Rosita Mariella Rosita is an art historian and researcher based in Madrid. She’s been working in the art market since 2015, for galleries and collections based in London, until she joined ARTSVP in 2021.
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It’s no secret that the art world runs on WhatsApp a lot. It’s quicker than email, more personal than Slack, and, for most of us, already open on our phones.
Over the past year, we’ve not only recognised that, but we’ve built around it! We’ve been integrating WhatsApp into the way we build tools for galleries and fairs, because it’s how people in the art world already operate. From real-time notifications at check-in to pop-up group chats during art weeks, here’s how we’re using WhatsApp to make things smoother, friendlier, and a little more connected.
Integrating WhatsApp in ARTSVP product: Notifications for Exhibitors
We noticed a clear pattern: exhibitors, galleries, and organisers were already using WhatsApp to coordinate team members and guest arrivals. So we decided to make that easier.
One of the simplest but really impactful features we’ve introduced is WhatsApp notifications in ARTSVP Portals. Exhibitors and galleries can now receive a WhatsApp message the moment one of their VIP guests arrives at the venue.
No need to refresh a dashboard or chase down a guestlists manager, but just a simple ping, letting you know they’re here. It’s fast, discrete, and fits seamlessly into how teams already communicate during busy fair days.
We’ve rolled this out at fairs in New York, London, Mexico City and beyond, and the feedback has been great. It keeps things moving, helps staff greet collectors personally, and adds a real-time layer of attentiveness to the VIP experience.
If you're already using ARTSVP portals, you can enable WhatsApp notifications by clicking settings from withing your portal and adding your number.
How a WhatsApp group can turn into a real-world network
Beyond software, we’ve also been experimenting with WhatsApp as a social and practical tool during fairs and art weeks. We opened a WhatsApp Channel and started setting up WhatsApp groups during these world-wide events to help people connect, share tips, and meet up more easily.
What started as a simple WhatsApp group during Marrakech Art Week quickly evolved into something more: a way for artists, gallerists, curators, and collectors to stay connected across cities and fairs.
Also during Mexico City Art Week, our WhatsApp group became a lively and informal meet-up thread. From fair tips to late-night events, the chat stayed active and full of good energy. It wasn’t just logistics. It became social.
Our co-founder Max met a bunch of people through the Mexico City WhatsApp group and then he reconnected with them again during New York Art Week, and once more in Basel. These weren’t one-off contacts, but became part of a global art-week community made possible by WhatsApp.
That same vibe carried through to other cities like Los Angeles, Brussels or Milan where our local ARTSVP WhatsApp groups became the go-to place to stay updated, share info, and connect.
They’ve quickly become a casual cross-city community layer on top of art week’s usual programming for last-minute invites, group chat, and city guide. Through these groups, art week attendees have stayed in sync across packed schedules and unfamiliar cities. And it all happens through a tool we already use every day.
Building Connection into the Art Week Flow
Whether we’re helping running a smoother check-in at a major fair or just making it easier to find the next rooftop party, our use of WhatsApp is about making things feel human, fast, and fluid. It’s a way to build community in a space where things move fast and plans change constantly.
That’s why we’ll continue integrating it into both our product and our presence at fairs. Whether it’s getting real-time updates on VIP guest arrivals, sharing party invites and meet-ups or just finding out where everyone’s going for a drink.
Want to join the next ARTSVP WhatsApp group during an upcoming fair? Keep an eye on our channel or just say hi.
Written by
Rosita Mariella
Rosita is an art historian and researcher based in Madrid. She’s been working in the art market since 2015, for galleries and collections based in London, until she joined ARTSVP in 2021.