Greetings industry shows its love for whole Eurovision spectacle
The coronation isn’t the only big event happening this month, there’s also Eurovision as the UK is hosting the annual song-fest for last year’s winners Ukraine – and plenty of greetings folk are ramping up for the over-the-top glam and glitter of the show.
There’s even a royal connection for the event, which runs from 9-13 May in Liverpool, as King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla visited the city on 26 April to unveil the Eurovision stage at Liverpool Arena, ready for the first semi-final on 9 May, with the second two days later and the grand final on 13 May.
Ohh Deer co-founder Mark Callaby reckons Eurovision is worth “a full douze points” every time: “I love Eurovision, always have done. There are many reasons for this but, like others in the LGBTQ+ community, Eurovision was potentially one of the first places we saw inclusivity and acceptance on such a major platform on TV.
“Loreen’s Europhia is my all-time favourite Eurovision song and winner so the fact she’s back this year with Tattoo and the clear favourite is great, especially with it being held in the UK. Her song this year is also banging!”
Mark even managed to get his preferred tickets for the second semi-final so he can watch the final at home on TV with partner Jamie Mitchell, to find out who in the Ohh Deer team has won the office sweepstake and, of course, whether the UK gets nul points again.
Greetings industry legend Bill Greeno, who now works for Abacus Cards and Carte Blanche under his own consultancy, has an even closer connection to Eurovision than most – he almost made it in to the 1981 winning line-up with Bucks Fizz and their hit Making Your Mind Up!
“I did indeed audition for Buck’s Fizz,” Bill explained, “I believe I got down to the last four for the position that Mike Nolan got. You could say they didn’t make up their mind correctly but then I’d be biased.
“Every year I have a Eurovision party and put all Eurovision singles on my jukebox. Who said I don’t know how to party!”
Kate Cowie, director of Utility which has stores in Liverpool and Manchester, is another mad Eurovision fan, and she and the team have been planning their windows for months while bemoaning the fact “there aren’t enough disco balls in the world to match our enthusiasm”!
Kate said: “The windows have generated lots of interest in the products we’ve bought in specially for the event. We sourced some great party items for those hosting Eurovision parties at home including the Our Song Contest range from Talking Tables.
“We also have a wide selection of Liverpool gifts to appeal to all of the tourists visiting the city. Most of these are from local designers including Sophie Green, Tula Moon and Grace Emily, but we also have bespoke items from Broadlands Pottery who combined Liverpool’s iconic Superlambanana statue with the colours of the Ukranian flag into one of their gorgeous ceramic keepsakes.
“As well as offering a wide range of our own-brand, in-house designs on mugs, prints, greeting cards and keyrings, we’ve even sourced a range of gifts from a Ukrainian company including tote bags, magnets and postcards, and will be donating 10% of sales of all these items to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
“We are hoping the influx of visitors in the lead up to the final, combined with our gift selection, will see a boost in sales in the first two weeks of May. As for the Utility team, while we’ll all be working hard to make the event a success, we’re all looking forward to the party!”
Paper Tiger is another greeting card retailer going all out for Eurovision with owner Michael Apter looking forward to the “joyous celebrations when the city of Liverpool will put on the party to end all parties on behalf of the people of Ukraine”.
Having dressed the windows of his two Edinburgh shops in a rainbow of colours suitable for the celebration of all things kitsch, Michael has plenty of suitable stock to make the finals night go with a bang.
“It’s no secret that Talking Tables do parties very well and this year they have provided us with an excellent selection of Eurovision-themed party products,” he explained. “We imagine some of you will be hosting your friends and family on Eurovision night and we want to ensure you pull out all the stops and impress your guests.
“Serve up your continental nibbles on fun paper plates and napkins, decorate your home with colourful garlands, pop a pair of paper glasses on and score each performance with a paddle!”
