SHOW PREVIEW
SPRING FAIR OFFERS UP EXPERTS ON TAP
Aimed at helping retailers enhance their business, Spring Fair offers specialist speakers on stage every day, top tips and advice on how to maximise your profits and a focus on visual merchandising, social media and e-commerce, alongside hundreds of exhibitors across the home, DIY and gift sectors.
L ast year was
challenging for some retailers. Online continues to step up competition on the high street, while
exchange rate fluctuations, business rates increases and the National Living Wage have all had an impact on the bottom line. To help stores prepare for the future, Spring Fair has announced a series of seminars that will take place in its Inside Retail Hub from February 4-8.
Workshops and seminars for everyone
The Inside Retail workshop and seminars programme will have one aim – helping bricks-and-mortar retailers boost sales and improve the bottom line. Over five days, hundreds of content sessions at the Inside Retail Hub will prepare retailers for a more profitable and efficient year of business. Involved in the programme are Google Digital Garage, who return to deliver brand new insights on online security for businesses and digital advertising whereas Retail Consultant Tony Scott will be sharing the professional buying tools and strategies that larger retailers use, to help independents close deals at the show. Research with Spring Fair visitors earlier this year showed that many hire accountants and ecommerce or digital
marketing consultants were there to help with their businesses. This support is made available to Spring Fair visitors through hundreds of free 20-minute consultations known as ‘Meet-the- Experts’, also at the Inside Retail Hub. Spring Fair always aims to offer an
impressive line-up of expert speakers and, 2018 will be no different, say organisers, with the show bringing together a host of specialists who draw on their own experiences to help retailers get ahead over the coming years.
Among those presenting will be
award-winning accountant Bobby Lane of Blick Rothenburg. He will offer some invaluable financial advice to retailers, helping them understand the importance of financial business management and how best to run their operation from a balance-sheet perspective. With Amazon providing suppliers
and retailers with a potentially lucrative route to market, MMP Living head of UK business development John Romanowski will talk about how to successfully utilise the Amazon marketplace. As MMP Living is one of the largest toy, pet and housewares sellers on Amazon and the 60th largest across all categories worldwide, Mr Romanowski is in a unique position to discuss the advantages of building
a strong relationship with Amazon. Stuart Alldis, the founder and MD of the Creative Digital Agency (CDA) Group, one of the country’s leading digital marketers, will speak about how brands and retailers can create an effective campaign for mobile devices and the web. During his session, he will present several high- profile, inspirational case studies, while explaining how visitors can build their online presence and sales.
Experts that inspire
Also taking place in the Inside Retail Hub, the hugely popular Meet The Expert sessions will give independent retailers the chance to discuss business matters on a one-to-one basis, with some of the industry’s
foremost experts. Visitors will be able to book slots that cover five vitally-important aspects of running a modern-day store – visual merchandising; e-commerce; digital marketing; buying and merchandising; and implementing EPOS and other retail systems. An additional session will also be available during which experts will conduct a business health check. The feature has grown from
strength to strength in recent years and is regularly cited by retailers as being a fantastic support platform. The programme for 2018 will be the largest yet and retailers will be able to book sessions via the Spring Fair website from January, when the line- up of experts is unveiled.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR VISIT
Available on the Spring Fair website and brand new for the 2018 show, the Appointment Planner has a matchmaking functionality, which recommends exhibitors based on filters such as product category and sector. The Appointment Planner enables both exhibitors and visitors to request and accept meetings directly ahead of the show to help everyone make the most of their time at the show.
And, in 2018, the event organisers have announced the introduction of a ‘Spring Fair Voucher’ initiative that can be redeemed by retailers on the hunt for new suppliers. Buyers will be able to get £100 off an order of £500 or more when they open an account with a new supplier at the show. The voucher can be used with up to 10 participating exhibitors and is only valid at Spring Fair 2018, thus offering a potential saving of £1,000.
20 DIY WEEK 19 JANUARY 2018
www.diyweek.net
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