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Feature - Autumn Fair Preview
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Midlands meet up
Autumn Fair returns to NEC Birmingham from 4th-7th September for four days of networking, order placing and getting hands-on with product ahead of the Golden Quarter. Toy World takes a look at what to expect from this year's show.
With over 1,000 UK and international exhibitors showcasing their collections each year, there’s a huge variety of products at Autumn Fair from across four key buying destinations - Home, Gift, Moda and Design & Source – and 12 sectors: Kids, Toys & Play; Everyday; Home; Living & Décor; Housewares; The Summerhouse; Beauty & Wellbeing; Gift; Greetings & Stationery; Footwear; Jewellery & Watch; Womenswear; Fashion Accessories and Sourcing.
Daniel Mayhew, event director, Autumn Fair, says: “We head towards this September’s Autumn Fair in a positive and buoyant mood. Our exhibitors continue to support the show and use it as a platform to showcase their new collections. With two months to go until we open the doors to Autumn Fair, I’m delighted to report that many sectors are already nearly fully booked.”
A celebration of toys, puzzles and tech gadgets, the Kids, Toys & Play sector taps into the hottest trends and aims to predict what’s going to be popular at Christmas. The specialist category this year plays host to over 75 children’s toy and gift suppliers in Plush, Licensed, Boardgames, Sustainable, Educational, Pocket Money Toys, Nursery and Clothing. Visitors to the show will be able to find companies including Bachmann, Ty, One for Fun, University Games, Halilit, Keel Toys and Kidicraft, plus newcomers such as Redfits, The Toy Tribe and MNR Brands UK.
Sustainable kids’ products are covered in the form of the first ever plantable children’s books from WillSow, Keel Toys’ Keeleco range of 100% recycled plush, and other kids’ brands making the most of renewable, recycled and carbon neutral materials.
Autumn Fair continues to champion change with its Power of One campaign and Sustainability Trail. Power of One focuses on ‘taking steps to change the world, no matter how large or small’. As part of this, Autumn Fair is raising money for the Retail Trust charity, which provides free and confidential health and wellbeing support to independent retailers. The Sustainability Trail, meanwhile, puts the spotlight on Fairtrade and environmentally friendly brands. Visitors can also use the Sustainable Exhibitor filter within the Exhibitor List to discover the sustainable brands exhibiting at Autumn Fair.
“Autumn Fair is a curated show for a new era of retail,” said Bhavika Pattni, key account manager for show organiser Hyve Group. “We’re seeing lots of growth and are pleased to welcome a number of new companies that are exhibiting at Autumn Fair for the first time. Many exhibitors are carrying stock ready for fast delivery too.”
Bhavika adds: “This year, attendees to Autumn Fair can expect to find lots of exciting new toys and brands. Spinning Poodle Games offers a lovely assortment of games for on-the-go, while Smart Toys and Games – a new exhibitor this year – is bringing its huge portfolio of educational games to the show.”
Following its successful trial and launch within the UK at Spring and Autumn Fair, Curated Meetings is now opening its doors to buyers and brands from further afield. Attracting brands and buyers from across the UK, Europe and rest of the world, Curated Meetings facilitates efficient 15-minute prescheduled, 1:1 meetings between qualified buyers and relevant suppliers based on a mutual interest to drive new business opportunities together.
Monica Todd, group product manager, Curated Meetings, Hyve Group plc, says: “Half of retail buyers on the programme this year are international, coming from a diverse spread of countries including Switzerland, Lithuania, Slovakia, USA, Ireland, Pakistan, Nigeria, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Jersey, Malta, Serbia, India, Cyprus, Germany, UAE, Israel, South Africa, Greece, Gibraltar and Norway. I am delighted to welcome all our fantastic returning and new brands and buyers to Autumn Fair in September.”
Readers can visit www.autumnfair.com to discover a full list of exhibitors, show information and to register to attend. They can also download the official Autumn Fair App for interactive tools to help them plan their visit and navigate the show. This year, it’s worth noting that a number of exhibiting toy companies are located in Hall 20 while others are in the more traditional Hall 6. If you’re booking meetings, it’s advisable to check your timings against where you need to be so the walk between halls doesn’t catch you out.
As always, Toy World will have a delegation at the show. If you want to set up a meeting, contact john@ toyworldmag.co.uk or mark@toyworldmag.co.uk.
