At the Art Market 2050 conference in London, our founder, Callum Hale-Thomson, returned to the conference stage to share a one year update on First Thursday, following his first appearance as a quick fire pitch finalist in 2024.

In the presentation, Callum reflected on how First Thursday has evolved from an early prototype into a platform now used by commercial galleries across multiple markets. He described the original conviction behind the business that the art world still relies on fragmented and outdated systems to manage collector relationships, despite operating at the highest end of the value spectrum. That belief was shaped by first hand observation inside gallery sales offices.

While First Thursday initially focused on art fairs, where operational pressure is most visible, the past year of close collaboration with galleries revealed that the same issues recur across websites, marketplaces, inboxes, and internal systems. What appears as a fair specific problem is, in practice, structural.

Callum also shared insights from First Thursday’s inaugural Art Fair Report, published in August and based on conversations with galleries on fair floors worldwide. The report highlighted continued reliance on pen and paper, rising participation costs, and a growing emphasis on meeting new audiences over immediate sales. Its findings later received coverage in ARTnews and were discussed across industry podcasts.

The session concluded with a forward looking perspective. As galleries become more selective about where and how they invest, the ability to understand collector relationships clearly, act quickly, and reduce operational friction is becoming core infrastructure rather than a nice to have.