Autumn Fair

Jewellery Watch & Fashion at Autumn Fair @ Home

This month was due to see the first Jewellery Watch & Fashion event at the Autumn Fair, NEC, Birmingham. Needs must however and on 8th and 9th September organiser Hyve Group delivered the virtual Autumn Fair @ Home.

Franck Herval at SL Designs

Sea Gems Dganit Hen @ SL Designs Ti Sento

Bringing together the key elements of what makes the Autumn Fair ‘in real life’ a key retail trade show, Autumn Fair @ Home provided industry insights, as well as a first-hand look at the latest products, trends and collections. The exclusive virtual forum was designed in close communication with the show’s brands and regular buyers to cater to the needs of the industry.

An exclusive content programme allowed access to current industry intel, trend insights, peer-to-peer panel sessions, and more. Among the line-up were trend experts Colour Hive and Trend Bible and key topics of discussion included the state of play for independent retailers, colour and trend intelligence, changes in consumer behaviour during and post-lockdown and the importance of local retail.

Autumn Fair @ Home also hosted brands from across the home, living and gift sectors including Jewellery & Watch and Fashion (JWF). Dedicated Virtual Showrooms gave buyers an accessible way to discover new names and see what their current partners have to offer. The Virtual Showrooms offered brand line-ups across the Autumn Fair website. Buyers were able to take a virtual tour via look books, video content, editorial and brand imagery.

Another development was the Product Showcase, giving brands the opportunity to take buyers on showroom tours, or simply talk through their latest collection – a chance to submit a five-minute video to be shown to buyers during a sector-specific time slot. Sector categories included: The Gift Showcase; The JWF Edit and Design & Source Showcases.

Hyve’s virtual forums (Pure, Moda and Scoop are included in the line-up) are a key part of the company’s ‘Refuelling Retail’ initiative – non-commercial events allowing existing customers to participate at no additional cost, aiming to connect the industry this autumn as all national and international retail trade exhibitions had to be cancelled.

Julie Driscoll, UK regional director said: “Our market-leading shows are a vital cog in UK retail, our physical shows are places of discovery and dynamic environments where business is done – we want our virtual forums to offer a similar environment. There is no doubt that COVID-19 has impacted retail this year, however, we believe that now is the time to help refuel retail and help our community to bounce back. We hope that the free forums that we are offering to our customers this September really help to kickstart product discovery.

“We are confidently planning for our February shows, and whilst Autumn Fair @ Home will offer a brilliant way to connect our community in September, it will also act as a great preview for what our retailers will see at Spring Fair, in February. We look forward to opening the physical doors… and being able to facilitate business finally being done in person again. What digital has shown us is that whilst it’s a great tool, there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings and being able to touch and feel product again.”

Did you know you can post your latest collections through the 'Find a Jeweller' tool for the trade and public to view? Visit naj.co.uk/find