Hyve welcomes return of Little Black Book and waves goodbye to Connect
While definitively underlining that the Connect meetings programme will never be returning to Spring or Autumn Fair, show organiser Hyve Group has confirmed the popular Little Black Book guide is coming back in both digital and printed formats.
Having originally announced the Connect initiative was only being paused for the 2024 Spring and Autumn Fair shows, Hyve’s portfolio director Nick Davison has now stressed it “will not be returning to any future Spring Fairs or Autumn Fairs from this point onwards”.
And in the announcement on Wednesday, 25 October, he also confirmed the return of the practical Little Black Book, adding: “This guide is a huge part of our event and we are dedicated to ensuring buyers have the tools they find useful to enable them to shop Spring Fair as effectively as possible.”
The greeting card industry had been relieved back in September when Hyve announced the decision to pause Connect for 2024 following a swathe of industry feedback – culminating in an exhibitors’ protest which closed Hall 20 for a time on the last day of Autumn Fair – as to its failings for exhibitors and retail buyers, with GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson saying it was “the right decision”.
Amanda had wasted no time in putting forward a lengthy document to the Hyve team, detailing Connect’s shortcomings for publishers and retailer visitors, backed up with facts from those in the industry, which is understood to have played a role in the Connect decision.
“Greeting cards are a key component of both Spring and Autumn Fair. I’m excited and passionate as to how we grow the greeting card sectors at both and really appreciate the feedback and support offered by the GCA,” Nicola Meadows, Hyve’s divisional md, told PG Buzz.
Sue Morrish, co-owner of The Eco-friendly Card Company, was just one publisher who had been a vocal critic of the system since it was announced, publicly querying various aspects of the contracts and 15-minute meeting slots system, and running Facebook posts during Autumn Fair explaining to customers they didn’t have to sign up to Connect to attend.
Following this week’s announcement she told PG Buzz: “Power to the people! I’m really pleased that Hyve has listened to the concerns of both visitors and exhibitors and scrapped the Connect concept.
“Both Spring and Autumn Fairs create great opportunities to develop relationships with customers and suppliers, and to see new products. Visitors and exhibitors can make their own choices about who they see and when, it’s one of the wonderful organic things about trade shows, something new may catch your eye and lead you in unexpected places – that’s the wonderful thing about being a creative industry.”
Announcing the pause to Connect in September Nicola explained it had been introduced with the aim of improving how buyers and sellers do business in a way which makes the most of exhibitors’ time and resources, and she commented: “We hold our hands up that we fell short on executing this for you,” and thanked people for reaching out “with your candid feedback on this year’s Autumn Fair”.
Now the programme has been scrapped completely for the two major UK trade shows for the greetings and gift industries, and the deadline extended from 31 October to 2 February for any AF exhibitors who have yet to re-sign for the 2024 edition and take advantage of the onsite rebook rate of a 6% increase.
Hyve is looking at other ways to help both exhibitors and visitors, and Nick added: “We are still committed to using data and insights to support the retail community and to help buyers and sellers interact, but this will not be in the form of Connect.
“Moving forward, we are committed to working with the industry through focus groups and discussions to ensure any initiatives launched in the future are fit for purpose.”
Retailers and suppliers who would like to take part in these focus groups, and have not yet already responded, are asked to email laura.rae@hyve.group.
