Art Basel Miami Beach Happens This Week and Here’s How We Handle It

This past week, our inboxes exploded with e-blasts expressing gratitude, Black Friday sales, and Art Basel Miami Beach notices. This last category includes everything from gallery previews of the art that’s going to Miami, fair notices about fair happenings (early online access, VVIP everything, VIP somethings, artist talks, brand collaborations etc.), and finally, groups capitalizing on the buzz and hosting events around Miami that have may or may not have anything to do with art. It’s a lot to filter through but here’s an overview of how we prepare for the art world’s biggest weeks. 

First, we have 4 advisors going from our 3 offices in Brooklyn, Toronto, and Minneapolis.  Each of us have a set of contacts we’re meeting down there that include clients, artists, and designers.  We need to divy up the week to ensure we have time for these groups, time for art seeing on our own, and time to digest and file key info gleaned from the trip so it’s usable in the future.  This year, the New York office is also bringing back the guided tour we led for Designers in 2019; this means that 8 designers from around the country have signed on to have us take them around key fairs, introduce them to contacts at a selection of galleries, identify artists to watch and build their understanding of art market dynamics. (To get on the list for next year, email here.)

We start preparing for the trip in July, when we connect with designers on last year’s wait list.  This year, our trip was full within a few days of opening the invitation, and we’re thrilled about the group that includes some people we know and love, and others who are new to us. The program we develop serves as an excellent platform for professional development for the group, as well as networking and the obvious fun factor of being in South Beach in December. 

To develop this program, we decide which fairs to attend, identify key galleries and artists and each, connect with Directors in advance, and ultimately secure tickets, timing, and dining. 

Beyond this program, we clearly make room in the week for clients. Clients who are in town come with us around one or more fairs.  Depending on where we are in the cycle of working with them, we can do everything from a casual walk to a more focused shop. For clients who are not in town, we prepare Look Lists, sourcing works and securing gallery relationships according to client needs. During and after the fairs, we’re in touch with clients about available inventory, pricing checks, and any recommended buying strategies for the Spring.

Finally, time outside the fairs is key and has changed completely since our business evolved.  While I have memories of Delano Late Night and eating gator dogs on rooftops years ago, I now focus non-fair time on connecting with the non-New Yorkers who are rarely in the same room, our Advisory team included; dinners, lunches, and adventures to offsite activities with them and others turn into information shares and hilarious memories all at once because we all get a bit delirious with the non-stop movement.  [Recall last year’s mishap in a Taco Truck Parking Lot where we did NOT find the intended exclusive gallery opening we hoped for…]

There’s a ton of anticipation around Miami this year coming off of a strong auction season, shaky financial markets, and no talk about masks or vaccination checks. We’ll be sharing a snippet on Social and hope you’ll mark your calendar for 2023.