Weather Doesn't Dampen Spirits at Scotland's Trade Fair
24 Jan 2024
The wind may blow and the rain may fall, but nothing can dampen the spirits at Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring which took place this week at the SEC, Glasgow. Business was brisk over the three day Show with many exhibitors reporting healthy order books and a raft of new enquiries.
Despite not just one but two storms over the Show which led to terrible travel disruption, many buyers braved the elements and placed orders, sourced new stock and networked with suppliers. The overall mood of the Show was one of optimism as the quality of the retailers attending outweighed the expected reduction in footfall.
Diane Slater from Glen Appin commented,
“Scotland’s Trade Fair punches well above its weight and we were delighted with the huge numbers of orders that we took and leads that we made. The friendly, inviting atmosphere attracts so many retailers that we, as exhibitors, are fortunate to have such a Show on our doorstep.”
The 2024 Show was bigger than previous years with 30% of suppliers new to the show. As well as newly created, young companies the Show also attracted well known brands such as Scottish Fine Soaps, Enesco, Ocean Plastic Pots and Fountasia.
Catherine McGurk from Glasgow Museums said,
“This Show has been fantastic for us and is the best Show we’ve attended since pre Covid. We visit a few Shows but this is the best by far.”
Best Product Awards were judged on Sunday morning by Andrew Roberts from the National Trust for Scotland, Michael Apter from Paper Tiger and Marion McKinlay from Inverary Jail and sponsored by the Giftware Association. The winning entries displayed creativity, innovation and commercial acumen.
Michael Apter, Paper Tiger said,
“There was an excellent range of products on display, with the winning entries showing how they had considered every element of the product right from conception, through to production, packaging, price and finally how the consumer would view it. It’s encouraging to see the story behind and the provenance of so many quality products.”
Laura Ukstina from Scarlet Knitwear which won Gold Award in the Textiles & Jewellery category said,
“Winning the award brought many people to my stand who then placed orders. Winning the award was worth every minute of the three days as it was a genuine endorsement of my product from retail experts.”
Beyond the aisles, there was a busy programme of talks, panels discussions and masterclasses on all aspects of retailing and business from a range of experts. This was well received as visitors looked to gain some nuggets of wisdom to help develop their business. The Scottish Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism & Trade also toured the Show and spoke in one of the Scottish Tourism Alliance Spotlight Sessions.
A highly entertaining Nessie’s Den allowed five new companies to pitch their products to three retail expert Nessies in a light hearted session.
Mark Saunders, Show Director added,
“The positivity and optimism that abounded at the Show was heartening and bodes well for 2025. The weather was hugely disappointing as it undoubtedly affected the attendance. Whilst much of the business will be picked up in the next few weeks it is a great shame that the forging of new accounts and enquiries will have to wait for another day.”
View Scotland's Trade Fair
Source: Scotland's Trade Fairs