Publishers, retailers and suppliers will all be in Leeds on 28 September
There’s now just under two weeks to go before the GCA Conference & AGM on Thursday, 28 September, at The Royal Armouries in Leeds, with well over 150 retailers, publishers and trade suppliers having already booked their tickets.
But there is still time to be a part of it as a few tickets still available at just £95 each – click here to book yours.
The jam-packed agenda covers all aspects of the greeting card industry, including market research, retail large and smack, sustainability, and publishers’ insight.
Kantar market research agency’s Ni Wang and consumer insights director Moneeba Baloch will give a fascinating run down on consumer behaviour and shopping habits while findings from the GCA Market Report will crystalise how the sector is faring today.
Adam Dury, coo of the UK’s largest greeting card retailer Card Factory, will take to the stage as one of the keynote speakers to reveal his views on greeting card retailing and where it’s heading while Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies in Marple and Wilmslow, will give an indie’s perspective in her talk.
And G.F Smith’s Mark Jessett will be speaking about sustainability and what’s happening in the paper industry.
The event will also see a trio of new GCA council members being introduced – Wendy Jones-Blackett, of the eponymous publisher, will be wearing two hats as she’s becoming a council member and will also be speaking about how she got into the world of greeting cards.
Georgina Fihosy, creative and owner at AfroTouch Design, and Brainbox Candy co-owner Mark Williams are joining Wendy on the GCA council, and there will be plenty of opportunity at the event to meet with and chat to all council members.
This year for the first time, there will be a New Members Welcome element. Any GCA member who has joined the association within the last year is invited to arrive 30 mins before the doors open for the conference, thereby providing a great opportunity for them to meet other new members and ask any questions before the event starts.
Rebecca Green, co-owner and creative director of Raspberry Blossom, and Nick Carey, managing director of Abacus Cards, have kindly agreed to co-host this aspect of the day, offering the benefit of their mpressive amount of industry knowledge and experience.
This year too everyone at the event will be given a greeting card, specially designed by Raspberry Blossom’s Rebecca Green and printed by Loxleys.
With a postbox ready and waiting, having been made by N Smith, the idea is for attendees to write the card to whoever they wish and to pop it in the postbox, with Loxleys kindly covering the cost of postage.
Loxleys is in good company as a sponsor of this year’s Conference & AGM, with other sponsors and supporters being Aspin, Anthony Jones Insurance Brokers, Enveco, G.F Smith, Fedrigoni, Graphite Creative, Hyve Events, Instant Confetti, McDaniels Law, N Smith and Skylight Media, all of whom will have representatives at the event.
The GCA Conference & AGM kicks off at 10am on 28 September with coffee, and will finish by 4.30pm with those wishing to network further moving on to a nearby bar. The evening before there’s an industry social hosted by UK Greetings in the city centre a short walk from the conference venue.
To find out more and book your tickets at £95 each click here.
