As we head towards this milestone 60th anniversary for Giving & Living on 12-14 January, at Westpoint, Exeter, we catch up with some of our long-term exhibitors to find out what it is that keeps them coming back.
Steve Hadley of SH Sales Nottingham (Stand 506) is one of the longest standing exhibitors at the show, which is the premiere retail trade event for the South West region and unique in the UK for its focus on the tourist trade. Steve says: “We’ve not missed a year of Giving & Living since 1981, first when it was the West Country Gifts Fair in Torquay where we exhibited in the terraced car park. We then moved to the Riviera exhibition centre and finally to Westpoint. I think we will probably be the oldest one there that’s been at the show for such a length of time.
We keep coming back as we have a regular customer base and I personally enjoy doing it. It’s a nice show and they are nice people to deal with. It kickstarts the year and gets us in the show frame of mind. We are looking forward to a good reception in 2025 as we will be introducing lots of new products for Spring-Summer 2025″.
The importance of face-to-face contact with long-standing customers cannot be underestimated, especially when there is the vital opportunity to meet new trade contacts at the same time. This is a crucial factor for John Brady of JBA (Stand 656), who “Started exhibiting at the Giving and Living trade show way back in 2011 with just a three-sided display board”. John says the show gives exhibitors a chance “to show your existing customers new products and catch up on the previous year and also to meet new customers who you may not have met before”.
John continues saying: “The industry has changed a lot since 2011 as [some] suppliers have moved more to online sales only instead of exhibiting at trade shows. However, JBA feels that although this is a viable way to trade, it is not quite the same as meeting customers face to face and the customer being able to physically see and touch the products.
JBA is continuously adding new products to its range of souvenirs and gifts. This year we are introducing a full range of clothing which can also be bespoke for an area or attraction, also a range of eco sea life plush, from manta rays to walruses. All exclusive to JBA Souvenirs”.
Greetings cards and stationery are another important category for Giving & Living, where visitors can look forward to discovering beautiful new card ranges, often with a focus on tourism hotspots, Britain’s natural beauty and native wildlife.
One of the longest-standing greetings exhibitors is The Eco Friendly Card Company (Stand 605), whose founder, Sue Morrish says: “We started exhibiting all the way back in 1997 we think! It was the first Spring after Scott and I got married.” Sue says she likes the show because: “It’s friendly and relaxed, with a lot of independent creatives showing really interesting products. I also love meeting all our customers, it’s a great show for networking”.
The show has changed quite a bit since Sue started out there in the 1990’s. “I think there used to be a perception that the show was all about buckets and spades,” she continues, “but the South West is a great place for art and creativity – this is reflected in the kind of exhibitors you see at the show now. There have been lots of changes – the most significant being environmental awareness amongst retailers, looking for more eco-friendly and local products, which is something you can definitely find at this show”.
Retailers who visit The Eco Friendly Card Company’s stand at Giving and Living can look forward to seeing: “New ranges and collections in our greeting card ranges and, as always, a friendly face!”
Whilst Giving & Living is famed for attracting a big audience of independent retailers from the South West region, including garden centres, farm shops alongside, tourist destinations and hospitality venues, exhibitors come from far and wide for a chance to capture a slice of this lucrative trade.
If you are interested in joining the show in this milestone year, you can find out more information by calling 01934 733433, emailing [email protected] or taking a look around the rest of the website. We look forward to seeing you in January!
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