Hamburg Exhibitor Guide

Affordable Art Fair Hamburg has been instrumental in making art accessible to a wider audience of art enthusiasts in Germany and beyond. It provides a refined, stylised platform for exhibitors to showcase the creativity of their emerging artists and established names in such a way that reflects both the city and the team behind the fair.

Why Hamburg?

Our Hamburg fair is a serious arts event that has a strong focus on quality. Fair Director Oliver Lähndorf tailors the feel of the fair to complement the contemporary German style and his own creative choices. This ethos is always appreciated by visitors, who recognise the appeal whether they are first-time buyers, or seasoned collectors used to a certain calibre of art. You can expect a broad demographic of visitors at Affordable Art Fair Hamburg, but what they all have in common is a desire to see, buy and be inspired by high quality artwork.

Moreover, Affordable Art Fair Hamburg is a fair that has consistently high profitability for exhibitors. In 2022, Hamburg saw the largest art sales figure in the EU, seeing €2.9m worth of art headed to happy homes. This is testament to Oliver’s knowledge of art buyer’s tastes in the city.

First impressions of the fair

In terms of curation, the fair’s venue, Hamburg Messe, offers a minimalist, industrially stripped back feel, which links directly to the exhibitor experience. Existing Hamburg exhibitors trust that this curation consistently allows them to uplift their sales, meet the right networks for the market and utilise the confidence that visitors associate with the Affordable Art Fair brand. At our Hamburg fair, a huge positive is always knowing that your neighbour will be a good fit alongside your presentation, and that Oliver’s vision for stand planning will facilitate a purposeful atmosphere to help you succeed.

The venue itself is an impressive local landmark overlooked by the Heinrich-Hertz Tower; an universally recognisable feature of the Hamburg skyline. Boasting independent eateries and soulful bars, the local area’s proximity to Universität Hamburg means that the area has a vibrancy right up to the shoreline of the beautiful Outer Alster Lake. There is plenty to do and see in Hamburg, which is why we saw 41% of visitors in 2022 attending from outside the city’s boundaries – more than we see elsewhere globally – so that they can spend the weekend immersed in the full breadth of artistic offerings.

Who are our audience?

Visitors to Affordable Art Fair Hamburg come to buy art. In 2022, 76% of people attended with the intention to browse open-mindedly and a desire to add to their collection once they had fallen in love with a new piece. Again, this is a higher statistic than we see at other fairs across the world. It is also in keeping with Hamburg’s reputation as a high-income city where art-conscious residents are able to accrue expendable income to stimulate multiple art purchases a year.

They’re a creative, forward-thinking audience, though their art buying tastes remain traditional. After over ten years of producing quality fairs, Affordable Art Fair is embedded in this culture of art buying, which means our Hamburg audience feel comfortable relying on their accumulated trust to feel confident at every stage of their purchase. After our 2022 edition, 93% of visitors agreed that our Hamburg fair is an event they will continue to visit, and we work hard year-on-year to maintain, reward and grow this commitment.

Fair Director Oliver Lähndorf’ top tips for success:

• A well curated booth. Plan your stand layout and selection of artworks mindfully.
• Think about price. Present artworks in a wide prize range, including artworks under 1.000€.
• Be prepared for all of your art buyers’ questions. Customer orientation to visitors and potential new art buyers is key to success in Hamburg.

Main image: Two exhibitors at Affordable Art Fair Hamburg 2022.