Sydney To Get Its Own Contemporary Art Fair

These vast supermarkets for selling art are ever more popular: the past two months alone have seen the inaugural New York edition of the London-based Frieze in May; Art HK in Hong Kong just two weeks later; and Art Basel in Switzerland, the grandest modern and contemporary fair of them all, earlier this month. Galleries that took part in all three describe the gruelling sequence as a “marathon”.

For galleries wanting to tap into the growing Australian market, the marathon is about to get even longer. The first edition of the biennial Sydney Contemporary will take place next year, from April 12-14. It will start modestly, according to British founder Tim Etchells, who runs an event management company in Australia. He expects about 70 galleries, mostly from Australia and New Zealand, with a sprinkling of international ones from countries such as Indonesia and Singapore.

“We’d like to get some of the high-end galleries in Sydney like Roslyn Oxley [whose programme focuses on artists from the Asia-Pacific region] and Anna Schwartz [who represents British artists Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare, among others] – so far we’ve had a pretty positive response,” says Etchells.

But the goal is to develop the event to attract more international galleries and collectors within a few years. “We’ll try and make it really fun with lots of ancillary programming,” says Etchells. He adds that interest in contemporary art is growing in the city.

“The opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s new wing in March was a huge event, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales [which opened new galleries last year to show the contemporary collection of textile magnate John Kaldor] is very successful.”

Etchells has form when it comes to launching art fairs in new markets, with his biggest success to date being in Hong Kong. In 2007 he started Art HK after a chance meeting with an art dealer friend in Sydney. Four years later he sold a 60 per cent stake in the fair to Messe Schweiz, the Swiss company that runs Art Basel and its sister fair in Miami Beach. Messe Schweiz’s annual report for 2011 reveals that the price paid to Etchell and his partners was CHF6.6m.

Industry Leaders Check In for Serviced Apartments Summit

After 30 years of sustained growth, serviced apartments have emerged as a major component of the accommodation industry. Currently representing over a quarter of total room supply in Australia, the sector has accounted for almost 70% of all new room supply over the past decade.

Apart from successfully servicing the needs of travellers, the industry has been responsible for providing both a major source of employment for young and older Australians, as well as a source for investment in both individual serviced apartments and the management rights businesses that support them. In Queensland alone it is estimated that over 3,000 management rights schemes are in operation in what has become a multi billion dollar industry.

To discuss the future of the industry, serviced apartment owners, operators, developers, lenders, advisers and other stakeholders, as well as hoteliers and interested real estate professionals will meet in Sydney on 25 July 2012 at the 2nd annual Serviced Apartments Summit to hear from industry leaders and experts and to network with peers. The Summit is the only event of its type in the region.

A stellar cast of industry leaders will address the 2012 Summit including:

		Choe Peng Sum Chief Executive Officer Frasers Hospitality			Bob East Chief Executive Officer Mantra Group			Paul Constantinou Chairman Quest Serviced Apartments
		Rachel Argaman Chief Executive Officer Toga Hospitality			Murray Boyte Chief Executive Officer Ariadne Australia			Sid Knell Chief Executive Officer Prime Group Australia
		Ian Crooks Managing Director Resort Brokers Australia			Roland Jegge Vice President Asia Pacific Worldhotels			Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala General Manager Bus. Dev. & Marketing Hind Group
		Jose Ventura VP Asia Pac, Mid.East & Africa Bus. Dev. Preferred Hotel Group			Lindsay Leeser Director Development Asia Accor			Michael Moret-Lalli Director of Acquisitions Mantra Group

 The Summit is a pre-event to the Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Hotel Industry Conference (ANZPHIC 2012) that will be held on 26 and 27 July at the Hilton Sydney. For over a decade, ANZPHIC has been the main event on the regional accommodation industry calendar, attracting over 400 CEO's and other senior industry delegates, as well as 30 Sponsors, Exhibitors and Supporters. A majority of those delegates also attend the Summit. Subject to availability, two-day delegates at ANZPHIC 2012 can attend the Summit for free. Alternatively registration for the Summit alone can be made. The event was a sell-out in 2011 and a similar outcome in expected this year so early registration is advised.

In an industry first in 2012, at the conclusion of the Summit, delegates will join delegates from ANZPHIC and two other co-located industry events taking place at the same time to enjoy Megameet Greet, a major industry networking function to be held at the Hilton Sydney.

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