May 2010 Newsletter

Paul and I are inviting you to attend the May ARTE Market in Festival City on 7th May and the ARTE Soukh in Times Square Center on 14th May.

Artisans of the Emirates Profiles
We are surprised that we have received no new inputs for our Artisans of the Month section on our website which is very popular by our website visitors. Our site receives over 100,000 hits per month and the "Artisan of the month" regularly receive over 400 clicks. We need to keep the site exciting by adding more info about our dedicated vendors. Just give us the answers to the questions, and send us a picture of you with or without your products. Just Do It.

Upstairs at Times Square – reduced rate
Just a reminder, we are offering places upstairs in Times Square at a discounted rate of 175 Dhs. The spaces will be on the first floor will be near Toys R Us and Sharaf DG. Just tick it on the registration form which is attached and drop it off at Art House Dubai Gallery.

Supermarket advertising
We have not received any receipts for quite a few months for reimbursement of the costs to hang an ARTE poster on your regular supermarket notice board. It would be great if you could print the poster that we send you (should be with you in a week or so), and post it on your local supermarket, work notice board etc. If you do have to pay please keep the receipt and show it at the next market and we will re reimburse you the money.

ETSY on www.arte.ae
We are quite surprised that we have not received any new ETSY products recently (see http://www.artedubai.etsy.com ). This is a great platform and some of our vendors have done very well from it. We charge 8% commission for PayPal sales only (we do not charge a listing fee). Please contact us on etsy@arte.ae for more information.

Remember this - HANDMADE or IMPORTED
A special note to vendors who sell imported handmade products. The ARTE Soukh in Times Square Center is ONLY for vendors who make their own work here in the UAE. The reselling of imported items is not permitted. If you import and resell you can sign up for the ARTE Market in Festival City, but even there, your product has to be of a unique design, not available in the high street / main shopping malls, and has to be extremely well made and be art or craft. At Festival Centre we only have a few places available for vendors that resell imported handmade products, the focus remains on the work of the Artisans of the Emirates. If you wish your imported work to be considered for a place at Festival City then you must submit photos for our approval first. Please note that imported jewellery and fresh food products are NOT permitted under any circumstances.

IT's moan time :o)
· Please do not bring your own little extension tables. The table that we provide gives you the space that you are entitled to.
· If you have anything to pay still, can you please do this immediately to the Team on the Registration Reception table opposite the escalator near Café Caribou.
· Please clean up after you, make sure you leave your space as clean as when you arrived !

7th May 2010 - ARTE Market in Festival Centre at Dubai Festival City, ground floor, near Sun & Sand, underneath Toys R Us, Dubai
Set up 12:00 hrs
Timing 14:00 - 21:00 hrs
Advertising The ARTE Market is advertised in 7 Days and Xpress newspaper, as well as the Connector magazine, FYI, TeleLife, FridayWwe are also distributing DFC / ARTE bookmarks
Fee Dhs 125 for Artisans of the Emirates – vendors who make their own products here in the UAE
Dhs 250 for vendors who import their handmade products, NO imported jewellery
Dhs 100 membership fee, a one off payment
Art stands Only wire grid art panels are available, no wooden easels, additional to your basic fee at Dhs 50 for a double grid panel, please provide your own hooks
Bookings By email to info@arte.ae, not through Art HouseProducts No fresh food or imported jewelleryDeadline Tuesday 4th May, no late bookings will be accepted, bookings closed after this date
Payment On the day at the event
Cancellation Please note that we need a minimum of 36 hours to cancel your slot in Festival City No.
No Show The registration fee will be billed to you, payable to Art House Dubai gallery, or at your next marketThis fee will apply to instances of non attendance without given prior notice
Parking Blue SILK 11 and 12. One entrance gives the escalator, the other entrance gives an elevator.


14th May 2010 - ARTE Soukh in Times Square Center, Dubai

Set up 10:00 am, sign in at our Registration Desk opposite the escalator and draw your lucky table number.
Any outstanding payments need to be made there and then before setting up or settling down
Timing 12:00 – 19:00 hrs
Fee Dhs 200 * see the form for details
Dhs 100 membership fee, a once off payment to pay with your first market fee
Bookings Fill out the form attached, prepare the cash payment, take this to Art House Dubai Gallery in Jumeirah 2 on Al Wasl road
Deadline Tuesday 6th April, no late bookings will be accepted, books are closed after this date
Payment Only cash payments through the gallery, no payments on the day, except for our far out of town vendors (RAK, AD, FUJ and AA)
Cancellation 24 hours before by email
Advertising Express, 7 Days, Connector, fyi, more magazines in the pipeline, many free listings on UAE based websitesPlus a steady stream of articles or ARTE vendors in Friday magazine (GN) and Aquarius magazine and TeleLife and What’s On. Read on…..· Every month we have the press visiting. Please never say no to an interview, if you are not sure, just talk to either Jan D’Sa, Paul or myself. The experience is awesome! Do you have a ready made personal profile – ask Jan D’Sa for help, do you have images of your work without a background (ask the photographers for support), all of this will tremendously speed up the process of getting your image out there.
· Food vendors please adhere to hygiene rules and handle your food items with gloves and wrap in appropriate packaging, please collect your rubbish and dispose of in the bins provided.
· Bring lights and extension cords, if light is of a concern to you. And before you leave can you please remove the tape that secured your wire. Thank you for your cooperation.
· The road signals have changed. On Sheikh Zayed Road, coming from the North, driving South, the RTA sign now says: D65 Al Marabea’ Street, Exit 43 Al Rasaas Street. Times Square Center is on the east side of the Sheikh Zayed road. Coming from the South, we have an additional sign that says Exit 42. ·

Photography – Feroz & Tamer are available to take pictures of your work for the ETSY page on the www.arte.ae website, but also for your brochures and websites. Please approach them and discuss a deal. You can contact Feroz Khan on feroz.k.khan@gmail.com and Tamer Khalifat on khalifat75@hotmail.com.·

Jan D’Sa provides our PR Marketing support, she can help you too, please contact her on pjandsa@gmail.com .

A repeat from before
Remember – selling at the ARTE markets requires preparation, skills, patience. The ARTE team prepares the cause with great venues, guidance and a PR & Marketing programme, but you need to enjoy the process of building your own customer base with a huge smile and a happy heart. Network, handout those business cards, work on your display each time, be prepared for the season, and above all please do not just gauge your success by money. Look at respect, self esteem, friendship, changes and different opportunities that come your way by taking part in the ARTE markets.

Promoting yourself
Following a suggestion to personalise our E-flyer poster / advert, which we cannot do, we suggest that you actively take part in the ARTE fan page on Facebook. We have some vendors amongst us who already do this really well, but we would like to see all 100 vendors advertising what their art or craft is all about. Have a look and join in. We are also on Twitter, but that needs a bit more understanding and work from myself.
I will send you the poster / adverts in a few days. Then, pleases print them out and hang them on your local message boards. They also email easily, please send them to your customer base and why not add that you will be there selling XYZ. Good luck.

Congratulations & Get Well
· Some of our vendors are going through a storm and we would like to wish you all the very best of health and a speedy recovery. We are hoping to welcome you back at ARTE soon. You know who you are!
· Feroz Khan, the ARTE photographer, part of our team is getting married this month: congratulations to the bridal couple.
· Birthdays: We have a wash of birthdays this month: Many happy returns of the day. Felicitations.

Trusting it is all covered now, Paul, the team and I hope to see you in either FC, TSC or both,


Kind regards

Miriam Walsh
ARTE by Artisans of the Emirates