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Meet and Greet


How did the ‘Meet the Buyer’ event first come about?


Meet the Buyer evolved during one of our brainstorming sessions as a response to the difficulty our members were experiencing in arranging face­to­ face meetings with Senior Retail Display Buyers. Buyers are extremely busy people. It’s difficult for them to keep up­to­date with the latest developments in retail display equipment, and it’s equally difficult for suppliers to get face­to­face meetings with Buyers to present their innovations. The general consensus amongst


members was that they often struggled to organise just one meeting with a key Display Buyer on any given day, let alone two or more ­ and they were travelling the length of the country in an attempt to achieve this goal. The collective power of the Association enabled us to take the strain off members by organising not one, but a series of meetings with Senior Buyers and Specifiers on one day and in one place.


Who is going to benefit from this kind of an event?


Both the Buyers and the suppliers benefit. By matching Buyers and suppliers, they both have a very productive day. Buyers are presented


with the opportunity to revolutionise his supplier network. They meet 20 different Retail Display Specialists in short one­to­ one meetings, at no cost, in a convenient location and on one day ­ saving valuable time. Many of our Buyers have commented


on the power of these events, bringing them into direct contact with new and exciting products that they would not have discovered otherwise. We’ve had quotes such as: “It was great to meet so many vendors that displayed passion and commitment to their products and services” and “I have two new suppliers quoting for equipment already”. For the suppliers, the


benefit is obvious ­ more sales! They can gain substantial new business as a result of just one meeting at Meet the Buyer. We know of one member who received a £250,000 order as a result of a lead at Meet the Buyer and many have taken orders worth tens of thousands.


What should visitors expect from the day?


A fast paced, exciting day that could dramatically increase their sales. Meet the Buyer is organised into a series of short, ten minute, speed dating style meetings, where Buyers and suppliers sit face­to­


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