Past sponsors returned alongside new ones to create an in-person, high-tech event
Despite cyclical pandemic surges, inflation pressures and the lingering anxiety of returning to full-scale live events, the Frieze Art Fair’s agile recovery was successful.
Evidence comes in the form of sold-out exhibitions in London, Los Angeles and New York, but the final judgment of its successful return comes from major brand partners that have stuck with the art fair, including Deutsche Bank, MatchesFashion and Maestro Dobel Tequila.
Fair organizers and partners took the lessons learned over the past few years about the myriad ways brands can create, support and enhance large public events. Further, they leveraged a renewed hunger for congregation—and a hunger for collaboration among sponsors and creators. Ultimately, the May event sold attendees, brands and partners on simply having fun again.
That said, health protocols remained in place with only a slight loosening of demands: all visitors aged 5-11 had to provide proof of at least one course of the Covid-19 vaccination completed at least 14 days ahead of their visit. Those 18 and older had also to provide photo ID, and everyone had to wear a mask.
“The return to live events has been an exciting moment, giving us the opportunity to launch new partnerships,” said Emily Glazebrook, the Frieze’s commercial director. “Priorities have shifted in the pandemic. We are seeing more and more brands interested in art and culture and the audience that Frieze fairs attract. This year was more international than last year; the restrictions on travel were very much still in place in 2021, and so it was more difficult for overseas galleries, but they were back in force this year.”
Loving VR
Providing an impressive mix of live events and virtual content—onsite and online—Frieze’s brand partners drew from the lessons of 2021, combining the advantages of an in-person gathering with those of video technology to provide touch points for some real-life mingling.
One of the biggest takeaways from the last two years was that social and VR technology have become integral parts of the Frieze experience for the fair itself, as well as brand partners and participating galleries. “The learnings that we’ve made from online have been huge—and we’ve reached such a large number of international visitors that would never be able to visit the fair in person,” Glazebrook said.
In other words, hybrid is not just a pandemic health protocol anymore; it is a valued tool for expanding the market and is here to stay. In that regard, Frieze had some help from debut partner Vortic, a virtual reality platform focused on bringing art galleries to collectors’ offices and homes through 3D exhibitions. Vortic CEO Nick Walter echoed the view that online engagement adds a lot to the fair experience, in addition to future developments in virtual reality technology. Specifically for the New York fair, the brand worked with the Frieze to create four custom exhibition booths that allowed participating galleries to “hang” and render their own exhibitions.
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