Spring Fair 2018
Taking place at the start of the year, Spring Fair is one of the most important retail buying events in the UK. Buyers, distributors and agents flock to the show, which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC from 3 – 8 February, to ensure they have the pick of the newest party product. PPE finds out what’s in store...
Party Picks W
ith almost 60,000 visitors making their way through the doors of the NEC over the course of six days, there’s no doubt that Spring Fair is an essential visit for anyone in the retail trade. The perfect opportunity to kickstart the buying season, it is ideal for researching trends, discovering new product and catching up with industry contacts. Home to The Party Show (which this year has relocated to Hall 5, sitting alongside toys and gifts but further away from greetings, which remains in Hall 3), Spring Fair allows party retailers and buyers to see exactly what will be on offer over the coming year. And there’s a lot to see!
The diversity of the party trade means there is an impressively wide selection of products to explore, from exciting balloon-based innovations (we’re looking at you, Qualatex!) to the newest costume trends which are set to be all over Instagram and Facebook this summer. Although most of the party exhibitors will be based in Hall 5, there are a few breakaway stands, so it’s worth making the effort to visit other areas of the show. In particular, Hall 3 (Greetings & Gift) will be playing host to a number of party favourites such as Neviti, Unique Party, Ginger Ray and Talking Tables, while it’s also worth popping along to Premier Decorations in Hall 2 (Christmas Gifts,
Floral & Seasonal Decorations) and Davies Products in Hall 10 – 12 (Volume Gift & Home). So whether you’re looking to add to your current stock or just want to find out what everyone will be wearing at this year’s festivals, Spring Fair is the place to be. We’ll see you there!
The Stage Regular fancy dress catwalk shows will be taking place three times a day at The Stage, in Hall 5, showcasing the latest in costume and dress-up trends. Balloon seminars and workshops from Amscan and Qualatex will also educate and inspire.
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■ Amscan Amscan will be showcasing an exciting variety of its 2018 ranges across all categories. The fancy dress offering has been extended to include licensed Disney Baby character outfits as well as official The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant costumes. A new kids Halloween collection will also be popular. Unicorns also feature strongly in the 2018 ranges, with an impressive 116cm high Unicorn AirWalker and a unicornthemed partyware ensemble. Partyware is also key for 2018, with new Disney, Marvel and Star Wars party ranges being showcased alongside an exciting new range of licensed character piñatas.
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■ Boland Party Boland can’t wait for the summer to begin and will be having a pre-summer beach party at Spring Fair! Go and check out the Boland beach club where it will be unveiling the brand new 2018 catalogue, which contains over 800 new items. Within this extensive and wide-ranging launch there will be a number of new lines and new party themes, including Football, USA, St Patrick’s Day, Racing and ‘Love. “Spring Fair is perfect for looking at future trends – there is such a wide range of product it is possible to get a complete overview of the retail market place,” says UK agent Mark Brett.
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Bristol Novelty never disappoints, especially +4 brist when it comes to providing a huge array of new and exciting product lines for the 2018 season and will be showcasing some of the latest exciting Forum Novelties products from the US. Unicorns remain a strong theme, while plenty of new Halloween props and costume accessories have also been added. “Spring Fair 2018 is a must-attend for retailers this year, to hopefully reenergise the UK’s main party event and give the industry a muchneeded confidence boost and support for 2018,” according to business development manager Gary Vincent.
■ Premier Halloween The Premier Halloween Collection at Spring Fair will ensure that retailers are ahead of the game in 2018 with products to appeal to consumers across the board. Featuring a fresh, updated brand image with eye-catching retail packaging, the collection includes fun, family-friendly products as well as those to add a little shock and horror. With over 500 quality new products covering everything from Halloween lighting to make-up, the 2018 catalogue introduces eight themed collections, taking the hard work out of putting together an eye-catching in-store display.
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