The new show dates run from Sunday 6 to Wednesday 9 February 2022 at NEC Birmingham and will include the introduction of late-night openings until 7.30pm on the Sunday and Monday.
With input from over 3,500 exhibitors, buyers and partners, home and gift show Spring Fair has today (4 August) confirmed that it will become a four-day show.
The new show dates run from Sunday 6 to Wednesday 9 February 2022 at NEC Birmingham and will include the introduction of late-night openings until 7.30pm on the Sunday and Monday.
“After extensive research, analysis, and collaboration with over 3,500 exhibitors, buyers and partners, we have taken the decision, which reflects industry opinion and buying behaviours, that Spring Fair will become a four-day show,” commented Simon Lau, event director for Spring Fair. “We have listened to our customers who had overwhelming feedback that the show was a day too long.
“Buying behaviours have changed in recent years and visitors have communicated that they welcome a four-day show and that a more condensed few days with the same number of talks, demonstrations, and meetings would make it a more dynamic and action-packed event.”
Simon continued: “We are also really pleased to introduce two late night openings. A trend common in retail already, the additional opportunities to trade will greatly benefit visitors attending for one day only.”
Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, is in support of the new show dates, commenting: “We are thrilled to hear and fully support that Spring Fair is evolving to a four-day show from February 2022.
“This change has been a long time coming, driven by collaboration and feedback from the community with the aim of delivering a better return on time and investment for both exhibitors and visitors alike. Spring Fair is still the largest and longest home and gift trade show in the UK, and I’m excited by the prospect of late-night shopping.”
Initiatives will also be rolled out to place further focus on newness and delivering improved ROI and return on time for customers.
Four key destinations offer Gift, Home, Fashion and Sourcing, with Gift and Fashion set to be the largest gathering in Europe, providing a one stop shop for buyers to source the latest products. Curated Meetings will offer dedicated networking and facilitated, pre-approved and pre-booked meetings between exhibitors and buyers.
“A four-day show makes total sense to us, we have no doubt that the customers will visit within the revised time frame, and this will have a positive impact on the traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday,” commented Helen Cottrill, marketing director at Enesco, which has a number of licences in its portfolio. “Ending the show after a busy last day leaves us with the Spring Fair buzz long after the show.
“Longer opening hours in line with the European shows allows us to hold more social events at the end of the day and also maximises the time the one-day visitors have at the show. All in all, a positive move by Hyve, the Enesco team cannot wait to get back to trade fairs.”
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