Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - November/December 2020

65 GIVING & LIVING PREVIEW Keep calm and carry on Giving & Living organiser Hale Events discusses the unenviable predicament faced by show organisers in COVID-19 times At the time of writing, current government guidelines effectively prevent trade shows from happening. Although some power has been devolved to local councils to allow them to permit events that meet certain strict criteria to happen, the situation for events of any sort, let alone trade shows, is a precarious one. The government is in the unenviable position of juggling public health with the state of the economy. Given its stated wish to support the economy, it seems contradictory to prevent trade shows from happening. As the recent demonstrations, and the #WeMakeEvents campaign, have shown, there is a ground swell of support, and protest against current restrictions, for these and similar events. Unlike large events such as parties or weddings, trade shows are far easier to make safe. Most events take place in large airy venues, a vastly different environment to that of pubs and restaurants. Organisers of the Giving & Living trade show, Hale Events, is hoping it can hold a live event in January. The team know how much their exhibitors and buyers are looking forward to getting back together face to face, and they know that they can create a safe trading environment. Technologies now exist to safely disinfect venues, such as chemical fogging machines, and heat detectors to count people in a venue to ensure that no more than the allowed number are currently present. In order to prepare for the challenges ahead, they have invested in a new visitor registration system over the last few months, which will help provide a robust track and tracing system. There will be wider aisles, and all the relevant COVID-19 safety measures in place according to government guidelines. The team is in regular contact with Devon Council Environmental Health, to best understand their expectations, and who have approved, and continue to approve small live events at Westpoint. Many similar events, having been forced to cancel, have had to resort to virtual platforms. However, there is no substitute for being able to get hands on with products, to properly meet the producers behind them, and to build up profitable business relationships with them. The Giving & Living trade show, currently scheduled to take place between Sunday 17th and Tuesday 19th January, would normally be the place for buyers looking to stock up with the very latest trends in personalised gifts and home accessories for the year ahead. 
 Indeed, thanks to travel restrictions deterring people from holidaying abroad, domestic holidays are forecast to dominate UK consumer vacationing behaviour over the next few years, as the after-shocks of the virus continue to be felt around the world. The South West is set to continue being a thriving destination for holiday makers. After all, why go abroad and risk self-isolation on your return, when you can holiday at home? There’s no better time for Giving & Living to take place, to provide the perfect products for customers looking for gifts for family and friends, or as souvenirs of the holidays they’re finally able to enjoy.
 Mike Anderson, managing director Hale Events, says “We are still hoping to run Giving & Living, and firmly believe we can do so in a secure and safe fashion. However, given the upfront costs involved in putting together a show, such as marketing, publicity materials etc, that would have to be written off in the event of a local lockdown causing it to be cancelled, we find ourselves in a very unenviable situation. If the lack of guidance from central government continues, do we take the risk and hope it can run, or do we postpone?” “If we do sadly have to postpone, we have already reserved dates in the Spring as a back up, well before the Summer holidays, when once again we will be able to showcase the best gifts and homewares in the South West to retailers eager to get back on their feet again”. If you’d like to find out more about the event, or register to attend, simply go to www.givingliving.co.uk.