As the third annual ‘Glee at Spring Fair’ gets ever closer, the show’s Event Director, Matthew Mein, provides an update on what the industry can expect, and why garden retailers should make the event a ‘must attend’ part of their spring 2020 plans. 

Glee at Spring Fair was introduced in 2018 for one simple reason - Spring Fair is the UK’s number one Home and Gift Fair, with a 58,000 strong audience which is already engaged and ready and willing to do business. The exhibition already welcomes a strong garden centre contingent, with owners /operators, gift buyers and those with a primary and secondary interest in garden products, DIY and seasonal ranges out in force.  

Glee at Spring Fair (2nd – 6th February, NEC Birmingham) will give retailers the opportunity to see new and best-selling ranges ahead of the spring season. This ‘second edition’ of Glee, taking place in the early pre-spring season, will give retailers an additional destination to refresh and make impulse buying decisions ahead of key retail spikes. It will also provide garden buyers with valuable insight into the latest concepts and trends for 2020, helping them to better direct their buying. 

Glee at Spring Fair will be a concession that will deliver a selection of some of the best products from some of Glee’s core product sectors. Core gardening will remain at its heart, with key brands such as Charles Taylor Trading, Creative Products, Dizmes, Neat Ideas, Chirpy Bird Foods, Euromedia, Fargro, Riverco Trading, Logs Direct, Juice & Jam, and Laurica Plants showcasing their 2020 ranges.  

The concession will retain Glee’s signature boulevard aisle and highly-recognisable branding throughout. A Glee Café, which will act as a hub for Glee’s supporting trade associations – The HTA, GIMA and Gardenex. Offering a wealth of knowledge and benefits, the presence of these trade associations will add some fun and interactive elements to the five-day event. GIMA will be once again be bringing its popular Buyer Connect event, helping those exhibiting to maximise their exposure to key garden retail buyers through special speed networking sessions, whilst international buyers will also be able to meet with enthusiastic suppliers within Gardenex’s own International Buyer Event.

A popular part of both the September show, and the 2020 Glee at Spring Fair event, the Glee New Product Showcase will be making its home within the Glee Café. This dedicated area will bring together the most exciting new products from Glee at Spring Fair exhibitors, and will provide a source of inspiration for retailers looking to find exciting new product innovations.

Any brand from across the gardening spectrum can join Glee at Spring Fair. In 2019 we saw a wide showcase of products including garden decorations, ornaments, statuary and water features, to garden structures and outdoor entertaining. Garden care, where fashion and impulse-buy potential is at its highest, also proves to be a popular attraction for buyers looking to differentiate their retail space in such a competitive market.

Being a part of such a large show comes with lots of big opportunities, especially for Glee at Spring Fair exhibitors. Situated in a new location for 2020, Glee at Spring Fair will be found in Hall 7, straddling the Cook & Dine sector in Hall 8, and the Living, Accents & Décor, and Floral sector. This prime location will see the Glee concession becomes a natural walk through area for garden centre buyers, as well as those buyers from outside the garden retail sector who are looking for additional product ranges. This busy flow of visitors attracts strong cross over buying prospects for those who are a natural fit to Glee’s offerings.

Any retailer who wants to maximise sales of garden products in the year ahead – especially those with a strong design focus – will not want to miss out on visiting Glee at Spring Fair.

Even more networking with the Spring Fair Match app

Glee at Spring Fair exhibitor and visitors to can make the most of their time at the show with the Spring Fair Match app. The app – much like Glee’s Connect app for the September show - takes the work out of networking through intelligent matchmaking and provides a higher return on your time. Visitors can plan their route around the show using the new interactive map feature, pre-book meetings with exhibitors and curate their very own show calendar. 

For more information, please click the link below: