Exhibitor Production Coordinator

Job Description

Who We Are:

Frieze is the world's leading platform for modern and contemporary art, dedicated to artists, galleries, collectors and art lovers alike. Frieze comprises three magazines – frieze, Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week – and five international art fairs – Frieze London, Frieze Masters, Frieze New York, Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze Seoul. In October 2021, Frieze also launched No.9 Cork Street, a permanent space for visiting international galleries in the heart of Mayfair, London. Frieze is part of the IMG network.

About the Frieze Production Department

The Production team are responsible for delivering all physical elements of the fairs and ensuring it's safe, timely and successful delivery. This team is an operational one, based in London, made up of two distinct subsets, with a Head of Department for each:

Exhibitor Production – focuses on all production elements related to the Exhibitors at the fairs, including; booth builds, complex artwork installation, technical support, drafting, floor planning, art shipping logistics, Frieze Sculpture management, programming support, production schedules (venue builds), Health & Safety

Fair Production – encompasses all other areas of the fair, including; tent builds & related infrastructure, F&B, contract management, Partnership lounge support/production, other non-gallery build, fair design, site infrastructure, security, cleaning, contractor management, production schedule (tent builds), Health & Safety

Each fair has a Production Manager, reporting to the Head of Fair Production, who is responsible for all the Fair Production elements as well as coordinating with the various departments across Frieze. Usually, a Production Manager works on one UK and one US show (being opposite times of the year). The Exhibitor Production Department work across all fairs but are more heavily involved in the US fairs where we don't have a single stand-building vendor (in the UK and Korea we use one stand-building vendor for each show) – for the US this team act as the stand-build vendor, and exhibitors order their additional walls, lights, etc from Frieze rather than an external party. This role sits within this part of the team.

Frieze FRAME – this newly formed department, although working closely with the above teams, is a stand-alone team who will act as the Frieze in-house production agency. FRAME will primarily be sold to existing and new sponsors across the Frieze Fairs portfolio, offering a turn-key production management service for their on-site brand activations.

What You'll Do:

We are looking for an Exhibitor Production Coordinator to provide support to the Exhibitor Production team on the Frieze Fairs. The key functions of the role are to support on the processing and drafting of stand plans for the US fairs, to provide production support for the London and Seoul fairs, assist with the production planning for artist-led programming, and offer administrative and financial assistance to the team.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
• Support on the delivery of all exhibitor production across all Frieze fairs
• Coordinate and deliver the day-to-day operations of Frieze Sculpture, supporting the Production lead
• Stand plan processing for the US fairs
• Drafting support to the Exhibitor Production Managers on all fairs
• Support the team with gallery and Exhibitor Relations department communication
• Management of the department timeline and liaison with other departments
• Department administration and budgeting support (e.g. tracking expenses, placing orders, and invoicing)
• Coordination of department vendor pre-fair requirements
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with vendors and other key stakeholders in the UK, USA and South Korea
• Coordinate exhibitor shipping across the US and UK fairs, and support with shipping on Seoul
• Assist, as required, with the production of artist-led programming across the fairs, working closely with the Head of Department, US Project Lead and Fair & Programming Managers
• Provide excellent client service to exhibitors and curators, where required, and provide understanding of production capabilities vs. client needs
• Establish strong and effective relationships with internal team and exhibitors, and ensure continued strong management of these relationships
• Support on site across fairs with monitoring and managing stand build, including quality control checks
• Coordinate the updating of exhibitor manuals for each fair
• Coordinate post-project reviews and create recommendation reports
• Champion and implement sustainability initiatives
• Constantly review department processes to find efficiencies and improvements

Working Conditions:

Permanent, London Surrey Street

Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm
• Overseas travel will be required – candidate must be able to stay in the USA for up to 3 consecutive weeks, twice a year, and in Seoul for a minimum of 12 days once a year
• Extended hours will be required when meeting project deadlines and when on site

You Have These:
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, ideally in events or the arts
• Experience in using CAD software (eg Vectorworks, Sketchup, etc) for drafting in 2D (floor plans, build plans, etc.
• Experience in providing excellent client service and maintaining strong relationships with external parties
• Prior experience in working in an administrative or coordination role
• Experience working with multiple external contractors
• Clean Driving License
• Ability to stay calm under pressure
• Highly competent with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Excellent attention to detail with a logical approach
• Ability to calmly and effectively prioritise and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
• Excellent proven ability to problem-solve

We'd Love If You Have These:
• Health & Safety qualification and/or experience
• Experience in working on art fairs and/or large-scale public events
• Health & Safety experience in countries other than the UK
• Experience in supporting the realization of artworks
Our Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Frieze unites people in our love of the arts. We understand this can only be accomplished when we harness the entirety of our company and lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we are committed to practicing anti-discrimination including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, together with artists, writers, and cultural practitioners from all backgrounds. There is still much work to be done to address systemic inequality and discrimination within the arts and culture industry, and we are dedicated to making progress to both within our own organization and the art world at large.

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world's diverse voices.  

Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gq15ym-3-21-46-24-42 in your application.