exhibitors met with customers, pals and colleagues for the first time in almost a Twelve months. The weekend drew to a shut, and all people looked over the moon to have had the form of a success level to so slack in an otherwise frightening Twelve months.

Every Potfest Scotland and Potfest within the Park saw plenty of novel company; people had travelled from as a ways afield as Cornwall and London to gain their British ceramics fix, as extra native exhibits hadn’t managed to slither. I am hoping that these novel company will proceed to toughen the Potfest events and that we’ll request plenty of our regulars return this Twelve months, having opted to isolate correct thru 2020.

Potfest within the Pens became as soon as all every other time greeted with Cumbrian downpours. By lunchtime on the first day, the observe began to circulation into amongst the stalls that there may well be a authorities announcement at 5pm that evening about one other impending lockdown. Would now we must pack up and breeze house after fair correct one day of the level to? Boris dutifully launched that evening that the country would all every other time be entering a fleshy lockdown early the next week. Even though most exhibitors reported fair correct sales over the weekend, the visitor numbers were sadly disappointing.

Building from our experiences of 2020, we are all every other time hoping to protect the widespread exhibits this Twelve months, with Potfest Scotland celebrating its 25th anniversary in early June, Potfest within the Park and Potfest within the Pens each and every being held within the 2d half of of July. The whole exhibits will slither with the actual same Covid19 measures in space as finally Twelve months’s events, with tickets for every already readily available within the market on-line.

We now have also added a novel level to to this Twelve months’s rostrum; Potfest by the Lake shall be held on the lawns in front of the house at Compton Verney. The level to shall be slither very grand like Potfest within the Park, with fair correct over 80 of the UK’s finest British ceramics artists and artisan potters selling their work from six commence-sided marquees, the horny environment being fair correct as orderly a segment of the level to as the work of the exhibitors.

I actually have organised Potfest events up and down the country for nearly 20 years. Closing Twelve months became as soon as doubtlessly the hardest, and indubitably now not the devoted, with appreciate to profitability, but it became as soon as indubitably the most rewarding.

I’m lucky to play a little segment in a neighborhood of makers, creatives, followers and pottery fans that is made up of plenty of astounding people. For that, I’m forever grateful to everyone concerned. I am hoping to ogle you all at a Potfest occasion or any of the alternative UK British ceramics events.

Potfest Scotland – Scone Palace (Perth) – June 11th, 12th & 13th


Potfest by the Lake – Compton Verney (Warwickshire) – June 25th, 26th & 27th


Potfest within the Park – Hutton-in-the-Woodland (Cumbria) – July 23rd, 24th & 25th


Potfest within the Pens – Penrith – July 30th, 31st & August 1st

You are going to fetch out extra about every level to, preview the work of those taking segment and choose tickets at www.potfest.co.uk

For additional aspects, click right here

Underneath is fantastic a microscopic sequence of work that shall be readily available within the market at numerous Potfest events this summer season.