Countdown as 80 greeting card publishers set up for S/S24 show
The date is this Sunday and it’s time to get down to the serious business of buying for the new year as Top Drawer Spring/Summer 2024 opens its doors.
Opening at 9.30am at Kensington Olympia in London on Sunday, 14 January, and running through to 5pm on Tuesday, 16 January, Top Drawer has 80 exhibitors offering greeting cards among the 600+ brands, along with nine more in the LaunchPad section.
In recognition and celebration of exhibitors, Top Drawer will be presenting the inaugural Spotlight Awards to feature the stand-out brands across the fair, with the winners to be announced at the show party at 5.30pm on Sunday.
An expert judging panel will be shining the spotlight on the best of the show, including Emma Hawkins, buyer from Fortnum & Mason; Preena Patel of the Design Museum; Priya Aurora-Crowe, co-owner of indie retail chain Lark; and Trevor Read from Adorn The Common.
“We can’t wait to welcome everyone through the doors of Olympia London, with 10% more exhibitors than last year, a whopping 30% of which are brand new to the show, this edition is bigger and better than ever,” Top Drawer show manager David Westbrooke, of organiser Clarion Retail, commented.
“Coupled with all of the content that we’re putting on across the three days, Top Drawer S/S24 is the place to be this January – miss it, miss out!”
Among the publishing names exhibiting is Cath Tate Cards which has a special lucky dip game for all show visitors, with prizes such as money off your order, a bottle of fizz, or even a free lunch, and there’s no purchase necessary on stand N30.
And there are Top Drawer debuts for Citrus Bunn Q84, Emily Nash Illustration P82, Grace Jackson Design Q70, Oh Squirrel Q41, Paper Rose N41, Papier O40, and Type And Story P88.
Meanwhile returning names on the roll-call include Bold & Bright stand P59, Brainbox Candy N89, Earlybird Designs N51, English Graphics M29, Heyyy Cards O52, Hole In My Pocket M92, I Drew This Q57, James Ellis M46, Kali Stileman Publishing M58, Lagom Design N47, Lil Wabbit P31, Meraki N58, Objectables P49, Raspberry Blossom N64, Redback Cards O61, Ricicle Cards N65, Rocket68 Q40, Storigraphic N29, Stormy Knight N61, UWP Luxe O82, and You’ve Got Pen On Your Face P85 – the full exhibitor list is available here.
Meanwhile, Retailfest returns with its series of talks and panels featuring speakers, industry experts and influencers from the retail sector covering topics such as sustainability, social media, customer and experience.
Through lively panel discussions, insightful interviews, and practical masterclasses, visitors will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights, explore current trends, and learn from the experiences of thought leaders. Speakers include social media masters Kirsty Raper and Andie McDowell, Platform Retail founder Stacy Chan, and a panel brought together by The Giftware Association.
And there’s also Business Hub, a free service that offers visitors the chance to gain personal business advice and actionable tips from industry experts in private one-to-one appointments where they can discuss current challenges and receive tailored advice and strategies to boost their business this season and beyond.
Among the experts are Nicola Snell, founder of the show’s pr partner Press Loft; Ami Rabheru, founder of Retail Huddle; wholesale expert Therese Oertenblad, of Small Business Collective; Positive Retail’s Anna Woods; data expert Hannah Spicer; and Nicole Higgins, founder of The Buyer and Retail Coach.
On the trends front, the Better Trends Co will be returning to help visitors stay on top of the latest trends and ahead of their competition. As the industry’s trusted forecasting experts, the company will unveil their three top trends for the year ahead curated exclusively for Top Drawer to spark their inspiration.
To make sure you get along to see all the newness, visitors may have to be a little creative with their transport arrangements as the weekend’s Network Rail and HS2 works mean there are part-closures of the London Overground routes affecting trains which service Kensington Olympia station, as well as District Line tubes to nearby West Kensington, Barons Court and Earls Court, but a good service is expected on the Piccadilly Line which also stops at Barons Court and Earls Court.
Top Drawer S/S24 runs from Sunday to Tuesday, 14-16 January, at Kensington Olympia, 9.30am-5.30pm although closing half an hour earlier on the final day. To register for your free badge to attend click here.
