France Teddy Bear Scene

[Eric-Claude]

As there was not any message on here I thought I could post something as a start.

Living in France, if any of you need information about French Teddy Bear Scene or anything don't hesitate to ask me. I know well enough my country lolol.

Read you very soon :D

[Jenny]

I have often thought of doing a fair in France..Which are the best ones?

Jenny

[Eric-Claude]

Good Morning Jenny,

As far as I am aware of the French teddy bear scene, there is only 3 shows I could speak about. In add of this, there are other show but they are not worth me speaking about them and I will say why.

- The association "Les Amis des Gueules de Miel" organise each year a show in Paris, in June. It's a great show with lot of french artist, most of them and some artists from belgium, Netherlands and Germany (10 % only). There are about 70 exhibitors about. This show has been the reference for the last 8 years because it was the only one !!!

- There is another show in Paris, twice a year (end of November and end of April), called "Paris-Creation". It looks like a lot the one I was speaking above, with much less exhibitors and mixed with any other creation as dolls for exemple.

Those both show has got something I dislike : There is not any good atmosphere, there no any good ambiance, it's what I call an "empty" show without soul but they were the only we had ...... so better to get something rather than nothing we just have to keep in mind the good side.

There is a third event in France. This is the one I suggest you to go.... and I don't know if I would have place enough here without flooding this box to explain you all the good reasons.

This is is the one I organise :D :D THE GREAT BEAR. Well it is easy to me to promote my show and saying it's the best instead of any other, I also could invent falses things so I am just going to give you some names who exhibit at my show : Threadteds (berta Heseen-Minten, Netherlands) , Nadine Murat Thevenot (france), Pro Bäer (Germany), Astrid Mass and Beate Rush-Nann (Germany), Tineke Oostveen (Netherlands), Karin Peire (Belgium)Tracey Smith (England), etc..... for the next edition Bourton Bear should come as well as MawPaws, Tania Fish, Gregory Gullenship (very intersted), Ositos Bears Angela Schulz , etc. Well I can't name them all. About 80 exhibitors sould come at the Great Bear 2007.

The Great Bear is a different show. One of the biggest difference is I am not doing any business with this event, I just want to promote the "world" of Tedy Bear , offer an Euroepan teddy bear fairin the South of France, reassemble European Arctophile and Position the Toy Museum in its educational and cultural role that it defends, organising innovative events. The promotion is going to be on any European teddy bear magazines and at all the capital event with flyers dispatched by artist themself !!!

Well, sorry but I would not like to be annoying with the promotion of my show on here. If you are interested in to attend my show I will send you a promotional exhibitor pack. I know it's easier to say than to do but believe me The Great Bear is a show that should not be missed and is going to be spoken about.

Next Sunday I am going to the London Teddy Bear Fair, if you're there I could give you all details if not I don't mind to send them by post.

Of course Jenny, I have been visiting your web site and you would be welcome at The Great Bear :) :)

Read you soon

Best Wishes

ERIC

[Jenny]

Hi Eric..It sounds interesting. Perhaps you could email me more details.
Unfortunately I never attend the London Bear Fair.

Jenny

[Steffi]

Hi Jenny

I went to the first of Eric's fairs earlier this year, not as an exhibitor but out of curiosity and to have a break in France. Eric's show is like no other I have ever been to, it was the best (this from a dedicated visitor to Hugglets) fair I had been to in a long time. The atmosphere was amazing and it was above all a family event. I know for exhibitors it is a longer day than we are used to over here, however people were happy to mind each other's stands in order to make sure that everyone got a break. There was a BBQ on the go virtually all day, plenty to drink and I don't just mean soft drinks. Just to add to it the weather was beautiful and warm, best of all for us it was our wedding anniversary so what better way to spend it? For the exhibitors it felt like a slowish start,that didn't last long, most of the day the room was mobbed and there were still customers at closing time and most vendors actually seemed reluctant to pack up. Certainly many made provisional bookings there and then for next year, for our part we have already booked accomodation for April next year. I am not sure which is your nearest airport but we flew RyanAir from Scotland so even that part wasn't overly expensive. One last thing Eric is a very charming host and his family are really delightful.

Hope to see you in France

Best wishes

Steffi

[Jenny]

Hi Steffi..I does all sound great but I have already got a fair in April at the NEC. So I have to work out the logistics of 2 consecutive shows and also work out the viability of the costings as the flights are proving difficult and not too cheap at the moment!!! Then there is accomodation to think of too.
I'd be really excited to go and wish it were at a different time of the year....Oh well...we'll see!!!

I for one am fed up with shows that are the same old same old and wish there was someone out there who'd organise something inspirational here in the UK. I am sick of dingy venues and uninspired fairs with the same old stands, little input from the organisers and few new customers. This would be like a shot in the arm to UK fairs. Hugglets is great and so is the NEC because they are busy..but I have been to fairs where artists have sold nothing all day because the trickle of people in the door was so few that the venue is dead after an hour of trading

So to go to something where it's more of an event than simply a fair would be fantastic!!

[Eric-Claude]

Hello Steffi xxx and Jenny xxx

Thank you very much Steffi for you words about my show. It is always better when someone else than the organisator says nice things. Thank you very much. I have not sent you any booking form yet Steffi, I thought you were busy enough with the organisation of your own show. I have read you did it very well.. as you can see news go quickly over the world, especially in France lolol

Jenny, if you booked a stall the Birmingham show the week after the Great Bear it is going to be difficult for you and tiring enough. This years, I guess the flights are going to be more expensive than last year because the Great Bear will be held while most of European Easter School Holidays. By another hand we should get more visitors at the show so if the plane ticket is worth a little bit more it should not be a big problem because the potentiel of sale in the show should be more important.

Speaking about the NEC, I have been there only once and I promised myself not to go back lol I have not had great time there and there were also doll artist, and babies ... they scared me lolol

Jenny if you need more specifical information don't hesitate asking me I'll help you the best I can.

Best Wishes

ERIC

[Steffi]

Hi Eric

as you know I am more than happy to recommend your show to other exhibitors. We really enjoyed our trip this year and are looking forward to next year. As you know we are planning on coming over by train, how brave is that from Scotland? It's ok we are not planning on travelling from Glasgow to the South by train, anyone who has ever tried that will know how unreliable a certain company whose name starts with a V can be. We will drive to my mother's and the make our way to London to catch the Eurostar.

I have swapped a few e-mails with someone you saw at Ally Pally and I think I have persuded them that it is a great fair and a lovely part of the world. For anyone wanting some sunshine early in the year then you won't go far wrong.

Eric thanks for the form and I will return it asap.

Hugs Steffi xx

[Eric-Claude]

Hiya Steffi xxxx,

It is always nice to hear from you. Thank you for the promotion of my show it's a very good help.

I spent a lovely day at Ally Pally. Dawn (Slaughter) was with me. We laughed a lot but we have made a nice promotion of The Great Bear.

It is difficult to say how many hold stallers I met at Ally Pally are going to come down South of France next April. Even if I met most of them, there are only a little bit more than 2 full hands of exhibitors I have been interested in to attend my show.

One thing is sure, I have already received a booking form from one of them, so I can say 1 I met at Ally Pally will come to The Great Bear lol I am good at mathematic lolol

The more there are exhibitors at my show the more I get "motived or motivated ?? lol".

Eighty stallers isn't the most I can but it is the most I want. You know I am not interested in exhibitors as flowerpots..... Ally Pally just 100 stalls, among them 4 stalls of mohair and materiel ... coff coff business sounded more than very shared ....that is not my way to be and not my cup of tea either lol

Well sorry I think I've extrapolated the subject to make a lilttle bit of promotion that IS my way to be lol

Mwahhhhh Speak to you soon Steffy and everyone of course

ERIC

[Jenny]

I may still book your fair, Eric, as I am still trying to verify the next Spring Bears and Dolls dates..and where it's to be held. So far I have not heard and am hoping against hope it isn't at the Ricoh Arena Coventry again. The NEC is not exactly fantastic but it's busy and buzzes all day.

I live in Coventry and despite popular opinion it is a nice city..but the venue was dreadful last year and I am not keen to return. It was dark, cold and unwelcoming..to my mind a venue should be bright and colourful...not grey and so vast it swamps the exhibition..so I will wait to see where it is being held..If it's the Ricoh again I may be coming to France!

If you'll have me!!

[Eric-Claude]

Hello Jenny,

Thank you to let me know you did not forget my show yet lol :D

Your work is absolutely interesting and beautifull. You manage to give amazing expression to your creation. It is this sort of feeling that any teddy bear lovers are looking for in any creation and one of the good reason we love them.

What could I add in more I think I said everything now lol

Take Care and Read you soon

ERIC

[Jenny]

Thanks Eric..That's very kind of you ro say...I am all embarassed now!!

[gotobedbears]

As a matter of interest........where in the South of France is the show held?
I might be able to visit if i'm on my holidays there next year.

Penny

[Eric-Claude]

Morning Penny,

Thank you for your interest. The Great Bear will be held in the South of France near Nîmes, in a village called Arpaillargues. It's Gard area, Languedoc-Roussillon.

How to come ..... From London Luton, Liverpoll, East Midlland Airport there are direct line to Nîmes Airport by Ryanair Company.

From Nîmes Airport to Arpaillargues there are 25 kilometers. 25 minutes away by car, 1 and half hour on bicyle and 8 hours about on foot :D .

There also are train .... From England Eurostar to Paris then another high speed train called TGV from Paris to Nimes or Avignon about 2 h 40 minutes.

What is nice to see here : "The Great Bear" lol hahah There is the celeber Roman Aqueduc "Le Pont du gard", Uzès (3 km away from Arpaillargues) The First Duchedon (Duché) of France, Haribo Museum France (if yuo're greedy). In the area I am there are only 140 sites to visit ....that should be enough for a few days lol.

If you need more infor, just let me know, you're welcome

Best Wishes

ERIC

[gotobedbears]

Thanks Eric, if i am around that area at that time i will make every effort to visit the fair.


Penny :6086:

[g3kitty]

Wow The Great Bear sounds like a lovely show to attend, and it would be great to be there and enjoy all the fun, I will try to make it this year, my husband and I are saving some money for holidays, and I wanted to visit a bear fair as an essential ingredient to these holidays.. Your fair has some really good recommendations so I will surely come your way (keeping my fingers crossed) and get myself a (few) special furry friend(s) from there!

Luv,
Kitty.

[Helena]

hello Eric,
i'm a teddy bear making novice, i live in Paris, i was wondering if you could give me any information considering the french teddy bear stage (as you called it), suppliers in here and any others useful tips. i've heard already about les amis des gueules de miel and i'll be attending their show as a visitor (for now- i hope :-)), but it's almost all i know so i'll be grateful for some help. it would be nice to get some more info about your show as well. merci!

helena

[Helena]

hello everybody! it's been not very long time i've been living my teddy bear adventure and as i live in Paris i was hoping to find some friends from this area! i'll be very grateful for any information considering teddy bears' 'french or parisian facts' or just simply meet the teddy bears addicts from here.
as i'm novice-any tips are very welcome.
thank you.
helena

[Bobbybaer]

Good Morning Jenny,

As far as I am aware of the French teddy bear scene, there is only 3 shows I could speak about. In add of this, there are other show but they are not worth me speaking about them and I will say why.

- The association "Les Amis des Gueules de Miel" organise each year a show in Paris, in June. It's a great show with lot of french artist, most of them and some artists from belgium, Netherlands and Germany (10 % only). There are about 70 exhibitors about. This show has been the reference for the last 8 years because it was the only one !!!

- There is another show in Paris, twice a year (end of November and end of April), called "Paris-Creation". It looks like a lot the one I was speaking above, with much less exhibitors and mixed with any other creation as dolls for exemple.

Those both show has got something I dislike : There is not any good atmosphere, there no any good ambiance, it's what I call an "empty" show without soul but they were the only we had ...... so better to get something rather than nothing we just have to keep in mind the good side.

There is a third event in France. This is the one I suggest you to go.... and I don't know if I would have place enough here without flooding this box to explain you all the good reasons.

This is is the one I organise :D :D THE GREAT BEAR. Well it is easy to me to promote my show and saying it's the best instead of any other, I also could invent falses things so I am just going to give you some names who exhibit at my show : Threadteds (berta Heseen-Minten, Netherlands) , Nadine Murat Thevenot (france), Pro Bäer (Germany), Astrid Mass and Beate Rush-Nann (Germany), Tineke Oostveen (Netherlands), Karin Peire (Belgium)Tracey Smith (England), etc..... for the next edition Bourton Bear should come as well as MawPaws, Tania Fish, Gregory Gullenship (very intersted), Ositos Bears Angela Schulz , etc. Well I can't name them all. About 80 exhibitors sould come at the Great Bear 2007.

The Great Bear is a different show. One of the biggest difference is I am not doing any business with this event, I just want to promote the "world" of Tedy Bear , offer an Euroepan teddy bear fairin the South of France, reassemble European Arctophile and Position the Toy Museum in its educational and cultural role that it defends, organising innovative events. The promotion is going to be on any European teddy bear magazines and at all the capital event with flyers dispatched by artist themself !!!

Well, sorry but I would not like to be annoying with the promotion of my show on here. If you are interested in to attend my show I will send you a promotional exhibitor pack. I know it's easier to say than to do but believe me The Great Bear is a show that should not be missed and is going to be spoken about.

Next Sunday I am going to the London Teddy Bear Fair, if you're there I could give you all details if not I don't mind to send them by post.

Of course Jenny, I have been visiting your web site and you would be welcome at The Great Bear :) :)

Read you soon

Best Wishes

ERIC



Whow,whow and whow !:eek::confused:
Now as this post is from 2006 I guess you would change the "facts" you mentionned - wouldn't you?!!
You're really funny Eric and probably have loads of humor.....