Autumn Fair International 2011 puts future trends centre stage

The autumn buying season will get off to a flying start when the 21st edition of Autumn Fair International (AFI) opens at The NEC Birmingham from September 4 – 7 2011.

AFI offers the season’s most comprehensive selection of general, design-led gifts, housewares, greetings cards, fashion accessories and more across nine show sectors. It is the first opportunity of the season to view and secure new product launches and preview for spring 2012.

This represents the largest offering of general giftware and design-led gifts at any show this season, including 290 suppliers launching their latest products in the Design-led sector alone, 50 of them brand new to AFI in 2011.  Autumn Fair also offers Europe’s largest seasonal Volume Gift sector showcase.

1600 exhibitors from 29 countries – including 900 companies exclusive to Autumn Fair this season – will showcase 60,000 brand new products at the event, making it the perfect opportunity for buyers to replenish their stock ahead of Christmas trading and preview new ranges ahead of spring 2012.

As the largest showcase of new products taking place in Europe in the coming season, AFI 2011 promises to be a treasure trove for retailers.  The New Product Showcase in Hall 4 will feature an eclectic selection of the most exciting new products being launched at the show, a must-see part of the show for buyers on the search for what’s hot.

400 exhibitors will exhibit at AFI for the first time in 2011 – such as House Doctor, Craftwork Cards, Cuisinart Cookware, Himalayan Collection, Moda Handbag, Pampeano, Sophie Morrell, Tokyo Prints and YOSHI Jewellery Design – and more than 150 overseas suppliers will launch to the UK market at this essential retail trade event. The international contingent includes Dutch ethical home and gift manufacturer Handed By, Swedish home interiors firm Bloomingville and design-led German supplier Donkey Products.

Essential to buyers attending the exhibition will be an insight into the market-leading trends that will help grow their profits in the year ahead. AFI 2011 will put future trends at the heart of the exhibition – centre stage in Hall 3 -where sister brand WGSN (World Global Style Network) will hold court at its specially created Trend Bar feature.

Founded in 1998, WGSN’s 150-strong editorial and design team shapes winning style and design the world over, delivering insight and creative inspiration, real-time retail coverage, seasonal trend analysis, consumer research and business information. As the world’s leading trend forecaster it informs every stage of the chain across a variety of product sectors, including home interiors via the homebuildlife.com service.

From the WGSN hub in Hall 3 global experts in the Gift & Home field will share their invaluable advice with retailers, helping Autumn Fair visitors gain a competitive edge in the year ahead via a series of future-forecast presentations. All buyers attending the exhibition will be able to pick up a free trend report from this section of the show to help guide their product sourcing.

Visitors who pre-register for Autumn Fair will also receive a series of exclusive trend-cards created by WGSN, designed to provide a wealth of tips and hints that will assist buyers with their product sourcing during the show.

Dedicated to optimizing the potential of booming market segments – and reflecting the nation’s unabated enthusiasm for crafting – Autumn Fair International will introduce a new Hobby & Craft sector for the 2011 show. The sector will be located in a clearly defined 500 sqm zone in Hall 5, positioned alongside Toys & Gadgets on the one side and general Gifts on the other, maximizing the cross-over buying opportunities offered by the seasons’ premier buying event.

Marketing initiatives put in place to help the new sector include a Craft Demonstration Area, with demonstrations given throughout the four‐day event.

The toy sector of AFI will also be refreshed this year with a new Toy Demo Area – first seen at Spring Fair International 2011 – to be combined with the Craft Demonstration feature. These will help ensure that all corners of the Fair are buzzing throughout the event. Visitors are invited to attend live demonstrations and see the very latest products demonstrated on the show floor in Hall 5.

Another new trend-focused feature area at Autumn Fair will be the Lifestyle zone in Kitchen, Dining & Housewares Hall 2, created so buyers can source from a carefully edited, exclusive selection of design-led kitchen and housewares product.  Launched at Spring Fair International 2011, exhibitors in this super-stylish new zone will include Menu, Bodum, Morinox and Bruno UK.

Making sure it stays lively in Hall 2 will be a return of the hugely popular Cook Live!, an interactive kitchen theatre where some of the nations top chefs will demonstrate how it should be done in the kitchen using products launched by exhibitors in this sector.

Adjacent to the Trend Bar in Hall 3 will be Home Accents, a brand new feature area devoted to high-end contemporary home collections, with a product base that covers designer furniture, lighting and mirrors, soft furnishings, decorative home accessories, contemporary art and textiles.

Commenting on the new feature event director Roz McGuinness said:  “Following such positive feedback after the 2010 event, we are pleased to announce the launch of Home Accents at Autumn Fair 2011. This exciting new component within the already successful Home Interiors sector of the show will provide a dynamic new offering. It is a perfect launch platform for smaller companies, whilst larger contemporary suppliers can adopt a more specialised view to arranging meetings with high end home retail buyers”. (See Home Accents release for more details).

With nine sectors to source from AFI offers fantastic cross-over buying opportunities for retailers. From exquisite design-led stationery and wooden toys to fashion jewellery and aspirational homewares, AFI has all angles covered.

For retailers in search of uniquely British style – still a high street winner with the Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympics in the pipeline – the Creative Britain Trail highlights the best of British designed product and a vibrant selection of home-manufactured items.

Elsewhere at the show fashionistas can’t afford to miss the second edition of the fabulous Fashion Accessories Catwalk in Hall 4, which made its debut at AFI 2010 and was successfully recreated at Spring Fair International 2011. Featuring some of the most cutting edge fashion accessories and jewellery launched by exhibitors at this year’s show, the Catwalk will provide seasonal direction on new trends for buyers in this sector on the hunt for what’s hot.

For retailers looking to do business with overseas suppliers the Exporter Trail will provide a comprehensive selection of British and International exhibitors eager to work with retailers from around the globe. Autumn Fair International is also delighted to announce its expansion with Brands of China for September 2011. Visitors will be able to discover Chinese brands that they will not find anywhere else in the European Union at AFI in 2011.

Ethically produced, organic and eco-friendly gifts will once again be an integral part of AFI in 2011, with an ‘Ethical Product Trail’ to assist with sourcing in this area and exhibitors such as Handed By (as above), Jarapa, Cool Trade Winds, Manumit, Nomads Clothing and Tamielle.

The Licensing Trail meanwhile will provide an insight into hot commercial properties for the year ahead, enabling buyers to source from the hottest licensed ranges from Fraggle Rock and Strictly Come Dancing to Dr Who, Paddington and In the Night Garden. Manufacturers can also source original artwork, surface design and images in this new showcase.

Another new initiative for Autumn Fair International 2011 – designed to support the Retail Services sector and featuring a host of innovative solutions for retailers seeking advice on how to refresh their shops – is the Torex-sponsored Retail Store in Hall 5, which is to incorporate new Epos systems and the very latest in shop displays and security.  In addition to this the Retail Services Trail will highlight all exhibitors who are Retail Service Providers.

Returning to Autumn Fair once again will be the popular Talking Point Seminar theatre (also in Hall 4), where a series of free seminars will provide visitors with the perfect opportunity to update their knowledge, learn new skills and discover new ideas to introduce into their businesses.

Participants in Talking Point 2011 include: Mark Gidlow of Tourist Information Centers, Andrew Phipps of GfK FashionLife, David Mackley of Intelligent Retail, Taz Thornton and Alison Bowie of Turquoise Tiger Solutions and retail consultant Jane Temperley.