With Autumn Fair set to open its doors again from 5-8 September at Birmingham’s NEC, we caught up with Event Director Jessica Dawnay to learn what the show will have in store for retailers

Welcome back to Autumn Fair!

With Autumn Fair set to open its doors again from 5-8 September at Birmingham’s NEC, we caught up with Event Director Jessica Dawnay to learn what the show will have in store for retailers

Jessica, how does it feel to be welcoming people back to Autumn Fair? We are delighted to finally be returning to the thing we do best; market-leading events facilitating trade, collaboration and creativity. We’re working hard to make our in-person shows safe and secure and we can’t wait to welcome our community back to the NEC Birmingham after such a long time apart. The show will be brimming with newness and inspiration.

How are you finding exhibitor and visitor confidence as we head nearer to the show? Feedback is really positive. If the last year showed us anything beneficial it is how much people and businesses have missed face to face networking and it has given the industry a fresh appetite for physical shows. After the initial appeal of online meetings faded, the reality hit home that nothing quite beats the excitement and anticipation of entering a show bursting with new innovations and inspiring products, and of walking up to a stand and seeing, touching, and experiencing products in your hands.

When you spend the day at a trade show you feel part of a community, you meet new brands and designers creating incredible things, you re-connect with people who run established and successful businesses, you explore and discover and come away with a renewed energy and excitement for the forthcoming season.

What’s the layout of the Show? The show takes place in Halls 6 – 20. Gift is situated in Halls 6, 7 and Hall 20, which also includes the Small Business Sunday Pavilion.

Safe & secure

Following the government’s latest guidance, and working in consultation with the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), Autumn Fair will ask all attendees, including visitors, exhibitors, contractors, venue and organiser staff, to verify their Covid-19 status on arrival. This means all attendees will need to demonstrate proof of Covid-19 status for entry to the event. This will need to be one of the following:

1Proof of completion of a full course of vaccination two weeks prior to arrival.

2Proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test taken within 48hrs of arrival (retaken and reported every 72hrs).

3Proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test result for Covid-19, lasting for 180 days from the date of the positive test and following completion of the self-isolation period.

autumnfair.com/contact-us/visit-faqs

Exhibitors – old and new – you’d like people to know about? Visitors will be met with a host of compelling returning favourites, new, and exclusive to Autumn Fair brands galore.

Within Gift, look out for Eclectic Lifestyle, Joe Davies, Sass & Belle, Kikkerland Europe B.V., Sifcon International Plc, while buyers seeking the season’s must-have toys, will discover returning brands Ty, Grossman, Universal Games as well as new to the show Mood Bears, Fabular Toy, Treasure Map trails, SES Creative and Click Europe.

New exhibitors to the show line-up include recent Dragons' Den winners Willsow, as well as Chalk UK, Bachmann Europe, Peony & Pine, Emily Victoria Candles, and Rainbow Design. Some of the exclusive to Autumn Fair brands include Puckator, Keel Toys, Sea Gems and Nour London.

Other brands showcasing their new ranges and collections at Autumn Fair include Lisa Angel, Paper Salad, The Little Dog Laughed, Big Metal, Lido Pearls, My Doris, Bessie London, Susie Blue, Bomb Cosmetics, and new to the show French jewellery brand Jadien.

Will there be a focus on sustainability at the show? Following the successful launch of the Sustainability Trail at Spring Fair 2020, the focus on sustainability continues at Autumn Fair with the launch of The Sustainability Library and a host of onsite initiatives. Before the show opens visitors can connect with exhibiting sustainable brands at autumnfair.

com/the-sustainability-library-at-

autumn-fair-home and in just a few clicks discover the stories, pledges and initiatives from brands who are doing their part to ensure a more sustainable and ethical future for us all. Sustainable exhibitors already signed up to the Sustainability Library include Vent for Change, Alexander Thurlow & Co and My Gift Trade.

You’re launching Curated Meetings at Autumn Fair with a special focus on Gifts. What’s the thinking behind this? We are really excited about the introduction of Curated Meetings. Over 500 meetings are planned across two days, bringing together buyers from a host of leading national and independent retailers keen to hand-pick next season’s bestsellers.

Designed to offer a highly curated, time-efficient and no hassle matchmaking service where buyers and suppliers only take meetings with partners they have selected and approved, Curated Meetings provides a unique opportunity for buyers and suppliers to meet and kickstart long-term relationships and creates a better, more productive way to buy.

Using the Curated Meetings online platform, buyers can filter for products that truly suit their desired aesthetic, product type, price range and beyond. Whether that’s lifestyle and scandi, classic and vintage, or maybe children’s toys through to ceramics or silver jewellery.

How is the Online Marketplace going? And what benefits do you think it brings to the physical shows? It’s going really well. After lengthy research we knew there was a big appetite for an easy-to-use online trading platform that builds on the physicality of our live shows, offering a continuous flow of newness and a growing cross-section of products. It also enables brands and buyers to deepen relationships started in person at Autumn and Spring Fair.

Any special events running at the show? Don’t miss a visit to the #SBS Pavilion. We are incredibly pleased to continue our partnership with Theo Paphitis’ #SBS Small Business Sunday dedicated to showcasing new and unique products from ambitious start-ups and small businesses. Our shared values and vision with #SBS and Theo enable us to provide an incredible opportunity for start-up businesses, and we're excited to see all our winners at the show.

For the first time, Autumn Fair welcomes Moda to its definitive Fashion offering alongside the Jewellery & Watch and Fashion (JWF) sector. A natural pairing of two must-visit sectors, Moda and JWF allows for easier product discovery and diversification amongst fashion, jewellery and gift retailers.

How can visitors register and what do they need to know? You can pre-register now at autumnfair.com, and be sure to download the official Autumn Fair app for even more information before the show to get the most out of planning your visit. Powered by Grip, the app uses AI-technology to give you product recommendations based on your unique interests. You can also search for exhibitors directly to find out their stand number and location, use the in-built interactive floorplan map to navigate your way around the show, view the theatre timetable and Sustainability and Made in Britain Product Trails, plus and bookmark and save individual exhibitors, products and seminars to your profile.

autumnfair.com