Frieze New York Showed Brands How to Prepare In-Person Experiences Again

For years, Frieze New York hosted as many as 200 art galleries under a giant, billowing white tent on Randall’s Island in the East River. In early May, the art fair returned—the first major in-person art exhibition in 14 months. Of course, the comeback of live sponsored events isn’t back to “normal” just yet. This year, Frieze swapped the big island setting and tent for The Shed, a space that’s often compared to a quilted steel comforter. The number of exhibitors was comparatively scaled down as well to 64. Tickets were sold at reserved times to accommodate a form of social distancing. Visitors, including VIPs, had to submit either a recent negative Covid-19 test or proof of being fully vaccinated for at least 14 days. Capacity at any given time was 850 people, including staff and gallerists, a representative told Adweek. Klarna’s UK Art Campaign Aims to Overcome Brand Misconceptions The May 5-9 event was sold out, though representatives said they were awaiting a full data report before releasing attendance figures. These adjustments reflected the tentative approach taken by many brand sponsors at this transitional moment. But for the brand sponsors such as BMW, Deutsche Bank, Illy, La Prairie, MatchesFashion, NeueHouse, Perrier, Prada and Ruinart, this year’s Frieze N.Y. was a marketing opportunity akin to the long-awaited unveiling of a private art collection. The scope and structure of Frieze N.Y. could further encourage brands’ confidence about planning in-person experiences sooner than later. It has helped set the luxury sponsors’ expectations for summer gatherings. It appears to have established a blueprint for 2021 events. Planners will need to achieve a delicate balancing act: events that appeal to audiences who grow weary of screens, eager to step out yet hesitant to embrace crowded venues. Reflect, refocus, reset Frieze N.Y. occupied five of the six floors at The Shed, located within Manhattan’s Hudson Yards office, residential, dining and shopping complex. Unveiled two years ago as a multimedia arts venue that mixes video, performance and traditional art displays, The Shed is an easily adaptable space. As such, it appealed to nervous brands planning a return to in-person. The carefully arranged capacity restrictions and health protocols helped. In a year that demanded events to become virtual, brands like Deutsche Bank sought to incorporate the digital lessons learned during the pandemic for an online and offline experience. Deutsche Bank has been a global partner across all of Frieze’s seven fairs since the organization’s second exhibition in 2004. The investment bank found out it didn’t need a physical presence to connect with Frieze N.Y.'s audience this year. Art:LIVE is a broadcast and video presentation that promises accessible yet expert insights into recent developments in contemporary art and culture. The set invites viewers to “Reflect, refocus, reset.” Art:LIVE taps into the “cautious optimism of the present moment” in talks with Marina Abramović in her New York loft. There’s also a tour through the expanded Dia: Chelsea art space with director Jessica Morgan. It’s all available to watch on both Frieze.com and deutschewealth.com. Black screen with artistic image on it. "Many of our wealthier clients are art collectors, and the partnership enables us to create exclusive and educational experiences we know they’ll appreciate," said Nicola West, head of event and partnership marketing, Deutsche Bank International Private Bank. “Through Art:LIVE, we are giving a mix of experiences to suit all our clients and attendees with the in-person fair and online offering,” said Nicola West, head of event and partnership marketing for Deutsche Bank's Private Bank pillar. “We want everyone to be safe but also able to experience the excitement of the fair depending on their location around the world.” As the global lead partner of Frieze, Deutsche Bank has various ways to connect with its customers and the outer art community. Many of its wealthier clients are art collectors. The Frieze partnership enables the bank to create “exclusive and educational experiences” aimed at its affluent customer target. Each fair has a Deutsche Bank Wealth Management lounge. It allows the company’s relationship managers to meet clients away from the usual corporate environment in an attractive space curated by a guest artist. Alongside exclusivity, there’s also a social dimension to Deutsche Bank’s experiential marketing. Like most major marketers, sharing a higher brand purpose beyond products and services is a particular challenge. West noted that the brand continues its support of social issues that began in 2019 with British artist Tracey Emin and her studio. Emin used the bank’s lounge to curate a work by female artists from the Deutsche Bank collection at Frieze London and Frieze Masters to honor 100 years of women’s suffrage. This sale included original postcard-sized works that raised about $212,000 for women’s charities. Sound and vision London clothing retailer MatchesFashion recently became a year-round partner of Frieze. The e-commerce brand is supporting the organization’s newly created membership program, Frieze 91. At Frieze N.Y., MatchesFashion offered its hybrid virtual and physical marketing experience with an audio guide that highlighted artists at the fair and institutions across New York (the city). The audio guide, Entitled Voices from Frieze New York, is available to download at the fair and digitally on MatchesFashion.com and Frieze.com. “There has always been a connection between the world of art, fashion and MatchesFashion,” said Jess Christie, the retailer’s CBO and CCO. “We saw it as a great opportunity to connect with a like-minded customer base globally.” Christie said the Frieze partnership provides a threefold value proposition: raising brand awareness, engaging with new customers and showcasing MatchesFashion as a cultural pioneer. As the pandemic shifted brands away from physical events, Frieze N.Y. gave MatchesFashion a new way to approach customer connections, Christie said. She added how the company was “delighted with the feedback.” Results from the fair activation resulted in an uptick in customer acquisition and brand awareness. “The physical and the digital [allows] us to offer our global customer a unique mix of content, commerce and community,” Christie said. “This was the philosophy behind Carlos Place—our physical space in London—and how we have rooted our partnership with Frieze from the beginning.”