The organiser of the Spring Fair has insisted that next month’s event will take place.
‘We are confidently planning for the show and are very much looking forward to seeing all of you there. As we always have done, we take our responsibilities around health and safety at our events incredibly seriously. Anyone entering into the NEC venue at Spring Fair (including those during build-up and breakdown) will need to show their valid Covid-19 pass, or a negative result to a lateral flow test taken within 48 hours. In addition, aligned to Government guidelines, all attendees will wear a face covering during the show,’ says Julie Driscoll, Hyve Group divisional md for retail, engineering and manufacturing.
‘As well as our responsibility to health and safety, we also have a huge responsibility to the many thousands of businesses that rely on us as a key part of their buying and selling calendar. We saw a renewed energy and excitement at both Autumn Fair and GLEE amongst the thousands of exhibitors and attendees. Everybody who attended the event came to do business. We also successfully launched Curated Meetings, delivering over 300, 15-minute face-to-face meetings, generating hundreds of thousands of pounds of business and an incredible return on time investment for participants.
‘We have grown Curated Meetings exponentially for Spring Fair, incorporating all sectors of the show. Averaging £330,000 in buying power, leading retailers signed up include Denby Retail, John Lewis & Partners, Midcounties Coop Food, Paper Tiger, Yorkshire Willow, Whirligig Toys, Riley’s Garden Centre, Evie&me Interiors, Staines & Brights, D Cutler International, and Four Sisters.
‘What 2021 has highlighted is the importance of reliability and retailers being able to see and touch what they are buying; one thing is clear they cannot afford another year of virtual buying. Spring Fair has been a vital cog in the retail supply chain for sourcing products and reinforcing those face-to-face relationships for many years and in 2022 it is vitally important for our industry that Spring Fair opens its doors to allow retailers to restock and buy for the year ahead.’
The show is scheduled for 6-9 February. Her comment come after the cancellation of a host of early year shows, including Domotex, Heimtextil, imm cologne, January Furniture Show and Ambiente due to the pandemic.
