A History of LAPADA
dropped from the association’s original name in favour of the all-encompassing ‘Association of Art & Antiques Dealers’ tag line, the LAPADA board has gone through regular periods of self-questioning; “Are we doing enough with our grass-roots membership on a local lev- el?” alternating with “What are we doing to promote our members to new buyers and an international audience?” While the two aims are not always compatible, the
1990s saw important initiatives on both fronts. Af- filiations with the major regional dealer associations in the Cotswolds, Thames Valley, West Country and Petworth were formed, and these were strengthened when Sarah Percy-Davis took over in 2003. On the in- ternational front LAPADA joined the International Federation of Dealer Associations, CINOA, in 1996. Giving members access to new customers through fairs had been on the agenda since LAPADA’s first ‘na- tional event’, a fair at the Europa Hotel in Grosvenor Square in 1981. But it was not until ten years later that the association’s regular London showcase at the Royal Col- lege of Art in Kensington Gore got under way. This was a stylish London event with carefully conceived sight lines in an attractive location and a couple of years later it was running in tandem with a regular out-of-town event for members at the NEC in Birmingham in January.
AboveEarl Howe was the opposition front bench spokesman on health when he was asked to chair LAPADA following the unexpected death of Lord Gillmore. He proved a popular and long-serving chairman, stepping down only when he was offered a ministerial post in the new coalition government in 2010. He continued his long-term commitment to LAPADA by accepting the newly created post of president.
Autumn 2014
After a year’s break Sarah’s alighted on the Royal Acad-
emy. Here the old Museum of Mankind building in Burl- ington Gardens proved another impressive labyrinthine setting for LAPADA members to showcase their stock. The Centaur at Cheltenham racecourse provided a happy home for the association’s autumn out-of-town events for several years with a spectacular opening in October 2004 featuring the new Chief Executive in jockey’s silks atop the 1998 Grand National winner Earth Summit.
AboveSir David Gillmore became chairman in 1995. As a former head of the Diplomatic Service he was a heavyweight whose voice would be listened to in government as well as a thoughtful and compassionate champion of the trade. He is pictured here in 1996, shortly after being awarded a peerage in the New Year’s honours list, with Linda Colban, the organiser of the LAPADA January fairs at the NEC in Birmingham.
“Fitting a marquee into such a difficult site with
By the time of Sarah Percy-Davis’ arrival as CEO
this established pattern was in some disarray. In Lon- don, a couple of shows at the stylish but not entirely convenient Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street had been followed by a year in the even more stylish but ultimately unsatisfactory surround- ings of Claridge’s Hotel. At the same time the associa- tion with the NEC in Birmingham was losing its mo- mentum. Something had to be done.
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so many complications… it is amazing it all came together.”
The ultimate London venue was still to be found,
however, and it was not until 2008 that Sarah was able to announce that the next year’s fair would be in a purpose-built marquee in Berkeley Square. Having got used to a Mayfair venue in Burlington Gardens, mem- bers set her the near impossible task of finding another
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