Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Spring Fair organiser i2i Events Group, has today (Tuesday October 27) announced two new senior appointments as part of a raft of initiatives being launched for the 2016 edition of the show.
Nick Davison is the new portfolio director for Spring Fair and Saul Leese joins as head of marketing for the exhibition, which take places from February 7-11 at the NEC in Birmingham. Nick, who joined i2i Events Group in 2007, is already a familiar face to both retailers and exhibitors, having started out as an event director for garden centre industry exhibition, Glee, before moving onto Autumn Fair.
He commented: “I have recently taken over the running of the Spring Fair and my primary objective – one that I am absolutely resolute on – is improving our customer experience. Putting exhibitors at the heart of what we do is fundamental. I’m very proud to have been put in charge of such an important event and I’ve been working closely with both buyers and exhibitors to ensure Spring Fair 2016 fully represents the needs of our customers. I personally look forward to welcoming back new, lapsed and our very loyal exhibitors to next year’s show.”
2016 sees the introduction of The Wish List, which gives buyers the opportunity to save and print ‘shopping lists’ of their favourite items from a comprehensive database of Spring Fair exhibitors’ products. i2i Events Group said this online sourcing mechanism generates leads for exhibitors throughout the year – not just around show time – whilst greatly facilitating the selection process for buyers.
Saul Leese joins i2i Events Group from London exhibition, 100% Design. Alongside the Wish List functionality, Saul has introduced a new guide for buyers: a trend-focused UK publication highlighting new products available for retailers at Spring Fair. Saul commented: “We’ve just launched The Product Guides, which bring to life the very latest innovations available to buy at Spring Fair and also provide a year-round source of inspiration for buyers”.
According to i2i Events Group, the appointment of both Nick and Saul ‘brings a fresh approach to Spring Fair, with more focus on both customer and visitor experience, as the event goes from strength to strength.’
Further changes to Spring Fair for 2016 will include an improved layout, which will further enhance the show’s cross-over buying opportunities across 14 different product sectors. Consultation with exhibitors has also revealed the need to improve access to the atrium side of the show. This will be achieved via the introduction of an express entrance in Hall 9, helping channel footfall to Halls 6, 7 and 8 as soon as the show opens.
Nick Davison is the new portfolio director for Spring Fair
