Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2018 (Issue 110)

Autumn Fair 2018 saw 1,200 exhibitors take over Birmingham’s NEC for four days of negotiation and inspiration. More than 200,000 new products were showcased, with buyers stocking up for the festive period and spring seasons. The retail community came together ahead of the Golden Quarter, and there were buyers, visual merchandisers and owners from independent, multis, e-tailers, tourist and leisure destinations all in attendance. These included visitors from the likes of Amazon, ASOS, Boots, Celebrations, Dufry and Groupon. At the fair’s four live theatres, buyers could gain valuable market insights and updates on the trends that are driving consumer spending throughout the Golden Quarter and beyond. Visitors to the main stage had the opportunity to hear from two leading lights in the retail sector in Dragons’ Den’ s Theo Paphitis, whose retail empire covers 350 stores and employs more than 4,000 people, and notonthehighstreet.com’ s Holly Tucker. Both shared insights from their journeys, as well as advice and predictions for the upcoming year. Autumn Fair 2018 also saw the introduction of a dedicated section for the best of Paphitis’ #SBS (Small Business Sunday) community. Designed specifically to celebrate the endeavours of independent startups, the showcase got off to an impressive start, with many exhibitors reporting orders even before arriving at Autumn Fair. Helping bring buyers and sellers together was further enhanced this year with the investment and introduction of the Autumn Fair Product Match – 63,955 products and people recommendations and 17,410 matches. There was a buzz on site, as visitors were also given the opportunity to pick up a free glass of prosecco if they found a match at Autumn Fair, posting their selfies from a curated Product Match wall using the show hashtag #fairmatch. For the first time, buyers were also able to sample the offering of new Global Handicraft and DesignFirst showcases. At Global Handicraft, international artisanal manufacturers were given access to the UK’s £358billion retail sector. Visitors to the showcase could get hands-on with everything from soft furnishings to textiles, jewellery to home décor and ceramics to lighting. Offering an insight into some of the UK’s most quirky manufacturers, DesignFirst saw innovative manufacturers from three show sectors INSPIRING SHOWCASE eptember’s Autumn Fair presented buyers with more than 200,000 products, innovation and advice across four days IN BRIEF Show Autumn Fair Venue NEC Birmingham Dates 1 st – 4 th September, 2018 Website autumnfair.com 70 giftfocus