26 EVENT PREVIEW
Autumn Fair: The buying event of the season?
Fact File
Need to sneak in some last-minute buying before Christmas? Lewis Tyler finds out why Autumn Fair could be just the ticket...
• Open 9am to 6pm most days • Free for the trade, register at
www.autumnfair.com • 60,000 new products to be launched • 1,600 exhibitors, 900 of which are exclusive to Autumn Fair • Almost 20 new exhibitors in Children’s section • 11,000 visitors with an interest in Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets
SAINT: “Autumn Fair is very much a ‘buy now, sell now’ show. Exhibitors need to deliver straight away...”
Saint says that toys remain a ‘very important part’ of both Autumn Fair and its big brother exhibition Spring Fair, which hosted a Toy Demo area this year, with around 11,000
TOY RETAILERS looking to sneak in some last minute buying before the key Christmas period starts should consider heading to Autumn Fair at the Birmingham NEC. Taking place early this month, between September 2nd and 5th, the show represents a chance to see the very latest toys and children’s wares from over 110 exhibitors in the newly rebranded Children’s Toys, Gifts and Gadgets section, located in Hall 5.
WHAT THE SUPPLIERS SAY BigJigs – stand
A62/B69, Hall 5 Sam Ireland, Operations Manager
“Autumn Fair offers us the opportunity to showcase a range of
new products that we launch at this time of year, and it also allows us to have contact with gift shops, which is something we do not get a lot of at other shows.
Being able to talk to customers face to face is always better than over the phone. Being able to show them new products ready for the Christmas season means a lot more exposure for those new items, rather than waiting till Toy Fair. There are also a lot of different types of accounts that come to Autumn Fair.
SEPTEMBER 2012
There’s also the opportunity to bolster your Christmas line-up by delving into the multitude of other gift categories, including arts and crafts and stationery. The fair’s organisers estimate that, across the board, over 60,000 new products will be launched. The show is definitely a place where people go to do business. “It’s an order taking event more than anything else,” explains Greg
Saint, event director. “It’s very much a ‘buy now, sell now’ show. So exhibitors must really be able to deliver straight away.
“Because we’re the last big offering in the gift market of the year, visitors tend to be there because that’s the point in which they’ve decided to come and make their buying decisions. You also tend to find in more tough times that people leave buying decisions late.”
visitors listing children’s gifts, toys and gadgets as a secondary interest. “The section historically rebooks to a high level, which is a good indicator that people do well out of it,” he says. “There’s a lot of historical gift shops, be them independents, multiples or wholesalers, that stock toys as one of their offerings. Really the main thrust of toy companies is the opportunity to get some products or ranges into shops as toys as gifts.” And vice-versa, Saint adds:
“Anyone who considers themselves a traditional toy retailer who is looking to put together a gifts strategy together – we’d be the best place to start.”
“This year we have additions to our
role-play, education and baby ranges, along with some updated designs in our educational category - some great products at great prices for Christmas.”
Esdevium Games – stand
5B30, Hall 5 Ben Hogg, Marketing Executive
“Autumn Fair is important for
Esdevium as it gives us the chance to show our products to customers that might not necessarily attend the toy trade shows.
The timing of the show is important
too – starting in the back-to-school period, it is ideally timed for our new collectibles.
“We also find that many retailers come to the show to do the last minute shopping for the Christmas period, so it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our extensive board games range and service that we can offer. We have more great products than
ever before but if there was to be a focus, it would be on our new kids’ action game, Fly Trap. Everyone has worked really hard to bring the game to the UK and we’re hugely excited by its potential.”
The In Thing –
stand A07, Hall 5 Paul Jackson, Managing Director
“Autumn Fair is always a superb
show for us. We ‘move with the times’
quickly, so the NEC show suits us as it is perfectly timed for last minute Christmas buying. It’s a great opportunity to show our customers all the products. We will have our full portfolio of
products, including collections that we have taken on since Toy Fair, such as Angry Birds, Bin Weevils, Trash Pack and Lego.
Plus, will also have a private viewing
room where we will be able to show customers a sneak preview of the new Skylanders Giants figures which are due to launch in October. We will also have a number of our
brand new Bin Weevils licensed products on display.
Unlike some other distributors, we hold stock of over 95 per cent of our lines, so we can ship immediately any items that are viewed and ordered at the show.”
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