Kingfisher Cards and Alex Clark Art join fast-past programme for UK and international buyers
The first round of confirmed brands selected to showcase their products at Autumn Fair’s Curated Meetings programme has been released – as show organisers Hyve Group reveal half the buyers taking part are international.
Following two successful outings at the past Spring and Autumn Fairs, Curated Meetings is returning over the middle two days of the four-day trade show at Birmingham’s NEC, facilitating super-efficient, pre-scheduled, one-to-one, 15-minute meetings between qualified buyers and relevant suppliers.
Attracting brands and buyers from across the UK, Europe and rest of the world, hundreds of these meetings are due to take place at Autumn Fair, the UK’s leading marketplace for wholesale Home, Gift and Fashion, with greeting cards also in the mix that runs over Sunday to Wednesday, September 4-7.
In the first round of confirmed brands selected to showcase their products there are eco-conscious and tech innovations, greeting cards, statement jewellery, crafted leather bags, aromatherapy and candles, artwork, books and games. These will be shown to pre-approved and budget-holding buyers from retailers including WHSmith, Lark London, Nest, Paper Tiger, Brown Thomas, FY!, Harvey Norman Ireland, and Ragdale Hall Spa, as well as international retailers including Manor Pharmacy from Switzerland, and Lithuanian store group Kosmelita.
Julie Starr from FLB Filofax, which had a positive Curated Meetings experience at Spring Fair and is also confirmed for Autumn Fair in September, said; “We joined Curated Meetings to present our new products and great new collections – it’s about reaching buyers that we may not have thought about before and doing one to one quick interaction meetings.
“Curated Meetings is exciting and fast-paced. The companies we met were really interesting – quite vast from traditional stationery retailers to international distributors. For us, that was great because we want to broaden the reach and awareness of our brands worldwide.”
Watch the Curated Meetings brand video below:
From the greetings side Kingfisher Cards, and Alex Clark Art – whose portfolio spans cards, stationery, homeware and gifts – are among the brands that will be participating.
Others among the line-up of brands and retail solutions companies – who don’t have to be exhibiting at the show to take part – showcasing their collections and new product innovations include Àníké TLC, Annie With Alex, Beevive, Body Jewellery, Clarity Blend, Dojo, Erda Ally, Esoteric London, Feel The Glow, FLB Group Filofax, Fox Under The Moon, Giffi Creations, Huboo Technologies, iBeani, Kidzon, Kingsley Ryan, Lichfield Leather, Shifa Aromas, Shu Da Living, SR Mailing, The Jewel Jar, The Old Farmhouse Jewellery, Upper Canada UK Limited/Aroma Home, Vespucci Adventures, and Yoshi.
Hyve Group’s Monica Todd, group product manager of Curated Meetings, added; “Following two highly successful programmes at Spring and Autumn Fair, Curated Meetings is going from strength to strength with an increasing number of qualified buyers taking part, especially from abroad – 50% of retail buyers on the programme are international, coming from a diverse spread of countries including Switzerland, Lithuania, Slovakia, USA, Ireland, Pakistan, Nigeria, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Jersey, Malta, Serbia, India, Cyprus, Germany, UAE, Israel, South Africa, Greece, Gibraltar, and Norway. I am delighted to welcome all our fantastic returning and new brands and buyers to Autumn Fair in September.”
Buyers attending can accept meeting invitations in advance and secure up to nine meetings in the exclusive Curated Meetings Lounge with suppliers to touch and feel the products or hear about the retail solutions offered
Curated Meetings at Autumn Fair will take place on Monday and Tuesday, 5–6 September, 2022, at NEC Birmingham. For further information and to sign up please visit https://www.autumnfair.com/curated-meetings.
Approved buyers can apply for a financial contribution to cover expenses and international buyers could receive £350 and two nights’ accommodation at The Moxy Hotel. Spaces are limited and all buyers are pre-approved.
Top: Talking business – brands and buyers in Spring Fair’s Curated Meetings lounge
