machine purchase which I doubt, or there is a signifi cant increase in exhibitors. There are now so few companies represented it is just not worth the time and expense. Seminars and training opportunities have been a good development but they are not enough to warrant the trip alone. “I started visiting the show in the late
80’s when art and framing fi lled one of the large halls and I would take 2 days to do the show. Now it’s a few rows and I’m fi nished in a morning. It was a chance to see all my major suppliers and a large proportion of the art and framing industry, large and small in one place, not any more.”
Edward Dudfi eld, owner of E7 Art and Framing, Evesham
“On the framing side there is always a chance of fi nding a new moulding or two but, on the day, both demonstra- tions and new machinery and framing techniques & seminars make it a must really. “When it comes to art, the Internet for example is such a double-edged sword. I recently purchased a new 2010 cata- logue from my favourite well-known global art print supplier. Typically it was pointless – compare it to browsing one of the many online art suppliers off er- ing a mind-boggling amount of choice, [you can even shop by colour]. The times, as they say, have moved on. The point being that as I mark my 21st year in this industry, even I use these kinds of services to purchase artwork. “Do I still attend Spring Fair? Well, I try
beforehand to fi nd out what’s going on and who will be there and I readily ad- mit that I don’t go as much as I should, it all depends. There are certainly ques- tions to be raised as to where the event is going in terms of organisation, if not down, recession or not! “Last year I was honored to be asked by Rosie Sumner [FATG] to fi ll-in, doing a seminar in place of the late Vivian Kistler MCPF GCF. The fact that there was no money on off er from the Spring Fair organisers was to me somewhat baffl ing!
“I think they should be aware that the
likes of LION PFS are doing an amazing job in ‘days for framers’ to attend and view demonstrations, talks and the like at both their premises in Birmingham and London.”
Ian Balloch, owner of the Crescent Gallery, Taunton
“Major suppliers know where their target market lies from their sales
databases. They can therefore feed out information at anytime and maintain a more frequent and regular ‘Look At What We Have To Off er’ campaigns. This also avoids the huge cost of shows, which could be better spent on fi eld representation supporting and advising retailers. I have not attended Spring Fair for a few years and cannot see the value of attending every year! “I come from managing Motor Dealer
Groups and was used to a high level of marketing information. Customer Sat- isfaction Indices, penetration, market ratio compared to other areas and fi - nancial performances year on year. This seems totally lacking in this market. We don’t even believe the best sellers list as a few players have such infl uence in the market.”
Jenny Isaacson, owner Top Mount Framing, Newbury
“As a speaker at the 2010 Spring Fair and as a new recruit to the business of framing ten years ago, I started going to Spring Fair in order to ask questions of the trade experts all gathered under one roof at the same time, and this unique opportunity is one which can- not be replaced by electronic forms of communication. “I very much regret the loss of both exhibitors and framers at the framing section of the fair compared with my fi rst visit, when it took the best part of a day to visit all the stands and watch a variety of very useful hands-on demon- strations. “It is to be hoped that The Fine
Art Trade Guild can devise an im- proved forum where retail suppliers can update members and visitors on new and improved products, and at the same time provide on-going education by way of lectures on the continuously- evolving techniques and the accept- able standards expected of Guild mem- bers. The NEC is not the perfect venue for lectures and I’m sure that the organ- isers are aware that the noise from the surrounding stands can be intrusive. I also found that the lights could not be controlled, as they would be in a dedicated space, making it diffi cult to see images on the screen. “I can guess it’s not easy to re-
vive a section of a show which has been allowed to seriously decline, but I like to think everyone in the fram- ing industry want it to succeed. More exhibitors mean more visitors, and combining framing with both art and greetings cards is surely advantageous to those who own a gallery or shop?”
BLADE SHARPENING
• Collection and delivery service
• 4-5 day turnaround • Hand fi nished • Rigorous quality control • Fully trained technicians
To arrange collection online go to
www.mainlinemouldings.com Or telephone 01949 861000
SIGN UP TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION
The September issue of Picture Business is also available as a digital edition. The digital edition will give easy access to all your favourite articles, features and advertisers on your PC within seconds.
To receive the digital edition free email
robert@lemapublishing.co.uk
To advertise in future editions email
pyeomans@lemapublishing.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52