London – artbnb

Last week, armed with my tiny demo painting, plenty of printed artbnb info, and clad in recently created artbnb merch I was excited attend the Short Stay Show at the London ExCel. The first of its kind, this show is dedicated to all things short term rental.

In honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived. What I found was a bustling, lively exhibition space, with a real buzz. Two stages in the exhibition space provided talks for those starting up and scaling up their short stay business. Another space was dedicated to the premium, big-scale players. Only established two years ago, the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) are seeking to establish the UK as a global leader in short-term accommodation, and from what was on display, this emerging industry looks set to flourish!

My goal for the event was to make some industry contacts, learn about trends and hopefully garner some tips for success, which I’m glad to say I achieved – and I came away learning so much more.

As I entered the exhibition area, I found a crowd gathering for the scale up stage for a talk about insurance. Not your typical attention-grabber, but quickly became my surprise highlight of the show. Artbnb presents some interesting insurance conundrums, and I was curious what light Pikl may shed. Lending art to short term rental properties and offering it for sale to the guests is not something accounted for in your typical home insurance package, not even for landlords. Presenting about their survey of the home and landlord insurance industry, Louise Birritteri, CEO and Founder of Pikl described an insurance landscape for short stay hosts more complex than I had previously appreciated, with only about half of providers even offering cover for landlords participating in short-term rental. Of course, the good news is that as this industry grows, specialist providers such as Pikl are springing up, understanding the nuances of a short stay business, and ready to discuss bespoke cover when needed.

I was also happy to discover Short-Term-Rentalz, providers of the latest news, opinion and intelligence on the fast growing short-term rental industry.

As you would expect in an industry born from tech, technology continues to drive the industry forwards. Of course, Airbnb, booking.com, HomeAway, HolidayCottages.com and Sykes are big presences. Beyond these, many talks on the Start Up and Scale Up Stages revolved around technology for property management, analytics, assistance from artificial intelligence, and smart key safes. I’m a technologist by background, with artbnb’s business having a technology component and roadmap, so I certainly appreciated the innovation on display.

A refreshing change of focus came from Morel & Co, specialist consultants and designers in the world of glamping. I am excited by the possibilities for outdoor art in a yurt, and have a (no longer) secret aim that artbnb may one day provide this. It was a pleasure to meet founder Kate Morel, and later hear her inspiring talk about a burgeoning world of Urban Glamping, with an imaginative range of alternative accommodation including glamping on rooftops in NYC, and converted cabins on urban cranes.

All in all, a day packed with interest and some great discussions. I will look forwards to the show’s return next year!

Seeing the title of this fascinating talk immediately made my decision to attend the London Art Fair this year. So relevant to artbnb’s business, new venues and spaces for exhibiting artwork are becoming increasingly important for art to reach wider audiences outside of traditional galleries. With artbnb, my desire is to use holiday properties as an exhibition space that brings the enjoyment of art into people’s lives as they live them, opening up access to those who have possibly never visited a formal venue like a gallery. I was delighted by the opportunity to hear from a panel of speakers who are already running a diverse range of successful initiatives, sharing similar desire to mine.

My first impression of the London Art Fair: Wow! An expanse of amazing art, presented at the highest level of professionalism. Perfect for art lovers and collectors, yet a world away from the intimacy of a home-like environment with space to enjoy and reflect that artbnb strives to create.

London Art Fair Guides

London Art Fair Exhibitions

After a thorough exploration that probably only touched a portion of the exhibitions, it was time for the talk, “Considering new arts models and spaces”. Formatted as a hosted panel discussion, speakers included

Olivia Wiederkehr, visual artist and member of the board of Ausstellungsraum Klingental Basel
Guillaume Pilet, artist and co-founder of Tunnel Tunnel Lausanne
Daniel Kelly, Director DKUK London
Daniel J Norie, co-founder of Light Eye Mind
Chaired by Amber Massie Blomfield, arts producer and author

Interestingly, all the speakers are also artists, driven to share work in a collaborative, inclusive space. Olivia and Guillaume both share similarity in that they are based in Switzerland, and with collectives of artists have transformed large disused properties, former military buildings and a bus depot, using these not only for exhibitions but also more exploratory projects, talks, workshops and concerts. In North London, Daniel Norie has achieved similar with a former butcher’s shop. Artist Daniel Kelly drew on training he had previously undertaken as a hairdresser to open a hairdressing salon that, rather than adorned with mirrors, exhibits art. Daniel described how the hairdressing context opens accessibility to art, with around 70% of his clients never going to galleries yet here being happy to share reflections and ask questions about the work on display.

Each speaker emphasized the distinction between an art space from a gallery, enabling experimental projects and self-development opportunity for artists free from commercial pressure. Discussion also turned to the role of property developers in creation and funding of arts spaces. Although many new developments include a portion of space given to the arts, in practice it seems these spaces may only be temporary before being reused for other purposes. Pop-up models are also becoming increasingly popular as the price of space pushes artists to find new ways to exhibit.

One final parting thought from the discussion was the role of technology, and an observation that art is relatively lagging in the digital transformation that is sweeping many aspects of life. A space ripe for opportunity.

It was a fascinating, and refreshingly honest, talk. I’ve brought away from it inspiration and optimism for artbnb’s future, and hope in a future year we will similarly have a host of experiences to share in this type of forum.

I shall leave you with a selection of works that caught my eye in the exhibition spaces…