UK Trade & Industry chooses Spring Fair organiser i2i Events Group as their exhibitions platform and The Prince’s Trust partners with the show for the first time, bringing 20 unique new designers to Fashion Accessories, Jewellery & Luggage and Greetings & Stationery
The organiser of Spring Fair International, i2i Events Group, is delighted to announce details of the UK’s premier retail trade exhibition, that will next take place at The NEC, Birmingham from February 2 – 6 2014 (Volume Halls open 1 day early on Saturday February 1).
3,000 exhibitors will launch more than 300,000 new products at the forthcoming event, which typically attracts up to 70,000 retailers from over 130 countries worldwide. Visitors will encompass all areas of the retail trade, from post offices, convenience stores and independent boutiques, to large value and multiple retailers, supermarkets, garden centres and high-end department stores.
Along with Europe’s largest presentation of gift and homeware Spring Fair offers fantastic cross-over buying opportunities, with 13 different product sectors for buyers to source new ranges from:
Contemporary Gift & Home; Gifts; Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets; Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations; Gift, Home & Volume; Greetings & Stationery; Body & Bath; Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage; Home Interiors & Furniture; Kitchen, Dining & Housewares; Art & Framing; The Summerhouse and The Party Show.
The major growth areas for 2014 (at the time of going to press) are Greetings & Stationery, Contemporary, Gift & Home, Fashion & Accessories and Bath & Body. There has also been an influx of new exhibitors in Gifts at Spring Fair, with 70 giftware companies making their debut in this sector. Impressive international brands joining the show for the first time include Artesania Esteban Ferrer S.L, Bergoff, Addis Homewears, S Green & Sons, DIJK Natural Collection, Tel International, Emerald Eternal Greens and Jodeco Glass. A total of 340 international companies will use Spring Fair as their UK launchpad in 2014.
Returning to Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets is Halsall Toys Europe (HTI), supplier of licensed products on behalf of some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Hello Kitty, Disney Princess, Me to You, Peppa Pig, Mamas & Papas, Spiderman, JCP, Winnie the Pooh and Lego, as well as an impressive stable of in-house branded products.
Major British suppliers you can see at Spring Fair for the first time include Crabtree & Evelyn, Denby, Portmeirion, Branche d’Olive and I Love Cosmetics, winner of most prestigious UK business award Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. They join 500 other new exhibitors and an unrivalled display from leading companies including:
Widdop Bingham, Premier Decorations, Keel Toys, Salco, T&G Woodware, Libra, The Great British Card Company, Coach House, Lesser & Pavey, Carrie Elspeth, Buckingham Fine Art Publishers, Ultimate Products, Heathcote & Ivory, Aurora World, Rubie’s Masquerade, Rex International, Suck UK, Moorcroft, Samsonite, Lola Rose Jewellery, Ravensden, Hallmark, Yankee Candle, Joe Davies, Creative Tops, Amscan and Sifcon International.
Working in partnership to boost British retail
i2i Events Group, has forged a strengthened partnership agreement with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) designed to inspire and support UK-based SMEs in their efforts to succeed in overseas markets.
The partnership will boost international representation at Spring Fair and other i2i Events Group exhibitions in the year ahead, providing British suppliers with an entry point to international markets and offering a broad variety of pre-event and onsite benefits. These will include prominent ‘Best of British’ showcases and ‘Exporter’ trails throughout the exhibition.
Five UKTI Villages will be located around The NEC with a total of 50 carefully selected exhibitors, all entrepreneurial British companies with a particular strength in export business that are new to the show. UKTI will subsidise the exhibition space for these companies, most of which will be launching to the trade for the first time at Spring Fair International 2014.
The UKTI Villages will be located within Greetings & Stationery (Hall 4), Gift (Hall 5), Contemporary Gift & Home (Halls 6 and 7) and Kitchen, Dining & Housewares (Hall 1), which will be put together with additional support from the British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA).
An Export Theatre designed with invaluable networking opportunities in mind will be located within the International Buyers Lounge in Hall 4, also featuring a beautiful showcase of British-made products to entice overseas retailers. UKTI will assist Spring Fair exhibitors with a unique hosted buyer programme that will see 50 of the world’s leading department store buyers brought directly to The NEC.
The Director of Technology, Innovation & Events at UKTI, Robert Driver, says: “We are delighted to announce this strengthening of our partnership with i2i Events Group. We believe that this partnership will bring huge advantages to UK companies in their plans to take their products and services global, and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve their goals.”
Another high-profile partnership has been forged with The Prince’s Trust for the first time at Spring Fair. This will see a collection of young designers supported by The Prince’s Trust exhibiting unique collections of jewellery and accessories within the Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage sector of the show in Hall 20 and Greetings & Stationery in Hall 4.
John O’Reilly, regional director of The Prince’s Trust in Central England, said: “We are very excited that Prince’s Trust supported businesses are able to exhibit their products at the i2i Spring Fair this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the fledgling businesses to share and showcase their exciting ranges and make valuable contacts. ”
These important new business partnerships will be complemented by exciting new feature areas, returning popular features and a world-class content programme at Spring Fair International 2014.
Inspirational feature areas, content and demonstration theatres
New for 2014 is Sprout, an exciting new showcase for Kitchen, Dining & Housewares exhibitors located within Hall 1. Sprout, which has been developed by i2i Events Group to help smaller companies develop and grow their brands, will include: Moko Top, Pinnie Pockets, Peregrine Pottery, JF Design, Harch Wood, Couture, Clever Little Ideas, FD Sourcing, Lewis Pennicott, The Potters Workshop, Urban Composter, Yormii Kitchenware and Kordan Lav. A total of 12 new companies will exhibit within Sprout, an area that was sold out within the first two months of being launched and is a must-visit destination for buyers in search of innovative new gadgets and designer tableware.
The popular Cook Live! kitchen theatre, for the past four years an integral and exciting feature within Kitchen, Dining & Housewares, will return to the show with a new format, new logo and new Summer Fete themed setting. Cook Live! will also feature product placement from Spring Fair exhibitors for the first time in 2014, providing additional visual interest for buyers who come to enjoy the interactive demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Ken Hom. (Please see attached Cook Live! schedule for full details of the programme).
Design Lab will return to Halls 6 and 20 following its successful debut at Spring Fair International 2013. This trend-focused zone is dedicated to smaller, niche designer makers, including many that have only recently made their entry into the market. Design Lab Part 2 will welcome exhibitors including FiftyEight, Smart Deco, Kabloom, Creature Clothes, Shona Easton and Reddog Design Ld who successfully launched within this feature-zone last year.
Also returning to Spring Fair in Hall 6 will be The Studio, a selection of innovative and contemporary British designers – including the impressive designGap collective – who have all chosen the show as their UK trade showcase for the year ahead.
Spring Fair International 2014 will present two full-scale catwalks. The Fashion Accessories Catwalk between Halls 19 and 20 and The Stage, which is located in Hall 3 as the central feature of The Party Show. Runway shows will take place several times a day at both of these locations.
Also returning to Hall 3 for the third year in 2014 will be The Licensing Lounge, where retailers and suppliers can meet to gain advice about the complex but exciting licensing industry. Participants include Warner Bros, which will also be sponsoring the hall entrance, British Museums, Penguin Books, Bridgeman Art Library and renowned artist Marilyn Robertson. Licensing industry association LIMA will be present, alongside licensing consultant Keith Pashley, who will be hosting this area for the duration of the show.
I2i Events Group has once again made significant investments in the content that is freely available to Spring Fair visitors, with a variety of seminar theatres and demonstration areas.
In Hall 1 will be the newly developed eCommerce zone, including a dedicated seminar theatre that will provide all the advice and expertise a retailer would need to develop a coherent e-commerce strategy. Present within this part of the show will be suppliers specialising in search engine optimisation, social media, email marketing, fulfilment services, payment solutions, analytics, ecommerce platforms and web design. Companies include: Wirecard, Brightpearl, Alibaba and Google.
In Hall 6, home to Contemporary Gift & Home, will be the Trend Briefing Seminar Theatre, where a world-class seminar programme has been put together by an expert content team, dedicated to providing Spring Fair visitors with a wealth of invaluable advice and information that will keep them ahead of the retail game in the year ahead. One of the most popular speakers at last year’s show, Kirstie Allsopp, will return in 2014 to hold two interactive Arts & Crafts Q&A sessions with visitors on Monday February 3 at 11.30 and 14.00.
The Trend Briefing Seminar Theatre will also provide a stylish backdrop for the Gift of the Year Awards 2014, due to be announced on Sunday February 2 after the show closes. Visitors will be the first to see winning and highly commended products at the Gift of the Year Showhouse, Garden and Retail Lounge.
Located in Hall 2, home to Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations, the Gift Box demo area will be the perfect places for buyers to learn how they can make a real impact in-store, with expert visual merchandising, flower arrangement and gift wrapping.
Within Art & Framing in Hall 4, The Fine Art Trade Guild will host a totally revamped seminar programme, to include a series of insightful presentations and workshops. These will be packed with invaluable business tips and advice for retailers in this market sector in a dedicated seminar and workshop environment.
Chief Executive of the Fine Art Trade Guild, Louise Hay, commented: “The Fine Art Trade Guild is once again organising the art and framing seminar zone at Spring Fair International. This year for the first time we will be offering a selection of hands on workshops, as well as a new programme of seminars.
“We are delighted to welcome back framing gurus David Wilkie, Mal Reynolds and Steven McKee, now Master of the Guild, as well as our new speaker shipped in specially from the USA, Rob Markoff. Rob runs successful Californian art and frame retailer Artrageous and will be sharing his experiences and techniques in talks and workshops. Internationally renowned for his inspiring and educational sessions Rob will be teaching for the first time in the UK at this event”.
Returning to Body & Bath at Spring Fair will be the Natural & Organic Village, a feature area that made its debut at the 2013 show and proved to be a major hit with visitors. The Village will be dedicated to exhibitors producing eco-friendly, nature-sensitive products that are free from parabens and other undesirable chemical additives, including: Orca Naturals, Tea Tree Ltd, B Skincare and Steamcream. Also visit new luxury Body, Bath and Home fragrance companies in the 8-9 link. Companies in Lampe Berger and Bougies La Francaise.
T
o further help guide their buying visitors can also follow a number of product trails, including: New Product, Creative Britain, Exporter, Licensed Product, Ethical Product and Retail Services. Just follow the signs!
More new product inspiration can be found at the New Product Showcase and Contemporary Product Showcase in Hall 9, plus over 17 carefully styled product displays at the entrance to each Spring Fair hall throughout The NEC.
Those in search of refreshment will be satisfied by a variety of catering options within the halls and throughout The NEC., while the Greetings Café Bar is located in Hall 4. Here you can also enjoy a relaxing hand massage and smell the aromas of body and bath. You will also find the Sports Bar in Hall 12.
images top to bottom: Blue Dove, Teo Jasmin, Artesania Esteban Ferrer S.L, Jodeco, Keel Toys, Widdop Bingham, Libby McMullin, Tattersfield Designs, Koziol, Reddog Designs, With With Wisdom, Hill House Design, Jill Ray Landscapes, Heyland & Whittle, Bombay Duck
visit the website to register for free: www.springfair.com
