New antiques fair for East London
Antiques for Everyone (AFE) is launching in East London for the first time in the fair’s thirty-year history. This exciting new event will become the first major event in the art and antiques calendar of the New Year, taking place from 13th – 15th January 2017. AFE London: Art Antiques Interiors Fair will also be the first antiques event to take place at Excel London, the popular, well-established exhibitions and international convention centre that opened in 2000.
The fair will bring together a collection of 150 dealers specialising in a diverse range of disciplines within the art, antiques and interiors market. To date, applications to exhibit have surpassed expectations with more than 50 received.
Excel is a located in London Docklands, between Canary Wharf and close to London City Airport and is host to many highly successful and strongly attended public fairs, notably the London Boat Show, British International Motor Show, Grand Designs Live, Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show and London International Music Show.
Fair Director, Mary Claire Boyd comments; ‘Taking place in East London’s largest exhibition space, the Fair will open up the opportunity to reach a new audience, in an untapped area of London as well as the surrounding Home Counties. Using our proven successful track record in delivering quality antique fairs, we will be able to deliver a new AFE style event adapted to London, attracting a new art and antique enthused audience’.
AFE London is expected to attract an audience of 8,000 to 10,000 visitors, many of whom will be new to these art and antique fairs. The organisers anticipate the visitors to be collectors, trade buyers, art, antiques and interior enthusiasts, interior decorators and designers as well as first time home buyers.
Philip Carroll a regular exhibitor at Fairs commented ‘Terrific news, if this new venture is anywhere near as successful as AFE at the NEC, it will give the business a huge boost, and kick start the New Year.’
With many years experience in the art and antiques market, Clarion Events maintain an unrivalled database of art and antique buyers, interior decorators and designers who visit fairs in London and Birmingham. Many existing loyal customers are expected to attend as well as a younger urban audience from London and from the surrounding Home Counties.
There will be thousands of exhibits for sale including a strong selection of Art Deco, Art Nouveau and 20th Century contemporary art and design. Also on display will be ceramics and glass, paintings, prints, photography, furniture of all periods, silver and metal ware, jewellery and vintage textiles; sculptures and bronzes, carpets and tapestries; lighting, clocks, watches and barometers.
In familiar NEC fair style, Excel exhibitors will be divided into two distinct sections, allowing dealers from across the trade to participate, taking either room-set style or smaller stand displays. Exhibits will be vetted by a vetting committee to ensure all items for sale are authentic and correctly labelled.