No details of the new owner have been released, but changes since the sale of the Northern Antiques Dealers Fair Limited include the appointment of Ingrid Nilson as the director and a new name: The Northern Antiques Fair.
The fair will now run only in the autumn this year (from September 27-October 1). The 2017 spring session is cancelled and is under review for 2018.
The management handover was announced in December, with the news of the spring cancellation following in an email to exhibitors earlier this month.
The Walkers will remain involved on a consultancy basis but declared themselves “very happy” to be passing the fair into Nilson’s care.
“She was always my choice if I wasn’t doing it,” said Louise Walker, who was director of the Harrogate fair for 34 years.
Nilson, the director of five other fairs in 2017 with the Antiques Dealer Fairs Limited, said Harrogate will remain separate to ADFL’s events.
“They were looking for someone to take the reins. This is the transition they were looking for ideally.”
BADA tie remains
Nilson added that the fair retains its association with the British Antiques Dealers Association and continues as the BADA showcase in the north.
Marco Forgione, CEO of BADA, told ATG: “We’re excited to partner with Ingrid Nilson and her team to help establish The Northern Antiques Fair as a key event in the art and antiques calendar.”
Nilson is now working on increasing the number of exhibitors to 40 or more for the fair’s first run.
The Walkers continue working on their other interests, but Louise said their next endeavour “will not be in the north of England and will not be antiques”. She added: “To have a successful regional fair is healthy for the business and the involvement of BADA and LAPADA is crucial.
“It’s very important that the high-quality provincial fairs continue rather than gravitating to London. There’s a big country out there.”
