Top Drawer
The latest edition of Top Drawer was a double whammy with the addition of the London Gift Fair to the offering
Top of the world D
esign-led gifts were the order of the day as visitors fl ocked to the autumn edition of Top Drawer. The show boasted an amazing 23% increase
in attendance with key buyers attending from major high street retailers including Bentalls, Fenwicks, Heals, Harrods, Amazon, John Lewis and Selfridges, plus thousands of independent retailers all looking for inspirational products. Footfall was increased by enriched content, bringing more key buyers to Top Drawer, and the co-location with London Gift Fair which opened Top Drawer to a whole new audience (see side panel). Bursting with creative energy, the show
offered retailers even more inspiration. Innovative ideas and products were featured via 700 international and UK based brands and designers.
One of the main highlights of the show was ‘The Big Squeeze’ seminar, presented by Peter Cross of Yellowdoor, where he works alongside Mary Portas. The seminar theatre was overfl owing with retailers wanting to hear the industry guru of retail present his advice on how independent retailers can engage with consumers following the economic downturn. He said: “Exhibitors at Top Drawer present themselves in an inspiring way, attracting buyers to look at their products in a different light. I have noticed creative business people taking a day out to refl ect and make good business decisions.”
Another popular addition to the show was the Spotted feature, curated by freelance style writer Charlotte Abrahams. Charlotte commented: “Feature areas and
44 gifts today
trails such as Spotted and Made in Britain are becoming a vital part of shows, adding value for both exhibitors and visitors and enabling organisers to expand the traditional exhibitor profi le. The inaugural Spotted zone was well received and the exhibitors who took part made great contacts and several of them are now considering exhibiting at future Top Drawer shows.” Infl uential names in the interiors and eco sectors also attended the show. “Top Drawer keeps moving from strength to strength” said David Nicholls, design editor for Telegraph Magazine.
Oliver Heath, Eco designer in interiors Capital gains
Hosting over 130 key brands, London Gift Fair debuted at London’s Olympia alongside the autumn edition of Top Drawer. Following industry research, the show was launched to fi ll a gap in the market for a London-based general gift fair and, despite the current challenging retail environment, the show attracted leading names from the gift industry. Visitors came from companies such as Wilkinson’s, John Lewis, Tesco and the Garden Centre Group and saw a large variety of exhibiting companies including Parlane, Hill Interiors and Windhorse. A comprehensive marketing campaign generated a lot of pre show interest, and although visitor attendance was lower than had been anticipated, many companies opened new accounts and experienced good levels of business.
Mike Burgess, managing director of Parlane International said: “We were thrilled by the number of new accounts that we opened at the fair and in particular those from the London area. We will most defi nitely be booking again for 2011.”
Buyers commented that they were delighted with the opportunity to have a show in London that suits their buying needs, and all found the co-location with Top Drawer a great benefi t for them. Laura Allen from Gift Givers Guide said: “It was great to see an overview of brand new launch products that
are cropping up in the market and meet the people behind the brands. I’ve found some great stock and will defi nitely be back next year.” Richard Walton from Half a Sixpence added: “We really only stock general gifts, so this was ideal for us. We placed lots of orders, including opening some new accounts. The show’s easily accessible, in a great venue and conveniently fi ts into our schedule at this time of year.”
and architecture added: “Top Drawer provides buyers and retailers access to companies selling unusual, unique gifts with great stories attached.” Top Drawer wraps up a successful
year of retail shows from the Clarion Events team, who have initiated an uplift in visitor attendance due to the investment in show content. This includes a host of successful retail seminars and surgeries, new feature areas and exhibitor sectors. As a result, rebooking has increased across the board as more and more suppliers perceive the shows to be an indispensible part of their business success.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52