Spring Fair International 2014
S
pring Fair International 2014, an i2i Events Group exhibition, opened its doors on February 2nd, 2014 at The NEC, Birmingham, welcoming a large number of retail buyers, including more than 5,250 from overseas, a 2% cent increase on last year’s show.
They came to view over 300,000 new product launches from 3,000 exhibitors across 13 different market sectors. Spring Fair serves as a useful barometer for the economic health of the sector. What has been billed as the most successful show in years revealed a clear upswing in the home and gift trade, and billions of pounds worth of transactions will be carried out as a direct result of participation in the show.
Along with tens of thousands of independent
retailers, senior buyers from the biggest multiples, supermarkets and department stores, including Fenwicks, Debenhams, Bentalls, John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason and Tesco turned out in force for the retail trade exhibition. Visitors were reportedly impressed by the quality
and variety of product on display, with the bar being raised year-on-year. In regards to Hall 3, which houses exhibitors under the title of Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets, the feedback was apparently very good. Amy Fiddy, the sector’s key account manager, commented: “Attendance was very good, a little up on last year. Sunday and Monday were the busiest days, with Tuesday and Wednesday hit a little by the tube strikes down in London. Thursday, often the quietest day of the show, had a very busy morning and a reasonable busy afternoon. The comment I received the most from exhibitors was that they noticed the overall quality of buyers visiting the show had improved, which is very positive to hear.” Re-bookings also appear to be up with Amy
revealing that 60% of the exhibitors in Hall 3 re-sign for next years edition of Spring Fair at the show. She said: “We don’t try to re-book exhibitors while they’re busy at the show, but it just seemed to happen. A lot of the discussions I had also included requests for additional space at the show. I also had a lot of positive meetings with people considering booking space at 2015’s show. One interesting piece of feedback I received from visitors was a request for more infant and pre-school products on show in Hall 3, this is definitely something we are looking at fulfilling for next year. All in all it was an extremely positive few days, and a great way to start the year.”
Positive impacts A new development for i2i Events Group that positively impacted Spring Fair was a strengthened
partnership agreement with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI),
designed to inspire and support UK- based SMEs in their efforts to succeed in overseas markets. UKTI helped Spring Fair achieve a 2% increase in overseas visitors attending the show compared with the 2013 event.
The partnership boosted international
representation at Spring Fair, helping to provide British suppliers with an entry point to international markets and featuring prominent ‘Best of British’ showcases and ‘Exporter’ trails throughout the exhibition. Five UKTI Villages were located around The NEC with a total of 50 hand-chosen exhibitors, all entrepreneurial British companies with a particular strength in export business that are new to the show. Also taking place at Spring Fair was the Gift of the
Year Awards ceremony, with winners being revealed on Sunday February 2nd by special guest Sebastian Conran. Speaking at the close of Spring Fair, managing
director Louise Young said: “There was an incredibly positive and upbeat vibe at the show this year, reflecting both the fantastic quality of product being launched and a welcome return to buoyancy in the retail trade. We saw a strong upswing in particular of Home Interiors & Furniture and Greetings & Stationery companies choosing Spring Fair as their UK showcase, and it’s great to see those market sectors performing so well after a few challenging years. The overwhelming majority of exhibitors are very happy with how the show went. I would like to thank everyone who participated for supporting Spring Fair, which continues to be the most important retail exhibition in the UK and a crucial barometer for the wider economy. I hope all involved have an excellent year of trading ahead and we’re now looking forward to a strong edition of Autumn Fair International in September.” The next edition of Spring Fair International will take place from February 1–5, 2015, at The NEC; the Volume halls open one day early on January 31st. For more information visit the website at
www.springfair.com.
Toyworld 85
This year’s Spring Fair International welcomed over 66,500 retail buyers to view over 300,000 new product launches from 3,000 exhibitors. Toy World reports.
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