PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach Show is one of the biggest art events of the season to take place at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The event will go on with some major changes from Feb. 11 to 16.
In an average year, 20 to 30 vendors of the average 150 come from international locations to participate in the event. International vendors will not be able to attend, but there will still be a healthy presence of vendors present, according to Scott Diament, President and CEO of the Palm Beach Show Group.
“I believe the overall feeling will be more couture and relaxed and I still believe people will really, really enjoy it,” Diament said.
The pieces range from hundreds to millions of dollars in price, covering categories of art, antiques and jewelry.
“They will bring all of the fine arts, silver, tapestry, porcelain, jewelry, paintings that have been coveted by incredibly wealthy for generations. And they will bring those items for you to view, you don’t have to purchase anything, for you to view,” Diament said.
Provident Jewelry participates in eight to 10 events in a typical year with the Palm Beach Show always being its most successful. This year’s event will be the first in a year for the business.
“We meet new clients we see old clients and we also get to talk with peers in the industry,” explained Rob Samuels of Provident Jewelry. “Getting face time and touches with your client is really important.”
The jewelry will showcase and sell pieces worth thousands up to $7 million. Many of the pieces are one of a kind.
“We have an azure set, diamond and necklace earring set which is 120 karats,” Samuels said.
Visitors will be able to try on pieces of jewelry, despite safety protocols.
“Yes we will still allow people to try things on, we will have an ultrasonic system at our booth so we can actually clean and sanitize jewelry in between uses,” Samuels said.
The Palm Beach County Convention Center is said to have an economic impact in the billions in a typical year. The Palm Beach Show has an economic impact of its own, drawing people to nearby hotels and restaurants, and creating jobs within the event itself. That includes jobs for shippers and people who wrap things after they’re sold, and food service employees, for example.
“You have trucking of walls then you have the build of the show then you have the painting and the decorating. These are all local jobs,” Diament said.
The event organizers say the plan is to follow all safety protocols with some added measures to keep visitors safe. Masks will be required and there will be enhanced cleaning efforts along with sanitizing stations. Directional arrows will be on signs throughout the event.
In addition to what has become standard practice at many events, the Palm Beach Show is taking some extra steps. There will be reduced capacity, more spread out booths, and added time slots for guests to enjoy the show. Participating vendors will be able to sign up patrons for special added hours between 9 and 11 a.m. to further the efforts to socially distance.
Tickets will only be available online, no physical passes will be distributed.
“We’ve instituted a system like we’ve never had before which is basically like an RSVP system. Where we could have a better handle on who is coming when to the convention center. And also so we could notify patrons of when there might be lighter time frames when they could come,” explained Diament.
Safety guidelines for the Palm Beach Show can be found here.
The Palm Beach Convention Center campus has a powerful air filtration system and the building is supposed to remain at a temperature and humidity level that would reduce viral transmission.
Palm Beach County Convention Center safety protocols can be found here.
