A previous edition of LAPADA's Berkeley Square Fair now run with Stable Events.
The inaugural Midlands Art Design Antiques Fair (MADA) at Birmingham’s NEC has been postponed.
Organised by Stable Events in association with LAPADA, the event was planned to run from April 5-7 but dates proved unsuitable for some potential participants.
In an email to exhibitors and partners, MADA organisers said: “The decision comes as a result of a complex interplay of factors, including timing, trader hesitation and prevailing market conditions.”
They are now considering various options “and the preferred course of action being explored is the rescheduling of the fair to a more opportune time in September”.
Recipients were asked to share their input through a survey.
ATG understands that, among other conflicts, the fair ran during school holidays, with many breaking for Easter during late March and early April (Easter is March 31).
A representative of the fair told ATG that, as they worked towards “an alternative date and format” that “all deposits would be returned” and that they have “honoured any outgoing spend commitments and contacts”.
MADA’s James Gower, Stable Events managing director, thanked those who had committed early on and said that he “looked forward” to continued support going forward.
Joint events
The event is one of several joint events from LAPADA and Stable Events. The trade association takes a pavilion at Stable’s annual Game Fair, and the two partnered for the first time last year in the running of LAPADA’s flagship Berkeley Square Fair.
The NEC is a popular venue for antiques events thanks to its size and location. It has hosted several fairs over the years, including Art and Antiques for Everyone (AAfE) which was launched in 1986 and closed after its November event in 2022.
Stable and LAPADA announced MADA last spring following the closure of AAfE.
Then, last summer, the debut of Classic Antique Fairs was announced for the Midlands in at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre (NEAC) at Stoneleigh Park. It was scheduled for December.
However, that event was then moved to the NEC by organiser John Andrews who wished to avoid confusion with another new event at the NEAC announced by IACF.
The first edition of Classic Antique Fairs ran with a small but enthusiastic group of dealers (see review in ATG No 2625) and another edition is planned for this December.
