Futurists at Tate

Despite the strike managed to reach Tate Modern by bus to Tate Britain, then boat to Tate Modern. If only we could get TfL to run a regular river bus service running say from Putney toTate Modern or bejond. on a quarter hour service (if Venice can do it on the Grand Canal why not London) people would enjoy travelling into work. Yesterday, I tried the so called regular service from Wandsworth but that is only early in the morning and the evening. If a reliable 15 minute service was set up people would use it, especially in the Spring and Summer months.

The important thing is that the Futurist Show at Tate Modern is outstanding. I had always been rude about that 1910 movement because of their naive beliefs in war and their antagonism to woman but once one sees the totality of their views and the exciting work they produed which has all the vigour of modern London or New York, one comes away from the show full of excitment, not to mention a tendency to spend more money than intended in the Tate bookshop afterwards.

Well worth a visit but take your time and use the new audio headphones that carry considerably more information than the old ones.

Reginald

Venice

I am off next week to the biggest art festival in the world: Venice. Anyone who wants to hear my views as a marketing consultant on some of the Venice activities, write in.

Reginald

Managing Art Galleries and events

Having spent the last few years advising small businesses especially creative service companies, more recently I am being called bydirectors and owners in the art world. What has suprised me is the very high level of art knowledge among owners but many have little knowledge of how to market their galleries or indeed manage them for expansion.

Many emerge with qualifications at Masters Degree level from art school administration subjects but still think that all they need do isfill their private view events with friends and relations in the art world gauging success in the`jolly'atmospsere andgood wishes from all and sundry.

Their data bases (if they have them), seem devoid of `suites', the people with enough cash to buy. Worse they believe that providing their stable of artists are of high quality buyers will find them by devine communication. "How will your potential buyers know ?" I ask.

Even if they have been lucky and acheived editorial comment the owners seem not to realise the sheer number of galleries in London, let alone in the rest of the country.

The successful ones are those who develope a marketing strategy that generates sufficient differentiation for them to build a positioning that has selective appeal.

So the battlecontunes and yet another gallery goes out of business or merges withanother gallery which seems to havegenerated sufficient working capital to carry over the first few months (or years).

Just a thought to work on during this quiet period before the economic green shoots take hold.

Reginald