Drag queen Ruby Violet, The Steel Panthers and glitter station add pizazz for The Henries big night
Drag queen Ruby Violet, steel drum samba beats from The Steel Panthers and a super sparkly glitter station are all lined up for The Henries Awards big night next week, with attendees being encouraged to get down and glamorous!
The mardi gras-themed awards evening at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Thursday, 5 October, has a few last-minute tickets still available to enable you to be in the zone when the winners of the Oscars of the greetings industry are revealed.
A who’s who of greeting card publishers are readying to shake their tail feathers at the industry extravaganza along with tons of retail buyers, including John Lewis, WHSmith, Sainsbury’s, Cardzone, Scribbler, Tesco, Postmark and House of Cards, as well as a vast array of trade suppliers, all up for a big night of fun and celebration.
With comedian and musical entertainer Pippa Evans taking the mike as host for the night, Ruby Violet will also be on hand to add extra laughs and songs thanks to sponsorship from Ohh Deer, plus there’s a glitter station and props sponsored by Home Counties retail group House of Cards.
Ruby Violet hails from Essex and, having toured the world on cruise ships, she’s firmly planted her feet on the ground, touring the country with her special brand of comedy and vocals. She holds several residencies across London and Essex as well as venues up and down the Uk. She also performs abroad having worked in Spain and upcoming shows in America and Australia.
The Steel Panthers have evolved from a family tradition of steel pan playing stretching back to the 1950s, and are popular fixture at the annual Notting Hill Carnival, as well as appearing on TV’s Big Brother and Celebrity Come Dine With Me, and at many high-profile events.
The full list of product finalists for The Henries Awards 2023, and the eight through in The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer Or Artist category, can be found here – arrived at following a two-stage judging process, with the second in-person event seeing 35 buyers from grocers, multiples, small groups and independent retailers scrutinise all the shortlisted ranges arrived at from the first round of online voting, and their collective votes from the day decided the finalists.
The Best Service To The Independent Retailer award is sponsored by the Cardgains buying group and nominations were sought over a month from 1,750 independent card retailers, both Cardgains members as well as non-members.
The 2023 best service finalists can be found here and, as in previous years, there will be three trophies – Bronze, Silver and Gold – which will be announced along with all winners at the industry’s big night on 5 October. Tickets for the event can be bought here.
The Henries 2023 are supported by a strong roster of sponsors including Alpha Colour Printers, Antalis, The Bright Agency, Card Factory, Cardgains, EBB Paper, Fedrigoni, FujiFilm, GF Smith, Gould Paper, Graphite Creative, Herbert Walkers Printers, House of Cards, The Imaging Centre, Ohh Deer, Loxleys, N Smith, Postmark, Progressive Greetings Live, Scribbler, The Sherwood Press, Skeet Print, Skylight Media, Spring Fair/Autumn Fair, UK Envelopes and Windles Group.
