Autumn Fair returns to the NEC Birmingham from September 7 to September 10, offering retailers a key opportunity to refresh their product ranges ahead of the peak shopping season. The 2024 edition saw a 34% rise in new, high-calibre buyers, and following this success, the show is expanding with 10% more floor space.
Now 85% sold and close to being fully booked, the event will feature more than 800 brands, showcasing thousands of must-have products across three key destinations: Home, Gift, and Fashion.
Tara Carlile-Swift, founder and managing director of home fragrance exhibitor Freckleface, said: “Freckleface has been at Autumn Fair now for four years. It has seen us grow from a kitchen table business to stocking in over 100 stockists, and trade shows have been a key part of that by helping us connect with new buyers. Attending Autumn Fair is critical for staying relevant in the retail world, keeping up with trends and keeping up with what is important to our buyers. This is the most impactful time of the year for us – ready for developing our products for Christmas.”
“We’ve been proud supporters of Spring and Autumn Fair since we started, and it would be an understatement if I didn’t say that the shows have been, and continue to be, integral to our growth and success as a business today.”
Craig Wensley and Steve Manser, co-founder and head of marketing respectively at giftware brand DCUK, said: “Spring and Autumn Fair are well-attended and popular events in the giftware industry calendar, so even attending the shows acts as a powerful signalling device. All the top brands are in attendance, which means it’s easier to be noticed by more buyers, owners, and the most useful key media, PR, and industry contacts.
“Every show generates a lot of fresh interest for DCUK characters, especially because what we offer is very visual and tactile. Being at Spring and Autumn Fair means that potential and current (or lapsed) customers have the best opportunity to engage with us in-person and see the magic for themselves! In the last two years, our presence at the show has also brought us to the attention of several distributors within the UK and overseas – which we’ve since set up and agreed. Following an initial meeting, we’ve also secured our first major licensing agreement.”
Longstanding exhibitor and family-run greeting card business The Art File, shared the impact that Spring and Autumn Fair has had on its company. Sales & marketing manager James Mace said: “Ged and Karen Mace founded the business in 1997, and with Ged already having 13 Spring & Autumn Fairs under his belt with Accord, Ink Group and Portico, he knew that the 1998 Spring Fair would be crucial and integral to a successful launch of The Art File. Within the first day of the show, we landed our first international distributor (a Canadian distributor called Incognito ran by Dean Newman, with whom we still work with today), and a plethora of independent retailers. We’ve been proud supporters of Spring and Autumn Fair since we started, and it would be an understatement if I didn’t say that the shows have been, and continue to be, integral to our growth and success as a business today.”
Nick Ronald, founder of home and garden brand Casa Verde, which has exhibited at Spring and Autumn Fair for 50 seasons, shared his perspective: “Trade fairs are the lifeblood of our industry for two reasons. One, we’re a very personable company and we’re blessed with the most incredible customers. And two, we have around 1,000 trade customers, and it’s so important to meet them face-to-face. Spring and Autumn Fair are really the only places you’re going to meet new customers and, if we’re going to grow, we must show the goods and be there. It’s incredibly hard work, but we go home as high as a kite because, touch wood, it normally works rather well!”
Greeting card brand Ohh Deer will be joining the Autumn Fair lineup for the first time this season. Co-founder and managing director Mark Callaby said: “We love doing trade shows. They’re a vital part of our brand marketing. We’ve been seeing great success with Spring Fair in recent years and we thought giving Autumn Fair a go would be a logical step. We’ve also heard great things about the show from fellow exhibitors and retailers who attend.”
Autumn Fair portfolio director Jackson Szabo commented: “We love to celebrate the success of our Autumn Fair exhibitors as we continue to evolve the show to serve the needs of our community. Autumn Fair provides the last opportunity in the year for product exploration, and every retailer attending wants to be inspired by original and exceptional quality products that can seamlessly fit into their shops.”
