The organiser of Spring Fair International, i2i Events Group, has announced a raft of new developments for the 2015 show, in a move designed to enhance both exhibitor and buyer experience at the events with an immediate focus on the kitchen, dining and the home sectors.
With a reported £2.6b-plus orders written at Spring Fair, a 2% increase of the international audience with total footfall of more than 60,000 retailers, the latest edition of Spring Fair once again cemented its place as a UK retail buying hub.
i2i Events Group is continually seeking new ways to innovate at this major transactional event to optimise the future potential of the market. Amongst the changes, from next year, both Spring and Autumn Fair 2015 will see the introduction of a new feature called Room, which will be devoted to luxury home interiors and cutting-edge design. Room will be located within the Home Interiors hall.
Featuring high-end bespoke room sets within a series of specially-created stands providing trend-driven inspiration and a wealth of new products for buyers in this category, Room will be a new addition to the Home Interiors category. Bringing together a unique mix of carefully-edited medium- to high-end home and interior brands, Room will showcase new exhibitors including some of Europe’s leading home accessories companies, covering all genres from urban luxe to innovative contemporary and stylishly classic home ranges.
Commenting on the new Room concept, Selfridges buyer, Christopher Gardner, says: “Here at Selfridges we are looking to source high-end, design-led products, and to have an area available at the Spring Fair specifically designed for this purpose would be great.”
Due to a significant increase in home interiors companies wanting to exhibit at the forthcoming Spring Fair, the sector is to move from its existing location in Hall 9 to Hall 1. In turn this will give buyers a greater offer of furniture, lighting and home accessories, along with new product sectors including textiles.
Kitchen, Dining & Housewares will move from its present location in Hall 1 to Hall 9. Investment will also be made in the show's interior to enhance the contemporary focus of the sector, while the name of the section will change to Table and Kitchen to reflect a trend-led positioning. Here it will be strategically placed adjacent to the Contemporary Gift halls and The Summerhouse reflecting the importance of kitchen and tabletop items to the wider giftware market. This new layout will provide greater crossover buying opportunities with gift and volume buyers, which kitchen and dining exhibitors have told the organiser is important.
Commenting on the developments, Spring Fair MD Louise Young says: “With an increasing number of textile-based soft furnishing companies and home decor suppliers exhibiting at both shows, plus a great representation of lighting companies at Autumn Fair, we felt the time was right to really focus on these essential and aspirational sectors of our exhibitions with the launch of Room. Equally, Table and Kitchen exhibitors who are now placed nearer the gift sections will benefit from greater opportunity to meet with gift buyers, as increasingly these products are seen as gift items and not just for cook shops.
The changes have been made in close consultation with all our exhibitors and the relevant trade associations to ensure that all the developments will be a great success for all concerned.”
