The RX group, owner of the two fairs will eliminate 235 positions 600 and group teams.
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The art fairs sector, which seems to start up again after the health crisis, saw a long Covid. Last sequel, the merger in 2022 of the directions of the FIAC, which opens on October 20 at the Grand Palais ephemeral, and Paris Photo, to be held in the same place three weeks later. “There will be a group of teams, but the FIAC and Paris Photo will retain their own identity and temporality,” said Michel Vilair, CEO of RX France which operates both shows.
This group of teams spring of a wider reorganization plan, unveiled at a conference zoom Thursday, October 7 employees RX France. Five months after the announcement of the merger of Reed Expositions France, which organized the FIAC and Paris Photo, and Reed Midem (responsible for MIPTV and MIPCOM), a drastic social is the order of the day: 235 positions over nearly 600 will be removed by the end of the year. “This decision comes after a year and a half of a pandemic. Like all major companies in the events industry, we have been affected by the crisis” justifies Michel Vilair, without giving figures. For comparison, the Swiss group MCH, which organizes the Baselworld watch and lounge as well as Art Basel, saw its revenues blend of 60% in 2020. In the first half of 2021, losses amounted to 29.4 million Swiss francs ($ 27.41 million).
“shocked”
“We were presented things coldly, without empathy, without being able to ask questions. We are in shock,” sighs an employee of France RX group that prefers to remain anonymous, adding “How can we work calmly on fairs that will take place in a few weeks when we just learned that might be fired?” the new organization of Paris Photo and IFCA provides a common direction to both lounges, a single coordinator, responsible for both exhibitors but one VIP manager and two executive positions of artistic programming. For now, no one knows who, Jennifer Flay, Director of FIAC, or Florence Bourgeois, head of Paris Photo, will head the two shows and coordination. If each of the two fairs align its merchants quota among the most powerful, sharp or trendy at the time, their mind is very different: most glamorous in the case of FIAC, more professional to Paris Photo. “Other group fairs are organized by a single person, such as the International Franchise Show and Marketing lounge POS” in boot Michel Vilair key.
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