Join Forces with Car Dealers to Drive in Sales

Art Business News, May, 2001 by Peter Imbres

Two galleries who partnered with auto dealers found that luxury car enthusiasts also have a passion for art

In a tightening economy, it becomes increasingly difficult to successfully target the affluent consumers essential to the long-term success of a gallery. Two enterprising galleries have found a new way to reach potential art buyers by teaming up with luxury automobile dealers.

As many facets of the automobile industry have recently declined or grown modestly over the past year, the sales of luxury cars have risen 5.5 percent. Continued growth is expected this year, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. Cross promotion with these luxury automobile dealerships provides a rare opportunity to reach a high-level, active consumer.

"The connection between people who buy luxury cars and people who buy art is that they both enjoy spending their money on beautiful things," said Joe Sabatini, owner of Europa Gallery in Mount Dora, Fla., and host of the Festival of Exotic Cars.

Sabatini has always had a love for exotic cars, which eventually led him to put together his first event, Ferrari Meets Dali, just over a year ago. The show was conceived as a collection of "the works of two great but very different masters ... Salvador Dali, the famous surrealist painter, and Enzo Ferrari, the famous Italian auto manufacturer."

The event was such a success, both in terms of exposure and funding for a local charity, that he decided to expand the focus of the show this year. The Festival of Exotic Cars, held in February, featured more than 100 rare and exotic cars from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo alongside a collection of art and jewelry. The event's itinerary also included a wine tasting, vintage cigar smoke, silent auction and a parade of cars awards presentation.

Alfredo De la Maria and W. K. Gilbert were among the artists showcased and were chosen specifically for their appeal to car enthusiasts. The majority of De la Maria's work is centered around European Grand Prix races from the 1930s through the 1950s. And Gilbert has developed a following among car enthusiasts with his impressionistic renderings of contemporary Formula One cars. Three of the four original paintings by Gilbert sold over the course of the day.

Sabatini partnered with several area car dealerships and other businesses including Orlando Magazine, in which he purchased an advertising section dedicated to the event and its sponsors.

The festival drew more than 15,000 people from all over the county, which was more than double the attendance of the previous year's event. More than 100 exotic and one-of-a-kind cars were on display with a net worth in excess of $30 million. Proceeds from the event went to the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital and the Hospice Hope Chest of Mount Dora.

"It was equally exciting for us and our exhibitors since it is a rare opportunity to reach so many high-end buyers in a single day," said Sabatini. "Our gallery's sales were strong and it created a lot of interest around these cars for the dealerships involved."

To create additional revenue, Sabatini commissioned artist Steve Bach to create an oil painting commemorating the event, which was auctioned off and published as a limited-edition print.

The Festival of Exotic Cars proved to be an enormous success for the Europa Gallery, but many galleries may not have the time or resources to tackle such a large event. Kaleidoscope Gallery in Newport Beach, Calif., had similar success with a smaller-scale event involving one car dealership. Sterling BMW in Newport Beach was in the process of planning its holiday party when they decided to approach the gallery about hosting the event last December.

"I thought it would be an especially good opportunity to introduce new clients to my gallery," said Ed Bolin, owner of the Kaleidoscope Gallery.

The event drew approximately 600 attendees in all and, similar to the Festival of Exotic Cars, a portion of the proceeds was donated to charity, in this case, the Orangewood Children's Home. "The owner of Sterling BMW and I both figured that one-third of the people in the crowd were my existing clients, one-third were his clients and one-third were new clients," said Bolin.

Bolin chose Aldo Luongo, the Italian-Argentinian post-impressionist painter, as the featured artist for the event on the basis of his popularity in the area and his enthusiasm for charitable events. Luongo's paintings, while not necessarily centered on automobiles, appeal to a wide audience and are generally priced for an income range similar to a prospective BMW owner. Along with Luongo's artwork, Sterling BMW showcased the 2001 BMW X5 SAV, which starts at $38,900.

The event was effective both conceptually and from a marketing perspective. In addition to the increased exposure, the Kaleidoscope Gallery moved approximately $100,000 in artwork, and the Orangewood Children's Home received $20,000.

"It worked so well that we're planning a similar event for Lexus of Mission Viejo's new state-of-the-art dealership," said Bolin. "Kaleidoscope Gallery and Aldo Luongo will be at the grand opening in June and we will be raising money for the Orangewood Children's Home again."