Still two days to go for London’s design-led show
With the first day of Top Drawer getting the show off to a good start yesterday, 11 September, the exhibition has another two days to run.
Running today and tomorrow, 13 September, at London’s Kensington Olympia, show manager David Westbrooke explains that Refresh Revive Redesign were organiser Clarion Events’ objectives in curating the show, which has expanded by 25%.
“This September’s show is a celebration of the resilience of retail, as we bring you the very best in product design, trend insight and business expertise together under one roof,” David added.
Top Drawer AW22’s preview magazine online gives a taster of some of the treats at the show, which spans nine curated sectors – Home, Launchpad, Gift, Wellbeing, Greetings & Stationery, Fashion, Craft, Food Emporium, and Play – with some expert speakers still to take to the stage for this season’s Retailfest seminars.
Among the Greetings & Stationery exhibitors are Comedy Card Company, Deadpan Cards, English Graphics, Ink & Bloom, James Ellis, Poet And Painter, Redback Cards, Rosie Made A Thing, Vent For Change, and 2 To Tango.
Meanwhile the Reveal Skills Studio will be providing a unique opportunity for visitors to join intimate workshops covering everything from visual merchandising and product photography to international export and top tips for nailing social media and PR.
And the Retailfest programme – seminar details below – is aimed at inspiring retailers and supporting their business through seasonal campaigns and during economic shifts.
Retailfest Seminar Programme
Monday, 12 September
11-11.30am Marketing Expert – Pinterest For Product-Based Business: Rachel Waring, content strategist and Pinterest expert, explains what makes it different as a marketing platform for both product sellers and content creators, how to show up there and, most importantly, how to harness its power for your brand.
12:30-1pm Retail Expert – Bringing Your Brand To Life, Practical Tips For Storytelling, Content Creation & Visual Merchandising: Interior stylist and brand storyteller Ailie Williams will explain the importance of a good brand story and share tips on how to communicate this through considered content creation and visual merchandising.
1.15-2pm Keynote – Envisioning The Future Of Retail With Holly Tucker MBE: Join Holly Tucker MBE for an exclusive talk where she’ll be sharing the twists and turns of her business journey, life lessons learned so far, as well as sharing her own thoughts on the future trends in retail.
3.30-4pm Marketing Expert – Sell, Sell, Sell! Natasha Courtenay-Smith, ceo of Bolt Digital, explains the five strategies for D2C success that really work for your retail brand, including Bolt’s Breakthrough In Influencer Marketing, and a troubleshooting Q&A session.
Tuesday, 13 September
12.30-1pm PR Expert – Tips From A Journalist, How To Make Your Business Visible To The Right People: Priscilla Pollara, founder and PR coach at Priscilla Comms, explains how to develop a cohesive PR strategy, increase your visibility and start getting your brand noticed, including how to attract the press and why it’s key to look beyond social media.
2-2.30pm Retail Expert – Community & Customer, What It Means To Build A Community As A Bricks & Mortar Store: Elizabeth Stiles and Hannah Paine, of Épanoui, will discuss the highs and lows of running a bricks-and-mortar store, including Covid, community, and the creative process.
Top: Check out the online preview magazine for Top Drawer
