75 YEARS AND COUNTING... As the only Christmas-specific trade show in the UK, Harrogate Christmas & Gift takes place from 12th - 15th January 2025. Here’s what to expect! There are very few exhibitions that can boast more than 50 years trading, but Harrogate Christmas & Gift which takes place in Harrogate each January, could well be the oldest in the UK for the trade sector with a ‘birth’ date of 1950 and 75 years in the running. According to an article published by Jonas Event Technology, the longest running trade only exhibition in the world is NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) inaugurated in 1901 and created its first trade show in the USA in 1902. The UK’s longest running consumer event is the Ideal Home Show which first opened its doors in Olympia, London in 1908. So what’s this perfect recipe that makes the Ideal Home Show and Harrogate Christmas & Gift so popular that people return in hoards year after year and never seem to tire of planning and walking the exhibition halls? Simon Anslow, show organiser for Harrogate Christmas & Gift, suggests an answer: “In the last decade particularly, people seem to be seeking solutions to experience an idyllic lifestyle, create beautiful homes and hanker for the nostalgic past. Both events present a constant flow of products offering fresh ideas and new possibilities that evolve with current fashions and trends. “Harrogate Christmas & Gift is mostly about Christmas and as the biggest trade show in the UK for this sector, has the greatest range of festive products that retailers can find anywhere. In fact, buyers attend the show from all over Europe and even further afield as the offering is so great.” Christmas is often the one time of year where British families gather together, so it’s understandable that they want to decorate their homes to make them festive, warm and welcoming. However, the show is also very multicultural so those celebrating Eid, Hannukkah or Thanksgiving (to name just a few!) are equally well catered for. The 2025 event, which takes place from 12th to 15th January offers a hugely diverse range of products from Christmas trees, baubles, ornaments and decorations, to the latest technology in Christmas lights and candles. You’ll find nine halls of the Harrogate Convention Centre packed with absolutely everything you can imagine to make the best ever celebration. Ornaments and gifts, floral displays, even food items, toys and pet gifts – if you need a product for a happy event, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find it here. New for 2025, Kaemingk is moving into Hall G and will fill 400sqm with its distinctive collection of seasonal decorations for the home and garden. Also joining it will be Swift Imports, CB Imports and Calipso Roast. Importantly, because this is a trade only show, exhibitors are keen to help their customers create the ideal presentation to consumers in their stores, offering merchandising ideas, cleverly thought out and presented collections and even large in-store displays. Harrogate Christmas & Gift offers free entry for all trade visitors and buyers. Where: The Harrogate Convention Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire When: 12th –15th January 2025 Website: www.harrogatefair.com Email: simon@harrogatefair.com 29 HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFT
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