Gift Focus - Sep/Oct 2018 (Issue 109)

50 giftfocus SUCCESSFUL DAY AT RECENT AGM MEETING Giftware Association members and non-members alike were met with a new chairman, all-important high street information, panel debates and plenty of networking opportunities at The GA’s AGM and Members’ Day on 20 th June 2018. Kicking off with the AGM formalities, outgoing chair and independent retail expert Henri Davis gave an outline of her time as chair and some of her favourite moments, before handing over the chain of office to Blue Eyed Sun’s Jeremy Corner, who laid the path for the GA’s future. Gert Schyberg of Sebini was also announced as vice chair (meaning he will take over as chair in 2020). Henri will remain as deputy chair. These three will head up the GA’s National Committee, whose members come from across the giftware world. Three members were re-elected for a further two years: Amanda Fergusson, Clive Briscoe of Apples to Pears and Howard Thomas of Giftscribes. Keynote speaker and high street expert Michael Weedon from Exp2 took to the stage to wow the audience with his views on the high street. Using beautifully presented in- depth data on current trends, Michael weaved a story of the high street that was more about hope than the doom and gloom that might be read about in the national press. After a networking lunch, which allowed suppliers, retailers and service providers to mingle, the panel discussions kicked off, covering regulation, IP and compliance, the importance of industry awards and future- proofing a business. The panels offered open debate from the panellists’ own experiences and expert views, as well as taking questions from the audience. Sarah Ward, the Giftware Association’s CEO said: “The aim of the day was for it to be all-inclusive and for everyone to learn from the experience. When our membership covers micro business through to multimillion- pound companies, it’s hard to find content that suits everyone. But speaking to people after the event, it seems that the mixture of subjects and panellists sharing their knowledge has seen people learn and take something away.” The minutes to the meeting are available through the GA team, and the Association’s finances for the year are available on the British Allied Trades Federation website. GA YEARBOOK BACK AGAIN The Giftware Association is also excited to announce its yearbook is back for another year, celebrating and focusing on the products and ranges of its wonderful members. Over the past year, the GA team has worked hard to distribute the yearbook among the buying community in the home and giftware world. Yearbooks have been sent to key buyers through its network and given out at the now-famous Meet The Buyer events, as well as at the 30-plus trade shows it has already visited throughout the year. Simone Rose, business development manager, says: “The image-led yearbook gives a platform to our members to get in front of new buyers and to get their products projected to a new platform. With the amount of buyers we speak to each week and at our Meet The Buyer days, we wanted to create something where they are all in one place and introduce an easy way to look up new giftware talent.” With a short company description linking to members’ social media pages, websites and contact details and a choice of layouts, the yearbook is a great advertising opportunity and gives the GA members a chance to shine, with this year’s book set to be bigger and better, with a digital version that can be spread further afield. Simone continues: “Last year, the book was a hit with buyers, who appreciated the easy-to-read layout, the information and the quality of the images. Featuring the huge diversity of our members, we had everything from jewellery companies to candle brands to toy manufacturers.” If you would like to be part of the 2019 yearbook, please get in touch with Simone at The Giftware Association on simone.rose@ ga-uk.org. We bring you the latest news from The Giftware Association Further information For more on The GA, log on to ga-uk.org GA news