International and Collectors’ Fairs are going under cover – to launch a new fair to run four times next year.
They are returning to Stoneleigh Park,
near Warwick, where indoor facilities are now available, and plan
two trials at the venue: their popular, one-day, trade-oriented
format as held at Newbury Racecourse and Swinderby Airfield on
Mondays, and a two-day Friday and Saturday fair.
The organisers' only other weekend
fair is their three-day Friday-to-Sunday event at Shepton Mallet,
which is increasingly popular with the antiques and vintage-hunting
public and held six times a year at the Bath and West
Showground.
Within 30 minutes' drive of Birmingham
and a motorway network including the M40, Stoneleigh Park, formerly
the National Agricultural Centre whose last annual prestigious
Royal Show was held in 2009, is now an exhibition centre with two
new exhibition halls.
There is also covered space for 1000
drive-in pitches; ideal for furniture dealers who brave the bad
weather at outside fairs.
IACF directors Keith Harris and Robert
Thomas are very enthusiastic about their plan. "The tremendous
facilities at Stoneleigh will allow us to house all exhibitors
under cover, making the venue perfect for the autumn and winter
months," said Keith.
In their earlier life as DMG Fairs,
IACF were running fairs four times a year at Stoneleigh from around
1993 onwards, with the last in 2000.
Upgraded
Venue
Robert said: "It's the right time to return
to Stoneleigh; not only has the venue changed tremendously, but the
climate for buying antiques is so positive right now. The
continuing interest in vintage, style and fashion all ensure that
younger buyers are ready and eager to buy - a different situation
altogether from the antiques slump last time around."
He added: "The fair was a very strong
trade event and in 2013, with a new kind of customer base, we look
forward to seeing the fair develop and evolve to meets the needs of
stallholders and buyers."
This leads one to think that the
"in-out, Monday only" format may be another favourite here. Back in
2010, IACF launched this one-day fair format at Swinderby Airfield,
having scrapped their two-day fair held on this Lincolnshire site,
as well as at Newbury Racecourse.
Both have been hits with the trade
ever since, with an extra date added at Swinderby this
year.
The trade like the easy-access,
one-day, in/out format as dealers can fit the fair into a string of
other events they are standing at in the same week, saving on fuel
and other costs. On the other hand, with largely public buyers at
the weekend, fairs like Shepton Mallet fair have considerably
boosted their gate.
The dates for the Stoneleigh Park
schedule will be announced later this month.
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