Uniting The Gift Industry

Following on from the fabulous Gift Awards in May – for the second consecutive year uniting both sides of the gift industry, both product and retail - Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, reflects on the glittering event, and the importance of being there, and taking the opportunity to network, network, network.

“Partnering with Max Publishing, owners and organisers of The Greats gift retailer awards, was something I had long believed was the way forward for the gift industry. Last year, as we came out of the pandemic, the timing of the inaugural Gift Awards was exactly what was needed to inject energy and excitement back into the industry per se.

Building on the foundation and success of that first year, I’m delighted to say that there were so many more people in the room at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel this time around - people who really wanted to be there and were hugely looking forward to the evening. Touching on the Gift of The Year 2023, the competition encouraged many more diverse companies into the arena, providing unparalleled opportunities for suppliers to get together with retailers and vice versa.

While there’s no denying that attending can be expensive for many, I strongly feel that you can’t put a price on being at an event such as The Gift Awards. It’s the people you bump into at the pre-Awards drinks reception, or sit with over dinner, or enjoy a post-Awards drink with – or even a flutter at the casino table – that could be a life changing business experience! (I speak from experience here, as it’s happened to me following a conversation in the ladies some years ago!). And it was said over and over again to me, by people at the Awards, throughout the evening.

Highlighting the importance of the Awards, we were delighted to have Sara Davies MBE, founder of Crafter’s Companion, in the room. Sara is well known to fans of Dragon’s Den of course, and was a Gift of the Year judge this year, as well as the sponsor of The Greats Best Garden Centre Retailer of Gifts category. But having Sara physically in the room with all of us added an extra special dimension to the evening, especially as she was only too delighted to chat to attendees and be photographed with retailers and suppliers alike for their socials. A friendly ‘Dragon’ indeed, and someone we look forward to working with collaboratively in the future.

It was also good to see a continuing growth in younger businesses coming into the industry, as evidenced by the Gift of the Year competition. For example, I so enjoyed meeting up with a winner on our table – Alice Smith, founder of AVMS Art, whose Country Map Art Prints won the Gift of the Year’s Best Design & Craft Product or Range category – and who confided that she genuinely felt that she didn’t stand a chance of winning! To see her presented with her trophy, in front of so many of her peers, was an absolute joy!

So, my message to suppliers who are undecided about entering the Gift of the Year 2024 competition – which is due to open for entries any day now – is that there are plenty of opportunities for new businesses who put themselves forward, with more openings than ever into the market place. It could be your company’s name on a trophy next year!

Both in the run up to the Awards event, on the day itself and post Awards, I facilitated a clutch of meetings which all saw increased networking as people shared business cards and made diary notes to get together, which further emphasised the need to make time –and to invest in – attending industry events and gatherings in order to network.

This leads me on to Home & Gift in Harrogate, taking place from 16-19 July, where we’ll be announcing the winner of the Gift of the Year’s People’s Choice award 2023 at the post show Sundowners drinks party on Sunday 16 July. It’s a category that’s voted for by the public, and I’m extremely proud to say that a staggering 10,000+ votes have been received. I can’t wait to reveal who the winner is, and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Harrogate. As the saying goes, ‘it’s good to talk’ – and, even more importantly, to network!”