29.qxp_New Grid 17/01/2022 18:23 Page 1
Spring Fair: Face To Face With Simon Lau
All The Buzz
Of Spring Fair With thousands of brands showing at Spring Fair, and tens of thousands of visitors expected, the show, taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 6-9 February is an industry ‘must visit’, with retailers looking forward to, once again, browsing the aisles. Event director Simon Lau tells PG&H what he’s most looking forward to. It’s hard to believe that the last Spring Fair was held pre pandemic in February 2020, with event director Simon Lau naturally excited to be welcoming everyone back to the NEC. “I can’t wait to see business being done on the show floor, to feel the buzz and excitement of our exhibitors and visitors reconnecting again,” he states. “The Spring Fair team has worked tirelessly over the last 12 months researching the market, talking to our customers, understanding and overcoming some of the challenges and changes that the pandemic has created, and we are therefore confident that Spring Fair will deliver the most exciting, diverse and comprehensive marketplace for gift and home retailers. There will be a treasure trove of new products and a stellar line-up of brands, as well as bucket loads of inspirations and trends, highly relevant and topical insights on the Inspiring Retail Stage. In addition, the official launch of Curated Meetings is set to deliver over 400 prearranged face to face meetings between vetted brands and buyers.”
Above: Spring Fair’s event director Simon Lau. Left: Talking shop at Moda, Autumn Fair. The show will be making its debut at Spring Fair in February. Below: Curated Meetings will be taking place on February 7 and 8.
In fact, Simon recommends that anyone that hasn’t signed up to be part of Curated Meetings should take a walk past on Monday February 7 and Tuesday February 8 to see in person this “supercharged way of doing business.” As for the show’s highlights, he points to the Inspiring Retail Stage which will once again be packed full of fascinating talks from industry leaders. “I’m particularly looking forward to listening to Jo Fairley, founder of Green & Black’s, who will be talking about staying true to her values
when running her business, and we also have a couple of exciting keynote speakers!” he reveals. With fashion and footwear show Moda making its debut at Spring Fair, Simon says that diversification is key to retail as consumer buying habits change. “The reaction to the co-location of Moda at Autumn Fair was unbelievably positive - so many long-standing Moda exhibitors had their best show ever, opening a host of new accounts with lifestyle, gift and home retailers as well as garden centres and heritage sites. I therefore believe that it is a very positive and much needed new direction for retailers.” www.springfair.com" www.springfair.com
Spring Fair App Simon’s top tip for visitors is to download the handy official Spring Fair app. “It’s really brilliant!” he enthuses. “It delivers intelligent AI product recommendations based on a person’s profile and interests, along with smart tools to help them to navigate the show. If visitors download it before their visit, it will help them to plan beforehand, and while they’re at the show, they can use it as their personal show guide and navigator, as well as utilising its GPS to help them find their way to brands and suppliers.”
Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide
29
