Palm Beach Show Group's
Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

In October 2005, the Palm Beach Show Group was seeking to invigorate its newly acquired property, the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. Featuring more than 550 exhibitors drawn from around the world, the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is the largest summer show in the nation, and attracts thousands of collectors, dealers, decorators, and shoppers from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. It also features a sixty-dealer Antiquarian Book Fair.

To strengthen attendance at the show, identify and attract new audiences and enhance public interest in appreciating and collecting antiques, the Palm Beach Show Group selected Profiles in May 2006 as its sole marketing resource. Profiles worked closely with Palm Beach Show Group to develop innovative media, marketing and promotional strategies, and its efforts resulted in unprecedented media coverage and record attendance each for each of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Shows – 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Marketing Collaboration
In an effort to increase awareness and boost show attendance by traditional and new audiences, Profiles worked with local organizations to take advantage of numerous promotional opportunities.

The 2008 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show saw a marked increase in marketing collaborations:

• Local and Regional Library participation increased by 3800% (1 --> 39 library branches)
• University Library promotion increased by 400% (3 --> 15 libraries)
• Bookstore promotion increased by 200% (20 --> 60 bookstores)
• Embassy promotion increased by 4820% (5 --> 246 embassies)
• DC VIP mailings increased by 749% (65 --> 552 DC VIP complimentary ticket mailings)
• Country club and marina promotion increased by 93% (27 --> 52 businesses)
• Community organizations promotion increased by 1674% (39 --> 692 community associations)

Promotion of the show includes online mentions, inclusion in e-newsletters, information distribution, and promotional displays.

Each year, Profiles’ marketing efforts have resulted in:

• A two-month display of jewelry, porcelain, silver, fine art, decorative accessories and more at the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport..
• A feature in the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association e-newsletter to approximately 90,000 subscribers. The show was also listed in their online calendar of events.
• A display of dealer cards at the Baltimore Visitors Center during the month of August, promotion of the show on indoor and outdoor electronic billboards and a week-long display promoting the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show the week of the event.
• A partnership with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts including a display of dealer cards in its lobby during July and August, an email blast to its database of local and regional arts and cultural contacts, and promotion in its online calendar of events. Additionally, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts provided a mailing list of Cultural Town Hall attendees for a $2.00 off admission mailing.
• A window display at the central Enoch Pratt Free Library to promote the Antiquarian Book Fair. In addition to the window display, the library also displayed dealer cards in the lobbies of each of its 22 branches. Dealer cards were also distributed to all 17 branches of the Baltimore County Public Libraries.
• A feature on the BaltimoreatHome.com homepage during the month of August and an event listing on BaltimoreatHome.com and the American Society of Interior Decorators website.
• Partnerships with the following organizations: Walters Art Museum, the Mount Clare House, the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore Hertiage, the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Historic House at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore County Historical Society, Friends of the Goucher College Library, Jewish Museum of Maryland, Dumbarton House, Mt. Clare Museum and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Partnerships included a display of dealer cards during the months of July and August for visitors in addition to providing members with the $2.00 off admission offer through on-site, email and/or mail distribution.
• Distribution of postcards offering a special admission fee to the following: rare book Curator at the Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University; the curator of Marylandia and rare books department at the University of Maryland; the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum; and Peabody Elderhostel. Additionally, over 15 college and university libraries were sent discount cards. The Baltimore Bibliophiles also distributed an email blast with a special admission offer to its members.
• Dealer card distribution to the following: Welcome Centers throughout Maryland; more than 150 hotels in Baltimore, Washington and the surrounding areas; the top 15 largest office buildings in Downtown Baltimore; Baltimore Senior Centers; Hadassah of Greater Baltimore; the Greater Washington Area Hadassah; Walters Art Museum; Live Baltimore.; regional arts and cultural institutions; and several retail locations throughout Baltimore. Several of these organizations also included information about the show in online events calendars and e-newsletters.
• Distribution of complimentary tickets to 56 real estate organizations and individual realtors in the Baltimore region, 692 community membership organizations as well as 52 marinas and country clubs.
• Coordination of a VIP ticket mailing to key audiences in the region.
• On-air tickets giveaways at local radio stations.

Advertising
Profiles provided the Palm Beach Show Group with a detailed advertising recommendation to maximize the advertising budget, while reaching new audiences and traditional attendees through efficient media buys locally and regionally. In addition to recommending traditional media buys, Profiles also facilitated the installation of vertical and over-the-street banners in Baltimore City.

Memberships
Recognizing the potential benefits of membership in appropriate Baltimore/Washington organizations, Profiles researched civic groups and arts and cultural organizations in the Baltimore/Washington area and provided the Palm Beach Show Group with membership recommendations. Recommendations were based on calculation of the best and most applicable membership benefits for the cost.

Media Outreach
Profiles initiated an aggressive media relations campaign to secure coverage in print and broadcast media locally and regionally by blanketing the region with media materials to promote awareness of the show and to secure non-traditional coverage of the show by pitching appropriate, compelling stories to major publications and emphasizing our dealers and their collections as the most newsworthy element of the Baltimore show. In an effort to gather additional information about the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show and its dealers, Profiles prepared an exhibitor survey as a means to identify potential story angles. Furthermore, Profiles coordinated a media preview prior to the show’s opening.

The 2008 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show saw a marked increase in media coverage:

• Increase of in-print articles/calendar listings by 25% (25 --> 31 publications)
• Increase in television coverage to include 5/6 major news-broadcasting stations in the Baltimore region.
• Increase in radio coverage by 400% (1 --> 5 interviews)
• Increase in Calendar listings, briefs, blogs and online mentions by 170% (51 --> 138 listings)

Media Placement Results
Profiles media relations efforts on behalf of the Palm Beach Show Group generated unprecedented media coverage of the show with the following print media outlets covering the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show:

The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore magazine, Where magazine, Baltimore Examiner, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Record, Chesapeake Home, Owings Mills Times, Baltimore Messenger, Towson Times, Woodlawn Villager, Antique Trader, Washington Life, Style, Home & Design, American Style, Washington Woman, Art & Auction, Antiques and Fine Art, Silver Magazine, Sampler and Antique Needlework, Maryland Gazette, Washington Blade, Baltimore Jewish Times, Carroll County Times, b, B’more Live, Ceramics Monthly, Bay Weekly, Annapolis Capital, Baltimore City Paper, Urbanite, Baltimore Gaylife, Frederick News-Post, Washington Times, The Morning Call, Where Baltimore, What’s Up Annapolis?, the Magazine Antiques, Fine Books & Collections, BookSource, Antique Doll Collector, Nouveau Magazine, Art & Antiques Magazine, Mason-Dixon Arrive, City Living Source, Maryland Calendar of Events, Four Seasons magazine, Antique Week, Maine Antique Digest, New England Journal of Antiques, Adornment, Antiques & the Arts Weekly, Northeast Journal of Antiques and Art, and Antiques and the Arts. Coverage and interviews were also secured on WBFF-TV, WBAL-TV, WJZ-TV, WMAR-TV, MPT, WPOC-FM, CN8-TV, WLIF-FM, WHFS-FM, WCBM/WVIE-AM, WQSR-FM, WBJC-FM, WYPR-FM, NPR, Metro Networks.

Other media that featured information about the show included:

Baltimoresun.com, Citybizlist.com, wpoc.com, countrylviing.com, washingtonblade.com, Baltimore.org, washingtontimes.com, baltimorefunguide.com, postaroo.com, carrollcountytimes.com, foxbaltimore.com, livebaltimore.com, antiquesandfineart.com, finebooksmagazine.com, fredricknewspost.com, news-antique.com, baltimoregaylife.com, mpt.org, washingtonpost.com, cityguideaol.com, ceramicsmonthly.com, antiquetrader.com, booksinternationale.com, goodridgegide.com, antique-portal.info, northeastjournal.com, minorityprofessionalnetwork.com, mcall.com, asid.org, about.com, antiquesandthearts.com, baltimoreathome.com, NOVA-antiques.com, charmcityconcierge.com, antiquedollcollector.com, lapidaryjournal.com, antiquesandfineart.com, marylandvisitorsnetwork.com, wtmd.org, cantoncommunityassociation.com, citypaper.com, downtowndiane.net, chesapeakehome.com, bccenter.org, wypr.org, yourstreet.com, Goldjewelrymalls.com, baltimorecollegetown.com, eventseye.com, bop.org, mvcd.org, Baltimoremagazine.net, abba.org, jewishtimes.com, Baltimoreathome.com, aboutphilly.com, weta.com, DC pages.com, Baltimorefunguide.com, cityLivingSource.com, culturemob.com, americanstyle.com, rarebookreview.com, washingtonlife.com, theframemaven.com, smartwomanonline.com, mytradefairs.com, mizzentop.com, hometownannapolis.com, countryliving.com, nysocialdiary.com, 410area.com, upcoming,yahoo.com, sociallight.com, visitdelaware.com, eventseye.com, feirastv.com, panachemag.com, wetpaint.com, collectiblog.com, Baltimoregrows.com, Eventsetter.com, eventful.com, eventtogo.com, entrepreneur.com, antiquetheusa.com, fibre2fashion.com, wiki.com, eventguide.com, Asidnymetro.org, Baltimorestyle.com, Asianart.com, chriskauffman.blogspot.com, tinselandtreasure.blogspot.com, thingstodo.com, newsobserver.com, homeboynet.wordpress.com, theantiquesguide.com.

The Palm Beach Show Group has been a client of Profiles since May 2006