Goty Judges Cast Their Votes...

Following a first round of online judging last December, the Gift of the Year’s live product judging, organised by The Giftware Association, took place across all four days of Spring Fair in February, with a record-breaking turn out from over 60 judges.

What impressed the judges most was newness, innovation, quality and the sustainability credentials of the shortlisted products, as PG&H discovered.

Hall 5 at February’s Spring Fair provided an ideal venue for leading names in gift retail, as well as experts in the fields of sustainability, licensing and gift trade media, to come together to assess and judge the shortlisted products submitted for this year’s Gift of the Year competition.

Over 100 industry experts comprised the judging panel this yearthe highest in the competition’s historywith shortlisted companies enjoying seeing their products put in front of a huge number of influential retailers.

“The newness was fantastic this year, with many products I cannot wait to stock in all Lark stores,” stated Priya AuroraCrowe, co-owner of 13 Lark gift and lifestyle shops in South London, West London and Woking. “The quality was second to none and the retail price was fair for most entries. I have contacted many of the brands and look forward to the products coming into the shops.”

Jo Williams, owner of Joco Interiors in Nuneaton, was equally enthusiastic: “This year’s shortlisted products were absolutely fantastic across all the categories, and seeing them up close made some of them really stand out. I especially loved judging the home fragrance category, as the smells are delightful and my shop is always filled with fragranced gifts. I saw some new lines which really impressed me.”

She continued: “Across the board I enjoyed seeing lots of new products from companies I had not seen within the Gift of the Year awards in previous years. The use of sustainable materials and innovative ideas were what drew me to vote for the products I selected from each category. And following the voting process, I had a wander round the show and spoke to some of the suppliers with a view to stocking their products in the shop.”

Carol Bairstow, owner of Pure Inspiration in the Isle of Man, said that it was a privilege to be part of the judging for this year’s Gift of the Year competition. “I didn’t realise it would be so hard to choose the finalists,” she stated. “There were some wonderful products, with lots of the finalists whose products we already sell in the shop, and it was great to see the companies putting themselves forward.”

Carol said that her initial thought while looking at the products was the packaging and presentation, “and also asking myself if the product had the all-important ‘wow’ factor, and would I stock it in my shop. I was aware of the cost of products too, as in the current climate, customers are looking to get the most for their money. I also had fun trying out some of the games and figuring out a few of the more complex gifts as it certainly was an interesting array of products.” She added: “Once I’d finished judging, I bumped into several of the shortlisted companies and made a point of hopping onto their stands to learn more about them and their products, and also take some information back to the Isle of Man with me.”

Caroline Ranwell, owner of Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall, concurred that it was “an honour” to be asked to be a judge. “I really enjoyed it as there was such a diverse range of top quality, innovative gifts. It was so difficult to choose between them. I ended up spending most of the morning looking at them all. Since the show, I have already placed orders with some of the companies. It was a great way of sourcing new products, especially as some of them were completely different to anything we have ever stocked before.”

Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation Cards & Gifts in Barrowford, said she found the judging day fascinating. “There were so many lovely products. I thought the Love Coco coconut bowls were really different, sustainable, up-cycled and beautifully hand painted. It was a product I ordered. The gift sets from Ross & Ross Steak & Chips were interesting, as was the make your own Dinosaur Timeline World Map for children, from Clockwork Soldier, which is a super gift, fun and educational, and will definitely be on my list for buying. Meanwhile, I’ve already purchased Cotton & Grey’s sentiment relaxing candles, while The Bottle Baking Co has proved to be very popular with my customers, with the bottles reusable for alternative use.”

With sustainability at the forefront of most retailers’ minds, Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and ceo of Products of Change, (the sustainability membership, education platform and resource hub), highlighted: “Judging the Gift of the Year’s Ethical and Sustainable category has been a real delight over the last two years, but what I have loved the most is seeing the increase in companies sending nominations through for this category, and also, the level of change the industry is making. To see companies be truly innovative is the biggest privilege of all.”

Gift of the Year organisers The Giftware Association (GA) confirmed that the Gift of the Year

More GOTY Recognition...

Once again, all Gift of the Year finalists are also in with a chance of winning the coveted Judges’ Choice award, plus, the GA will also be announcing the Gift of the Year’s People’s Choice award, which is judged by the general public, enabling everyone to vote for their favourite product across all of the Gift of the Year categories.

Once again, the GA has again opened it up to all shortlisted products and hopes it will be its biggest year yet, affording an opportunity for a shortlisted company to get through to become a People’s Choice winner.

And The Winners Are...

The Gift of the Year finalists are listed on pages 36-37, with the winners revealed at the joint Gift of the Year and Greats AwardsThe Gift Awards 2023 - which are being held on 11 May at London’s Royal Lancaster hotel.

Tickets and tables for the awards event on 11 May can be booked via the Max Publishing digital box office at Max-Tickets.net or by contacting event organiser Createvents: clare@createvents.co.uk or 0118 334 0085.

To find out more about The Gift Awards and book tickets visit www.thegiftawards.com product display also attracted non-judges to the area, who were on the look-out for the next best products featured in the shortlist, with a lot of trade contacts shared, and interest in all the shortlisted products.

“It was great to be back at Spring Fair to live judge again and for longer, allowing more judges to complete their in-person judging which we know is so important,” said the GA’s PR and marketing manager Chris Workman.

“What we learned from this year was that it attracted a great deal of attention to the area of non-judges, who were looking for great products, so we hope that businesses who were exhibiting got traffic from our stand, as well as non-exhibitors still getting interest and follow ups.”

Pointed out Chris: “Being able to hold the judging during Spring Fair - the most important exhibition on the gift industry’s calendarmakes perfect sense for the future, and speaking to judges on the day we found that this was a great time for them to buy from the Gift of the Year competition and go and meet the companies behind the products.”

Adding her views, The Giftware Association’s ceo, Sarah Ward, said:

“We’re delighted that Gift of the Year 2023 has been so well supported by the whole gift community - from Hyve Group’s commitment as headline sponsor to our strong roster of category sponsors - in addition to the widespread engagement from the suppliers who entered, and the great care and attention to detail from our enthusiastic judges. I can’t wait for everyone to celebrate together at The Gift Awards on 11 May!”