COMPANY HISTORY AND MISSION

Parallax “Art” Fair (London) is a subsidiary event of PAF LN UK. It first began as a research exhibition in 2010 devised by Dr C G Barlow, whose research encompasses the philosophy of history. The initial fair was held in July 2011 at the Royal Opera Arcade. It was the first of its kind to fracture the booths into smaller spaces and to be held three times a year in order to create affordable opportunities for creative entrepreneurs (artists and designers) in London. It moved to Chelsea Town Hall in February 2012 and in February 2016 it attracted 16,000 visitors. In February 2018, it moved to Kensington Town Hall where a separate one-person show by Setsuko Ono (Yoko Ono’s sibling) was held. Since 2019, the event has been held at both Kensington Town Hall and Chelsea Town Hall. In July 2022, Parallax welcomed the Hollywood actor and film director, Paul Michael Glaser and in the October the lead actor from the Archers, Timothy Bentinck. We opened a show in Los Angeles in April 2023.

Visitor Concierge Assistants (VCAs) work in the Visitor Concierge Department (VCD). They are managed by the Visitor Concierge Manager (VCM). They are the face of Parallax Art Fair to the visitors. They ensure that great hospitality is offered and that any issues are speedily resolved.
VCAs must make themselves familiar with the digital map and gallery numbers, as well as the restaurant, toilets, payment desk, and be able to confidently direct people to these areas.
(1) Visitor Concierge Department (VCD) Overview
The VCD is based at the reception and payment areas of the building. It focuses on the visitors, including VIP, and their requirements throughout the event. They are the main point of contact for visitors during the fair and the first point of contact for any dignitaries that may attend. The department must be proactive in terms of customer care. The department is responsible for ensuring that all the publicly-attended times of the event run smoothly and that members of the public leave on a positive note. They are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the reception, payment and restaurant areas.
(2) Soiree Evening
The VCD oversees the Soiree Evening held on the Saturday evening and prepares the reception, bookstore, payment, cloakroom and restaurant areas (including musician area). The Private View starts at 7.30pm.
The VCAs administer the digital guest list at the door and coordinate the visitor cloakroom. Your manager may assign you various areas of responsibility during the fair. You may also be switched between areas on a rota system. It is important that you keep focussed on these specific duties as part of the team and smooth running of the event.
VCAs deal with any queries from visitors and guests, but not exhibitors. The Exhibitor Liaison Department deals with exhibitor queries and VCAs are to know where this department is located in the venue.
(3) Payment Desk
VCAs must familiarise themselves with the credit-card machine and be able to take card payments for any purchases. They must follow the correct procedure for handling receipts and record any transaction in the receipt book. Most sales are private and carried out between artists and visitors, but occasionally we process some payments.
(4) During the Fair (Saturday and Sunday)
The VCD administers the tickets and deals with visitor requests and complaints throughout the event. They provide information points around the reception and restaurant areas directing visitors to amenities in the building, as well as processing payments.
(5) De-installation Day (Sunday)
The VCM will ensure that all the public are out of the building on the last day for closing. This will must happen from 4.55pm.
VCD pack all the departmental equipment. The reception area must be taken down last and not until most of the exhibitors have left the building.