Show News: Industry news from Craft Focus magazine

Autumn Fair starts Sunday!

This Sunday, the NEC Birmingham will come alive with the return of Autumn Fair, the UK's largest seasonal showcase for Home, Gift & Fashion. Running from 1st to 4th September 2024, this year's event promises to be a hub of inspiration and opportunity, with over 800 suppliers presenting more than half a million products. With 30 per cent of brands exhibiting exclusively at Autumn Fair, it's the ultimate destination for retailers looking to discover the latest trends and stock their shelves ahead of the festive season.

Posted: 29 August 2024

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New show director of Christmasworld and Creativeworld

After a successful transition phase, the consumer goods trade fairs Christmasworld and Creativeworld have a new show director. On 1st August 2024, Stefan Schopp took over from Eva Olbrich, who commenced her well-deserved retirement at the end of July. With the Conzoom Circle network, Messe Frankfurt links the most important international platforms for the global consumer goods and retail industry and bundles industry knowledge and expertise.

Posted: 22 August 2024

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Strong re-booking sales for Toy Fair

The Toy Fair, which will celebrate its 71st show in January 2025, has again welcomed an extremely high returnee booking rate for next year's event with the entire ground floor and newly branded Gold Zone (formerly Greenhouse) already sold out. With more than six months still to go, the show has also received a high level of new applications and therefore any companies still considering booking exhibition space at the 2025 show are encouraged to apply now.

Posted: 1 August 2024

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Creative Craft Show returns to Farnborough International

The Creative Craft Show will return to Farnborough International for a third year running, with brand new sister show, The Stitching Show. The show will run from Friday 30th August to Sunday 1st September 2024. This show is a haven for knitting, cross stitch, mixed media, scrapbooking, paper crafting, jewellery, dressmaking and stitching enthusiasts alike, offering all the very latest supplies, ideas, and innovations in the craft and hobby world.

Posted: 25 July 2024

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Koelnmesse extends contract with COO Oliver Frese

Koelnmesse GmbH today announced that it will be extending its contract with Oliver Frese, which currently runs until the end of 2024, by a further five years to 31 December 2029. Frese has been the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Koelnmesse since 2020. After holding management positions at companies such as Deutsche Telekom and the energy group EnBW and spending several years on the board of Deutsche Messe AG, Oliver Frese, who holds a social sciences degree, was appointed to the Management Board of Koelnmesse GmbH in 2020.

Posted: 23 July 2024

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Celebrate the future of garden retail at Glee’s 50th anniversary exhibition

The garden retail industry's most anticipated event, Glee, is poised to mark a monumental milestone as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this September (10th – 12th, NEC Birmingham).

However, this year, Glee not only celebrates half a century at the pinnacle of garden retail but also ushers in a new era with its return to a September dateline, based on comprehensive industry feedback.

Glee has long been a beacon for the garden retail sector, fostering growth and innovation. This year's shift to a September date is a direct response to extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, ranging from independent retailers to large-scale suppliers. The feedback highlighted the need for a timing that aligns more closely with the industry's evolving buying cycles and seasonal preparations.

Posted: 22 July 2024

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Sue Ure, a leading name in artisan pottery, is at Top Drawer in September 2024

Sue Ure, a leading name in artisan pottery, is thrilled to announce the participation of both her brands Sue Ure Maison and Sue Ure Ceramics at the UK's premier design-led trade fair Top Drawer, from 8-10 September 2024 at London Olympia. Sue will debut a new collection, of meticulously crafted ikebana, rice and dipping bowls. She will also be adding a beautiful new duck-egg blue glaze. A vibrant new addition to her Maison range are colourful mini-dishes/saucers, that coordinate with the existing Ambit range.

Posted: 18 July 2024

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Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies confirmed as keynote for Brand Licensing Europe 2024

Sara Davies MBE, the dynamic entrepreneur and youngest female investor on BBC One's long-running Dragons' Den TV programme, will present the day two keynote at this year's Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), which runs from 24-26 September at ExCeL London. Sara will take to the stage at 12:30 on Wednesday 25 September for 'Crafty Licensing: Transforming a business through brand licensing' for a Fireside Chat with the Global Licensing Group.

Posted: 4 July 2024

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Digital showrooms for Ambiente and Christmasworld Trends 24+

The trend areas of the leading consumer goods trade fairs now have digital twins: 360° images of Ambiente and Christmasworld Trends 24+ enable users to discover new trends all year round - and order them directly. Via Conzoom Solution, the content hub specifically for retailers, users can now get inspired by Ambiente and Christmasworld Trends 24+ all year round. In addition, embedded information tags provide details to the exhibition products and link directly to the exhibitor profile for ordering.

Posted: 27 June 2024

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BLE 2024 preps for 25th anniversary celebrations

Visitor registration has opened for Brand Licensing Europe 2024 as organisers ramp up celebrations for the show's 25th anniversary. European brand licensing professionals including retailers, manufacturers, brand owners, agents, service providers, marketers and designers are invited to secure their free pass to the three-day event now at https://utm.io/ugO2o . BLE is Europe's leading event for licensing, brand extension and collaborations and takes place slightly earlier this year from 24-26 September at ExCeL London.

Posted: 11 June 2024

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