Seven-week countdown to UK greeting card industry’s biggest show of the year
Seven weeks to go! Yes, there’s just 49 days until the biggest show of the year for the UK greeting card industry as that’s when PG Live 2024 opens its doors.
It’s full steam ahead for the annual event at London’s Business Design Centre, which runs this year on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4-5 June, where the fabulous and now traditional card dresses are already under construction.
The donated card samples from publishers across the country have been sent off to theatrical costumier Sharon Harvey to be turned into the incredible wearable art for the meeters and greeters, and every exhibitor is about to be sent their special postcards to invite all their favourite retailers and distributors to attend, all beautifully printed by The Imaging Centre, which will be exhibiting on stand 503.
And hot off the press is the hefty PG Live preview which can be yours almost as soon as you register to attend the show – just click here to get your name down ready to discover all the newness and your favourite publishers among the 210-plus exhibitors.
There’s so much to see from the bigger names including Abacus Cards (stand 300), Belly Button Designs (317), Brainbox Candy (528), Cardgains (441), Cardology (501), Caroline Gardner (404), Carousel Calendars (219), Carte Blanche Greetings (222), Cath Tate Cards (307), Danilo (513), Deva Designs (331), Dean Morris Cards (312), Emotional Rescue (412), Five Dollar Shake (208), Great British Card Company (228), Hallmark (218), Holy Mackerel (217), Laura Darrington Design (417), Ling Design (228), Meg Hawkins Art (328), Nigel Quiney (221), Ohh Deer, (316) Paper Salad (413), Paperlink (201), Pigment (313), Raspberry Blossom (207), Redback Cards (421), Rosie Made A Thing (500), Stormy Knight (160), Tache (127), The Art File (200), Tracks (519), UK Greetings (400), Wendy Jones-Blackett (235) and Woodmansterne (301), through to newer companies such as Brilliantly Brave (7), Charlotte Farr Illustrations (804), Genealityart (105), Gerry Murray Art & Licensing (704), Homeless Made (608), Lion Cat Paper Company (16), Little Big Pie (17), Little Roglets (743), Mind Over Letter (805), Pear Tree Press (10), Real Talk Cards (789), Running With Scissors (754), Versed Aid (15) and Washed Up Cards (9).
Plenty of home-grown retailers make their annual pilgrimage to the home of the UK greetings industry, as Kim Lewis, buyer at Longacres Garden Centres, commented: “I enjoy PG Live because there’s always a good happy atmosphere, it’s a great size, nice and compact – and is mainly cards.
“It’s a great place to catch up with existing suppliers and meet other buyers as well as to find new suppliers – there are always lots of new ranges and products to look at. I always especially enjoy looking at the newbies in the upstairs section.
“Oh! And it’s also easy to get to by train and the free lunch is always very good!”
And the annual event also has a fabulous roster of overseas distributors signed up for the trip to stay ahead of the latest developments.
“PG Live is the meeting point for all people in or around the card business,” enthused Stefan Herman of Germany’s Taurus Kunstkarten. “It’s easy to travel to and a very familiar atmosphere.
“We are very interested in all developments as designs, technical processes, environment situation and general changes in the business – and to meet people we know and see them again.”
And it’s a no brainer for Anka Verlag owner Marius Szanto, who works across the German and Hungarian markets: “Of course I will be at PG Live, I would not miss it for anything in the world!
“It is the best trade show I know, and I go to many in different countries. It collects under one roof the crème de la crème of the greeting card industry, gives new talent a chance to shine and show what can be done with will and determination.
“Many trade fairs have gift card sections, but most of them are very humble in comparison to PG Live, so keep up the good work.”
The show offers are also beginning to be revealed with Earlybird Designs aiming to repeat the success of its Lucky Lolly game, unveiled at Spring Fair – co-owner Heidi Early commented: “Our first customer there picked out the top prize, we couldn’t believe it, and neither could she!”
And business partner and husband Dom Early added: “The iconic Chupa Chups display is back. We love to inject colour into everyone’s lives and decided that a retro game that reminded us of our days of going to school fairs with a moneybag full of change, was the perfect way to give away the much-loved Chupa Chups.
“Anyone who comes on stand 401 who picks a lolly that has a coloured stick will win between 5% and 20% off their order. Even if you don’t pick a winner, you’ve still got a lovely lolly – win win!”
If you want to check out who’s exhibiting click here – suffice to say it’s a veritable who’s who of the greetings industry with over 210 names on the list already!
And if you’re a company whose name is not yet on that list so are suffering from FOMO, there are just a few stands still available. Contact Tracey Arnaud on traceya@max-publishing.co.uk.
With the free lunch on both days of the show, complimentary teas and coffees, great opening night party, and all that delicious greeting card newness to look forward to, especially in and around the Upper Village and Springboard areas featuring many of the smaller publishers and kindly sponsored by The Imaging Centre, it really does make sense to get yourself registered to attend PG Live 2024 on 4-5 June – it’s an absolute fixture on the greeting card calendar.
