Going Wild

After a year of putting plans on hold, the thought of running an event for your business can be daunting, but also exciting! Many businesses shy away from the idea of holding an event, for fear that the effort and costs required will exceed the overall benefit. But we’re here to tell you that you could be missing out on a valuable marketing tool!

Jo and Kevin

Hosting events comes with a range of benefits:

■ Meet your customers: face-to-face contact is important as it allows you to build trust and get to know your audience. If you know your ideal customer, you will be able to tailor your business to meet their needs and requirements, meaning greater revenue for your business.

■ Show off your work: an event is the perfect opportunity to show people what you can do.

We’re not suggesting that you try and overly sell to your guests but having your work on display will hopefully get guests thinking about what they have at home to frame.

■ Attract attention: hosting an event will attract attention from your community, and hopefully local media too. Use this opportunity to get your business’s name out there so that people think of you next time they’d like a picture framed! ■ Expand your industry contacts: consider inviting other framers, artists and interior designers to your event. You can discuss industry best practices; you’ll build your network and maybe even learn something new.

One couple that have certainly used events to their advantage are Kevin and Jo Youngman of Wildwood Gallery in Bury St Edmunds. Their gallery has been so popular that recently Kevin has started a new business, AKA Fine Art in Cambridge, with friend and painter Alison Porter. Wildwood Gallery is set to continue working with local artists, business and the public on their bespoke, hand finished framing, whilst AKA Fine Art will focus on fine art sales in Cambridge.

Given that AKA Fine Art is located in a new area with no existing customers, the team has been using events to stir up interest in the business, which is currently operating online, before they open their physical gallery in Spring 2022. 4walls spoke to Kevin about the new business venture: Since the pandemic, hosting events has been more difficult due to social distancing measures. Because of this, Kevin chose to wait until restrictions were lifted to run his first event, saying that the best thing about an event is getting to engage with people.

AKA recently hosted an exhibition at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge to raise money for mental health charity Arts and Minds, with whom the team work closely. AKA donated 10% of their commission for each sale to the charity. The event exhibited work by local artists and included artist talks, it was a huge success!

“Before opening AKA Fine Art, we will be running several events to build the profile of the business in Cambridge. At Wildwood Gallery, we have been lucky enough to work with repeat clients for over 20 years, so it is important for us to build client relationships and offer customers a personal service and events are a great way to do that.”

Earlier this year, AKA also hosted a launch party and exhibition to build initial awareness of the brand. Kevin adds: “The events have been very well received, and our online gallery has had lots of interest from the public as a result of our events. It’s always going to be a challenge to start a new business, but I believe our decision to start online and build our presence before opening a physical gallery has paid off. I’m excited to see where we can take both businesses in the future!

Keep an eye on AKA Fine Art’s website akafineart.co.uk and social media channels @akafineart for updates on the new Cambridge gallery.

You can also find Wildwood Gallery at wildwoodgallery.co.uk or on social at @wildwoodgallery.