News Bulletin 16th November 2009
Another Year, Another Mess !
It would seem once again that within the Antiques Trade that lessons have not been learnt !!
When times are against all sectors with the global crisis and recession why is it that Antique Fair Organisers think they are above all and everyone else ?
There is a only a certain number of specialist dealers in the the UK whether it be Art and Crafts , Art Nouveau or Art Deco and only a certain number of specialist Fair Organisers, so to the point, why is it they always clash their Antique Fairs, do they think they are better than the other organiser and demand loyalty. Well lets put it this way, in todays market they cannot be choosy because for once the tides have turned and the dealers have the power to choose whether or not to stand at a venue. With so many fairs having fewer dealers standing it is now possible at most events to book in just a week before. so no more booking 6 months in advance as was the case some years ago.
Last year on a certain date there were 7 Antique Fairs that we would normally exhibit on the same Sunday with nothing the week before or the week after, (this is my point ) and like I said earlier lessons have not been learnt.
Lets take a quick look at a certain date for next year, Art Deco Fairs.
If you look at the the Art Deco website (link above) you will notice that on 25th April 2010 there are 3 events listed on the same day and So Nouveau are supposed to exhibit at all. Well this is not possible at all, we have in the past split, where Kirsty has attended 1 event and I have attended another but the workload is just too much to achieve this, plus more to the point it means halving our stock for the venues and this is not good for the public attending. It is for this reason I am naming and shaming the organisers responsible for this. Also take a look at the dates prior and after the 25th April 2010 because they are AVAILABLE!!!!!!!!!
All you get from the organisers is 'I booked my date first BLAH BLAH BLAH', they should show that they are profesional and change the dates to suit for the public, because all said and done, it is the public that they are supposed to be running a professional business for. It would seem that the easiest result would be Morecombe and Brighton to change their dates as Ally pally is a lot bigger fair with hundreds of dealers standing the venue while Brighton has upto 30 dealers and Morecombe upto 15.
If you would normally attend these venues and feel that this is unacceptable the Fair organisers details are below, please feel free to contact them.
Fair Orgainisers clashing:
Nelson Events : Ally Pally
Abbey Fairs : Morecombe
DecoFairs : Brighton >( no website ) Tel: 01273248739
This is just one highlighted date, I am sure as the year progresses there will be more.