Autumn Fair is looking to ‘revolutionise’ the traditional trade show model with the launch of Connect @ Autumn Fair this September.
The aim is to connect retailers and brands on a scale ‘never achieved before’, according to Hyve Group, the organiser of Autumn Fair which is due to take place at Birmingham’s NEC from 3-6 September.
Connect @ Autumn Fair will connect thousands of the UK’s leading buyers and retailers with all 600+ Autumn Fair exhibitors before the show. Buyers will be able to discover the brands and products their businesses need, by selecting from hundreds of data points important to them. Exhibitors can create leads, orders and opportunities with the buyers they want to meet most – all in an efficient and effective way – turning chance meetings into guaranteed connections.
Over 6,000 meetings are anticipated to take place at Autumn Fair. Each meeting is 15 minutes long and all meetings are double opt-in, meaning both parties have agreed to meet. Meetings take place on the stand, so buyers can explore the full product range. Buyers can participate in as many double opt-in 15-minute meetings as they’d like, limited only by availability and mutual interest. If more than 15 minutes is required, a follow-up meeting can be arranged at or after the show.
“Buyer’s time is precious, and justifying time away from the retailing space has never been harder. Connect @ Autumn Fair changes all this,” explained Nicola Meadows, portfolio director at Spring & Autumn Fair. “Visiting a trade show should not be about chance; buyers can now source and plan their time at the show in advance, and know they are meeting suppliers that will meet their needs. With access to extensive information on every exhibitor and product category, from origin and sustainability credentials to pricing and minimum order values, retailers will be able to pre-select meetings with brands whose products most suit their needs. Exhibitors will, for the first time ever, be able to discover and connect with buyers, based on over 100 datapoints.”
Nicola continued: “Through this revolutionary meetings programme, powered by cutting-edge but easy to use technology, we connect the right people, at the right time, and deliver game-changing impact to our customers, their businesses and their industries. With Connect, we remove all the potential anxiety, and the element of the unknown, and allow buyers and exhibitors to be prepared and informed. This is the biggest investment we have ever made in Spring & Autumn Fair’s history. Connect @ Autumn Fair is ripping up the rule book on events and creating value our customers didn’t realise was possible.”
Sarah Ward, ceo of the Giftware Association, was equally positive of the impact of the launch on the industry: “Connect @ Autumn Fair is the evolution of the trade show model that the retail industry needs. Exhibitors will be able to find and meet more interested buyers more easily, creating more opportunities and ultimately doing more business. Being able to fully promote their product ranges, price points and delivery times before the event in the Connect @ Autumn Fair platform and pre-schedule meetings with buyers they want to meet is a step change in helping exhibitors and buyers get the most out of Autumn Fair. I believe that this is what the industry has been missing.”
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