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Page 6
box retailers such as Bed,
Bath & Beyond, Target and
Internet retailers like
Art.com made huge inroads
into the business. The
volume of business these
operations produced
changed the focus of the art
publishers and increasingly
crowded out independent
retailers.
A new show, The Art &
Framing Showplace,
launched in New York in
October 2005, but it was
unable to attract enough
exhibitors and buyers. It is
not likely to continue. The
producers had tried a year
earlier and cancelled before
it began. You only get a
couple of chances, if that,
to put on a new show. The
odds of a new show
succeeding can be likened
to a sitcom succeeding
these days. I just read that
Heather Graham’s new
show, I don’t remember the
name, (See the problem?)
cancelled after one episode.
That is brutal.
Where does all this leave
things today? To start, the
New York Decor Expo is
withering on the vine. Its
2005 show had many
problems and was very
costly for exhibitors. The
net result is a wave of
decades long exhibitors at
this show have dropped out
or reduced to a couple of
booths. There are about 100
exhibitors listed on the
Decor Expo Website floor
plan. Compared to nearly
1,000 booths and hundreds
of companies with a waiting
list just a few years ago, this
is a tragedy for everyone
involved. Regardless, this
show has lost the most
important thing a show
has…that is momentum.
Once exhibitors lose
confidence, a show is on
shaky ground. When the
very high costs of showing
in New York are included,
it makes the decision to
quit the show easier.
Another problem is that
exhibitors sample their best
buyers before a show. They
can’t afford to have an
important buyer come to
the booth to find new
pieces. That would be the
kiss of death. So, instead of
being an order writing
show, or at least place to
find new buyers with
potential, the show has
become more of a place to
fly the flag and to PR with
buyers. After threatening
Art Print Issues
Tradeshow Trends (continued from above
for years, art publishers
have just jumped ship
from Decor Expo New
York.
Meanwhile, the ArtExpo
component seems to be
holding its own, if not
growing some. That bodes
well for the middle part of
the market. But, the great
promise of bringing the
Decor Expo shows from
the ill-suited Passenger
Ship Piers on the West
Side Highway to the
Jacob Javits Center to be
together and concurrent
with ArtExpo has
apparently not worked out
the way anyone involved
could have imagined, or
certainly wanted.
High-end shows in Miami
have been robust this year
and supports that luxury
marketing is thriving.
The WCAF show
continues to grow, but is
constrained with only 50
booths to add before it
hits a waiting list. The
show producers are very
aware of the buyer-to-
exhibitor ratio are not
inclined to sell more
booths just because they
can. This is in part why
the show has grown each
year. The producers are
being rewarded for
showing restraint.
I found exhibitors at this
year’s show to be in
general happy to be there
and happy with show
management. Orders were
slow, which is more
indicative of the changing
nature of the business
than the quality of the
show.
Where does this leave
you? If you are thinking
of tradeshows, Decor
Expo New York may no
longer be your best bet.
However, ArtExpo New
York still shows vibrancy.
The WCAF show is
looking more promising
for open edition
publishers and some
limited edition publishers.
There were some higher
priced sculptures and
prints this year that the
show has not seen before.
It will be interesting to
see how the Decor
Expo Atlanta show
fares this year.
ArtExpo is not
returning after a two-
year run of lackluster
results for exhibitors
in that venue. The
bottom line for
veteran and new
exhibitors is to use
careful consideration
about which shows to
attend and at what
level of exhibition
(how many booths)
needs to be given.
Pfingsten Partners
LLC, which owns
Pfingsten Publishing
LLC is rumored to
have the company for
sale. When it bought
Decor Expo and Decor
magazine and other
properties in 1999, its
long-range plan was to
sell within seven years.
This year marks the end
of that range, so a sale
is a good possibility
assuming a viable buyer
steps up with the right
price and financing.
Undoubtedly, new
ownership will make
changes. The industry
needs strong leadership
in show producers and
media companies.
Let’s wish for the best
outcome for all the
people who make their
living in the art and
framing industry.
Trade Show Trends (Continued from page 3)
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