Instead of making the trip to the NEC, Spring Fair this year can be enjoyed in your own home or workplace. Taking place digitally from Monday 8 February until Wednesday 10 February, as well as being able to source a wealth of new products and see new launches (via the Virtual Showroom and Product Showcase elements), Spring Fair@Home will include a packed agenda of over 25 hours of talks and exclusive content. Coinciding with Spring Fair@Home will be two virtual awards events – The Good Retail Awards and the GA’s Gift of the Year.
Topping the speaker line-up will be entrepreneurial retailer and business mogul Theo Paphitis. In an exclusive interview, Theo will discuss his experiences with the BBC’s Sasha Qadri, offering an insight into his experience, his views on the future of retail, and sharing advice for other entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Spring Fair @ Home will also see Beth Horn, head of industry, retail and ecommerce at Facebook share her insights into the role social media will play in the future of retail, one of the biggest opportunities for retailers to harness. Trend insights will also make up a key portion of the Spring Fair @Home line-up, with appearances from Mintel, Colour Hive and Trend Bible.
“Our speakers have so much experience and knowledge to share with our audience and I know that they will bring real value to many of the businesses involved in Spring Fair @Home,” comments Julie Driscoll, managing director of UK Retail for Hyve Group.
A dedicated Greetings and Stationery Product Showcase is scheduled for 1pm-2pm on Monday 8 February, which will see 10 brands taking buyers on showroom tours and/or talking through their latest collections. Among the companies involved in this include The Art File, Deckled Edge, Ling Design, Sabivo Designs, Vent for Change and Wrendale Designs.
To register go to www.springfair.com/spring-fair-home
Cardies are up for a GOTY
Following two rounds of online judging, the finalists of the 2021 Gift of the Year (GOTY) competition, were announced recently. Organised by The Giftware Association, GOTY spans 23 categories covering the whole spectrum of gifts.
The finalists in the Cards & Wrap category are BeDazzled (from Boxstar Creative), Colour + Send Cards (from Lottie Simpson), Crafty Cards (from Two for Joy Illustration) and Message in a Bottle (from Alljoy).
Greeting card company Go La La has also reached the finals in the Best Novelty category for its Filthy Gorgeous range of cheeky soaps. Meanwhile, Blue Eyed Sun is in the finals in three categories with its Bioloco Loop drinking bottles (in Contemporary Gift), Bioloco Plant Lunch Pot (in Kitchen & Dining) and Bioloco Plant Kids Bottle (in Ethical Gift).
Four special online ceremonies will take place during Spring Fair@Home on the Main Stage during the three consecutive days of the show, featuring the category winners and highly commended companies.
There will also be a special live event on Tuesday February 9 at 4pm where the winners of the coveted Judges Choice winner and first-ever People’s Choice winner will be announced.
The schedule is as follows:
The awards ceremonies are free to watch and will be available ‘on demand’ after each showing.
The Good Retail Awards
The Good Retail Awards celebrate retailers and suppliers of all shapes and sizes who are making a positive impact in the retail industry. Throughout the six categories, the judges looked for positive innovations in retail.
Among the retailers to have made it into the finals is stationery and greeting card retailer Stationery Supplies in Marple, owned by Sarah Laker are in the finals of The Community Award as well as the Bricks ‘n’ Clicks award.
The Good Retail virtual awards ceremony will take place at Spring Fair @Home on 9 February at 4pm.
Top: Theo Paphitis is to speak during Spring Fair@Home.
