
There is NO CHARGE to attend the daytime events and you DON'T have to be a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild to come along and join in.

So many people in the industry work alone or in small teams - this is a chance for framers to come together, ask questions, offer opinions, share hints and tips and get involved in learning new skills.
There will be informal demonstrations on lots of practical framing topics - the sort of thing that people ask questions about all the time. Morso maintenance, pricing and sales, fabric framing and mounting, box making, Hedgehog mounting method, hinging artwork, washlines, framing items with direct contact overlay and encapsulation and so on. There will be helpful information on Mountboard Standards - how they are changing (we are in the transition period at the moment) from the old standards to the new ones that will be fully on-line by January 2024. And you can also find out about the changes to the Guild's Levels of Framing - why we made them, what they mean and how they've been kept up to date with new techniques, products and information. There will be enough experience in the room that we're hoping pretty much all bases will be covered on practical skills, machinery maintenance and general problem solving and business advice.
If you own one or are thinking about getting one, then experts from Valiani and Gunnar will be on hand to show you how to get the best from the investment in a CMC - and if you're a current user, come and pick their brains on new things you'd like to learn how to do.
Are you confused about the options of specialist glass available or worried that your customers don't ask for it or might not want to pay for it? Wessex Pictures - who stock a wide range of brands and types of specialist glass and acrylic - will be on hand to answer your questions. But you can also chat to framers who sell it day-in-day-out and find out the best way to promote it and market it to your customers to improve your profitability.
With the increased consumer awareness of sustainability - Larson-Juhl will be on hand to talk about FSC certification.
Sometimes standard size stretcher bars won't fit the bill - Harris Moore will be there to discuss bespoke stretcher bars and their other products.
Members of the Framers Committee will be on hand throughout the day answering technical queries and helping framers to problem solve. They are the same people who man the Guild's Technical Helpline and FrameTalk Forum for members throughout the year. All of them are qualified framers, some with Advanced qualifications and this is a chance to speak face-to-face with framers who earn their living from the framing industry and who have day to day hands-on knowledge that they are happy to share.
Want to take your GCF exam or Advanced exam but not sure about what that involves? There will be Guild examiners on hand to answer your questions and dispel any myths on how scary they can be!! As a marketing tool to gain new customers - qualifications are an easy win.
There will be books, study guides and other Guild information on hand for those that are interested and if you're looking at membership, qualifications, training or finding out about the benefits of membership and the marketing opportunities that it offers you that you can promote to your own customers - then there will be plenty of Guild volunteers on hand who would be more than happy to chat this through.
You can also look at the entries for this year's Framing and Mount Cutting Competitions - and vote to choose your "Best in Show".
The day rounds off with the Master's Dinner and Annual Awards - EVERYONE is welcome to join us for that too and if you'd like to book your place at the dinner then you can do that here https://www.fineart.co.uk/events/guild- ... 22-38.aspx
We're looking forward to a fantastic day and we'd love you to come along and join us.