Welcome to Part 3

In my previous posts (Part 1 and Part 2), I have been describing the process preparing for the fair. On this one, I will start the process of being in the fair. On the first day of setup, everything went smooth. The work arrived early in the morning from Chicago. Everyhing was safe and sound. That is one of the advantages of hiring a reliable shipping company. The day of setup can be a long day for exhibitors. Getting badges, opening boxes, unpacking, laying things out, hanging, meeting other gallerists and artists nearby, etc.

One thing to keep in mind while setting up is the time constraint. As soon as you start working, every minute counts. We only have one day and a half to be 100% ready for opening night. Yesterday, we spent seven hours doing all the unpacking and hanging. Today, we will go in the morning to setup labels, clean up and do lighting. Then, we will have a few hours to relax before the VIP reception starts at 6 pm. Our shipping service (Aaron Reliable Movers) came back at the end of the day to pick-up our packaging materials. Otherwise, the fair has a storage management service. A fair may charge an added fee for storage.

Most fairs will have additional ammenities for exhibitiors to minimize the stress during set tup. They may offer complementary water, fruits, energy bars, etc. Actually, at ExpoChicago, there were free massages for exhibitors this year. That was a nice token of appreciation! In our Miami fair there were no massages but we had Miami waiting for us right outside the doors.

You cannot come to Miami Art Basel Week and not attend the night parties which are many to choose from. Our Chicago crew decided to go to the VIP opening of ArtMiami and Context. There, we enjoyed complimentary cocktails, friendly conversations and of course great art. We ran into a few Chicagoans as well. I will post highilghts of the fairs in a separate blog post.

Months of planing come down to this moment. Once the fair kicks off, there will be no stop until the fair closes down on Sunday at 6pm. Here we go… until my next post.