Frame Art Expo in Rome

[Trax]

Hello everybody,

I would like to know if anybody of the forum members will travel to Frame Art Expo in Rome this weekend (30th March - 1st April)
Besides the European big players in moulding manufacturing, also two important wholesale companies from UK (Arqadia and Lion) will exhibit in Rome.
Not to forget Slater Harrison or Felix Rosenstiels or International Graphics. Famous Keith is there, too

And Spagl GmbH is also there with a range of closed corner frames and our novelties for spring 2012.

I would like to invite you to visit the most expensive frames of the show in hall 14 stand D 16 B.

Best regards
Florian
(export manager)

Spagl GmbH (http://www.spagl.de)

[Steve Goodall]

Hello Florian,

Hot Press will be there - a UK manufacturer - than a UK wholesaler & we will be supporting Farne - The best - rather than the most expensive... Italian - quality - stylish - moulding supplier at the show...

Please make sure to step off your stand to say hello & maybe bring over a "novelty" for us to look at

Steve

[Gesso&Bole]

Hi Florian

I will be there, and taking a few days holiday in Rome next week, so really looking forward to it, although I doubt it will be as warm in Rome next week as it was in Edinburgh yesterday - 23 degrees!

[Keith Hewitt]

Hello Florian,

See you in Rome

I will be surprised to see any UK framers in Rome, but great if they do make it.
----------------------------

Jim,

You maybe surprised ... have just driven down and today is superb. About 22 degs. no wind, beautiful blue sky. I can see Concordia on her side about 8 miles away. Such a sad sight. If only he had kept his glasses on, instead of trying to impress the chick!

Ciao

Keith

[Louise Hay]

Got back from Rome at 12.30 last night (or this morning really) - good old easyjet managed to be 50 minutes late and then the Gatwick Go-slow...

The show was excellent from my perspective, though it seemed many of the Italian framers stayed away. Still everyone I spoke to seemed to be happy with the business they did - the quality not quantity routine.

If you were there, I'd be glad for feedback for Annabelle's ABT report.

[Steve Goodall]

Hey Louise - forget the "quality not quantity" cop out - we were "very steady" working with our Italian Distributor - Farne. Plenty of Italian visitors & lots of our other international dealers too...

...it's just a pity that I "can't stay put" & feel obliged to "wander" every hour or two - so it is a good job that our export manager Tadeusz was "on the case" - so - great show!!!

[Martin Harrold]

The Lion team had a very interesting time at FrameArt Expo in Rome. The visitor flow was at least double that of last year, so things are gradually getting back to normal in our industry.

Almost all the leading moulding manufacturers in Italy and Spain had booths and we saw a good number of new moulding ideas as well as other new product innovations. We had lots of positive discussions with our many suppliers there. And even more importantly, we caught up with lots of our customers from around the world and made many new contacts. Not too many customers came over from UK, but those that did enjoyed the show and also Rome.

That exhibition venue is not the most convenient, being midway between Rome and the sea, but the weather was beautiful and a walk in the sun is always a pleasure. Next year, it will be back in Milan, where the fiera is within walking distance of hotels. The date for your 2013 diaries is March 22-24.

Wearing my Guild hat, Louise and I had very interesting discussions with a number of parties about some new projects to benefit galleries and framers and about membership. It seems that leaders of framers groups in several countries want to align themselves with the Guild. We hope to be able to say more at the AGM, at MLC, Elstree, Monday May 14, 9.30. Come along, listen to the speakers, have your say in the meeting or in the corridors and do use your vote.

[Graysalchemy]

and we saw a good number of new moulding ideas as well as other new product innovations.

I think this is what I miss about spring fair, you don't see the innovation and new ways of displaying things anymore.

All we now need is a UK moulding supplier to bring over these new ideas and show us.

[BaBaZa]

We were glad to see that most European manufacturers launched new product that we believe is suitable for the UK framing market, we have lots of new mouldings arriving during the next few months!

It was nice to visit Rome for a change but I'd rather it was back in Bologna

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

...I would like to invite you to visit the most expensive frames of the show in hall 14 stand D 16 B....

Florian,

My apologies for not stopping by to say hello while I was at the fair. I was in hall 12 conducting two seminars each day. I did manage to see all the other posters on this thread, and was honored also to be asked to judge the Arquati Framing Competition along with Louise Hay from the Guild and several others.

The traffic was the highest on Saturday where my second seminar was standing room only. As Martin indicated, the venue was a bit isolated, but actually like an NEC situation where city center is a bit further away. It was great for the industry to see this major European show back on it's feet and by next year, I believe the momentum will continue.

...It was nice to visit Rome for a change but I'd rather it was back in Bologna

Ricky,

I heard a number of exhibitors reminisce about Bologna...the great pasta... the intimacy of the smaller city. But as you know, things change and adaptation is the key to success....New organizers, new and changing locations, Bigger cities, combined show.

John

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

...The show was excellent from my perspective, though it seemed many of the Italian framers stayed away. Still everyone I spoke to seemed to be happy with the business they did - the quality not quantity routine.

If you were there, I'd be glad for feedback for Annabelle's ABT report.

Louise,

Good to see you as always despite the fact that we didn't have the opportunity to share a glass of wine together. Next year in Milan for sure!

I agree with your comment on Italian framer attendance. I had folks from India, Brazil, Egypt, Spain and even Kazakhstan sitting in my seminars with a smaller percentage of Italian framers. It was actually this way in Bologna for SACA as well for a number of years, but perhaps more so in this new venue. The cross over traffic from the Photo Show was small but of course helped. I think that the organizers need to market to the local Italian framing community more.

John

[Keith Hewitt]

[quote="John Ranes II, CPF, GCFI think that the organizers need to market to the local Italian framing community more.

John[/quote]

John,

I disagree with you. The organisers are not even up to speed organising the show - WOT not even catalogues for visitors.
Its surely up to all the Italian moulding mfgs to tell their framers - they can do it by using all their customer details
I would imagine most Italian framers knew about the show - but Rome is a long way from the industrial north where the most commercial activity and wealth is centred.

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

...The organisers are not even up to speed organising the show - WOT not even catalogues for visitors.
Its surely up to all the Italian moulding mfgs to tell their framers - they can do it by using all their customer details
I would imagine most Italian framers knew about the show - but Rome is a long way from the industrial north where the most commercial activity and wealth is centred.

Keith, you make some points that I concur with... A small brochure with a listing of vendors exhibiting plus a schedule of events and seminars would have been nice. Do the exhibitors really need the 72 page Catalog where after page 20, it's mostly a rehash in oversized type font of who is exhibiting?

However you are really banking on all of those moulding vendors to reach out to their customer base and tell them about the show. I don't think that will happen, and unfortunately I don't think that those moulding vendors would share their database with the organizers for them to send out information. With a couple of exceptions, I think that most Italian moulding companies would be fearful that their customers might come to the fair and find another company in which to do business. I'd bet that the two of us could name those that are progressive enough in their thinking as to not think this small.

... I would imagine most Italian framers knew about the show - but Rome is a long way from the industrial north where the most commercial activity and wealth is centred.

I honestly don't think they did. I realize that the Italian show (SACA and now FrameArt Expo) has had a historical position of catering to the "big" players and framing distribuors around the world. I also recognize that many of these bigger Italian framers and volume users are located in the North of Italy, but what about the smaller shops?

Do you not think that there are small frame shops in Rome, Napoli, Taranto, Bari? Where were all of these folks? True apathy on their part or did they just not know/hear about it?

Google: Frame shops in Naples Frame shops in Bari Frame shops in Taranto

For the success of the show, the organizers need to reach out to ALL the framers in Italy. A framer at the WCAF show made a statement about business in general that applies to retailers and show organizers alike...."It's how many times that front door bell rings that determines my success." I think we need to increase traffic.

The distributors throughout Europe and the rest of world will hear about this show through dozens of other sources.

John

P.S. Where is my "team" jersey?

[Keith Hewitt]

Rome April 2012 5 of us e mail.jpg (30.28 KiB) Viewed 7970 times

John

Do you really want to look like this

I have 3 about to go to the charity shop - do you really want one?

I suppose we could start a similar thread to Chickie's scarf - Keith's shirt - and have it go round the world. Nah .... charity shop tomorrow me thinks

[Martin Harrold]

All:

Two points about the FrameArt Expo exhibition catalogue:

- whatver the merits of the publication, visitors to a trade show expect to be given a catalogue. I do agree that its style was hardly inspirational for what is ultimately a creative industry!

- some exhibitors had promoted their participation with adverts in the catalogue. They can hardly be expected to pay for those ads if the only people who received the catalogue were fellow exhibitors!

[Steve Goodall]

...Each stand had a stand number too - but it wasn't shown on the stand

I spent a good few minutes looking for my Italian distributor - Farne - before asking the boys on Valiani - who pointed to the massive stand diagonally across the aisle - FARNE

GREAT SHOW THOUGH!!!

[Gesso&Bole]

Enjoyed the Show, and a bit of sunshine.

There was also a framing competition with 32 entries. I have got a photograph of each one, and details of the winner here http://www.framingmentor.com/blogs/my-b ... earcache=1