7 minute read
PG Live 2022
Counting Down To PG Live
As Progressive Greetings Live gets ready to opens its doors, exhibitors are busy with their final preparations and launch plans for the show, which takes place on 7-8 June at London’s Business Design Centre.
The show is an unmissable opportunity for those gift retailers looking to expand their greeting card selection, enabling them to see the latest ranges from countless leading names, as well as newbies and brand-new start-ups.
Lunch Is On Us!
There’s a saying that ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’, but PG Live is a show that turns that old adage on its head! A delicious, specially prepared hot - or cold - lunch is available in the Gallery Hall, (first floor), for both visitors and exhibitors, with free teas and coffees available on both show days.
Greeting cards have really come into their own during the last couple of years, providing that all important, tangible way of people being able to communicate and show they care.
In the latest Progressive Gifts & Home Retail Barometer annual survey - which looks back at the previous 12 months - greeting card expansion took the No. 1 spot for gift shops in 2021, (jumping up four places by comparison to 2020), with almost half of those surveyed saying that expanding their card offer had had the most positive effect on their business. Which is why gift retailers of all shapes and sizes will be out in force when PG Live opens its doors at the Business Design Centre in London’s Islington on 7-8 June.
As the UK's only dedicated, specialist greeting card show, PG Live 2022 will be bringing the whole greeting card community together - publishers, retailers, overseas distributors, agents and trade suppliers - to reveal the thousands and thousands of new designs being launched by a vast array of companies, ranging from leading brands to newbie start-ups. And it’s without a doubt that these are the cards that will be flying off the shelves in the coming months.
“Having been privy to a sneak peek at what some of the PG Live exhibitors have lined up, this year’s show is on course to be a real stonker,” enthuses Warren Lomax, PG Live’s co-show director. “PG Live will be a fabulous celebration of everything’s that great about the greeting card industry - wonderful products, a great bunch of people and a true sense of camaraderie.”
Among the gift retailers looking forward to returning the show, now in its 14th year, is Andrea Pinder, owner of Presentation Cards & Gifts in Barrowford. “PG Live is the creme de la creme of all the shows, and the reason it’s so important is that it delivers the best calibre of publishers the industry offers, along with the introduction of new publishers,” underlines Andrea.
Above: PG Live will be opening its doors on 7-8 June at the Business Design Centre in London’s Islington. Right: Smiling Greats winners and finalists are shown raising a glass of bubbly at PG Live’s Wall of Fame last year.
Confirms Andrea: “I will definitely be placing orders for Spring 2023, along with every day new ranges from my regular suppliers and newbies. Keeping our card room fresh is very important to Presentation Cards & Gifts, and making sure we have the best choice for our customers is imperative.”
At Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall, owner Caroline Ranwell says that PG Live is an absolute ‘must’ for her. “It’s by far the best trade show for greeting cards, with so many publishers both large and small. On arrival we always head straight to see our lovely friends at Rush Design, and then to Wendy Jones-Blackett to see the company’s new ranges. In a small village, it’s so important for me to put in new designs and I always manage to find a fair few new ranges at PG Live! There’s also a free lunch every day and a party on the first night, so perfect!”
In Highworth, Aga Marsden, owner of Highworth Emporium, enthuses: “I love PG Live. It’s a show that feels like a family and friends gathering, rather than work. The atmosphere is lovely, and the focus on cards and stationery makes buying really easy. The size is perfect for browsing too, as well as for making decisions in one day. There’s also a free tasty lunch, and as a finalist and past winner of a Greats Award, I’m also delighted to have a £50 voucher to spend at the show.”
As always, the rollcall of exhibitors for PG Live 2022 features a host of great names to include Abacus, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Cardology, Caroline Gardner, Danilo, Dean Morris Cards, Deva Designs, Emotional Rescue, Five Dollar Shake, Hammond Gower, Ling Design, Museums & Galleries, Ohh Deer, Paperlink, Paper Salad, Pigment, Tache Cards, Redback Cards, Rosanna Rossi, The Seed Card Company, UK Greetings, Wendy Jones-Blackett, and Woodmansterne. There will also be some notable international names - Animo from Sweden, Cozywood from Lithuania, Artige and Lowlands Studios from Holland, Perleberg from Germany and Affirmations from Australia.
The cards on offer will offer cover every genre - from male and humour to cute cards and children’s cards, along with the latest take on popular culture. A major focus of course, will be sustainable, eco friendly cards that are kind to the planet.
To add to the occasion there will also be goodie bags on arrival, and a warm welcome from the ‘cardie’ greeters. To register, visit www.progressivegreetings.live.com
It’s Party Time!
Everyone is invited to let their hair down at an opening night party on Tuesday 7 June that will see the great and the good in the card industry - exhibitors, retailers and trade suppliers - clinking glasses and enjoying a fabulous evening networking opportunity at the end of the first day.
It’s free to attend and an event that’s not to be missed, with corks popping from 6pm.
All current and previous Greats winners and finalists are once again invited to enjoy a glass of fizz at the Wall of Fame drinks reception taking place at the Business Design Centre’s Gallery area on the first floor at 12.45 on both days of the show.
“It’s a marvellous opportunity for gift retailers to meet up and socialise, as well as to swap new and exciting ‘finds’ at the show,” comments Sue Marks, editor of Progressive Gifts & Home/GiftsandHome.net.
Top: A warm welcome awaits from the popular ‘cardies’. Above right: Busy aisles at the show in 2021. Below: Winners and finalists of The Greats 2022 have received a £50 gold ticket to spend at the show.
£50 Golden Ticket
As an extra 'gift', all independent finalists and winners of The Greats 2022 have received a £50 golden voucher that can be spent against orders placed at the show.
As a finalist of The Greats 2021 & 2022 this voucher entitles you to receive £50 off any order placed with any exhibitor at the The Greats voucher
Progressive Greetings
Live 2022 exhibition
£50
Shop Name
To the PG Live exhibitor: This voucher must be redeemed by you on either Tuesday 7 June or Wednesday 8 June at the show organisers office (you will receive a £50 cheque on presentation)
Progressive Greetings Live, 7 and 8 June 2022, Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 0QH
Send A Card To The Queen
With 2022 an extra special year for The Queen - her 70th Platinum Jubilee - and congratulations cards the order of the day, there will be a very special postbag for Her Majesty, bursting with good wishes from greeting card publishers and retailers, with everyone at PG Live invited to write and send a card!
The Cards For The Queen initiative has been instigated by the GCA and PG Live.
Look Out For...
l The Village Green (ground floor): home to a mix of exhibitors and emerging brands l The Mezzanine: established brands and trade suppliers l Gallery (first floor): Springboard, home to brand new, emerging talent
