The BAPLA Picture Buyers’ Fair 2010 is defying the impact of the recession and is selling out!

BAPLA unveiled a new look show at the end of last year, with a range of new features aimed at enticing the current generation of image buyers to visit; and today, the association has announced its intention to include extra stands.

Space has been made to create another fifteen shell scheme stands and an updated floor plan has been released today. Interest in the brand new Digital Gallery has been excellent and that area has less than a dozen stands available.

BAPLA’s PBF 2010 takes place on May 19th and 20th in London, and some of the changes to the format include:

• A New Venue: Two floors of the fabulous Barbican Exhibition Halls (exhibition downstairs – networking and seminars upstairs)
• A New Format: The Digital Gallery, The BAPLA Village, The Networking Cafe Bar, The New Seminar Schedule – this year it’s going to be a very different event
• New Seminars: All seminars are designed for image buyers to attract image buyers, especially from the creative industries.
• New Style: We have stopped and listened to our members and our visitors and we are sure the new style PBF will be exactly the type of event exhibitors have been waiting for.

BAPLA’s Executive Director Simon Cliffe commented: “PBF is not something from which BAPLA makes a profit. That’s a fact. The cost of exhibiting is at a discounted rate so every year we take a risk when running the show. With that in mind, it has to justify its existence, and in 2010 it has to deliver the new generation of image buyers, as well as remain attractive to the industry’s current clients.  That’s why we’ve made the changes we have. From an exhibitor’s point of view, it’s clearly working! We’re delighted to see so many old friends coming back to PBF after taking a break. A show guide that includes names like Getty, Image Source and Bridgeman is so much stronger for it. We’re equally delighted to see many new faces too.”

BAPLA Chairman Paul Brown added: “This is the most exciting show we’ve planned in the history of the PBF. The Digital Gallery gives the show a 21st century flavour and the speakers already confirmed for the seminars are incredibly exciting and very high profile; we’re looking forward to making some announcements about those in the next couple of weeks. For picture buyers there is no better opportunity to meet so many picture suppliers, see so much great content and find out so much about the picture industry in one place.”

Anyone interested in exhibiting can find booking information and the new floor plan here