It was hard not to feel a sense of déjà vu when speaking to Hyve Group UK regional director Julie Driscoll halfway through the third day of Spring Fair . Driscoll had previously told
EN over the phone about the joyous moment of the doors opening at the NEC back in September for Autumn Fair , and it was a familiar feeling for the return of Spring Fair , which was also co-located with womenswear trade show Moda .
Talking over the comforting and familiar hum of a trade show crowd in Hall 5 of the NEC , 15 months since Spring 2021 was postponed , Driscoll says , “ The sense of community is really important , and not to underestimate how excited people are to be back together .
“ When you hear exhibitors euphoric , hugging you in the aisles and saying , ‘ thank you so much for putting the show on , it ’ s been my best trade show in 60 years ’, you can ’ t help but get goosebumps .”
Driscoll , who is also deputy chair of the AEO , says Spring Fair needed to have its February slot , which it has done for the past 75 years aside from 2021 , due to the show ’ s strong community spirit : “ 99.9 % of our exhibitors said we have a duty to run this show and there was never a doubt in their minds that they wanted it to go ahead ,” she says .
“ Retailers have been at work during the pandemic , so it doesn ’ t faze them coming to a trade show . “ When you ’ ve got a
Spring into action
Hyve Group ’ s Julie Driscoll says the community spirit of the events community meant there was no option but to host Spring Fair 2022 in its usual February slot , despite Covid-19 uncertainty . EN ’ s Joe Gallop visits one of the UK ’ s largest trade shows at Birmingham ’ s NEC
community that ’ s behind you that strongly , it ’ s an easy decision .”
Driscoll adds that there was never a plan for the event to be held in a hybrid format as customers “ do not want to buy via a PDF ” with Hyve instead using “ digital products to fuel connections ”.
Gazing across the colourful hall , she adds , “ Look at it , it ’ s so tactile , you really need to touch and feel the product – that ’ s the beauty of a trade event . Our exhibitors have said retailers have big mistakes buying online because the quality hasn ’ t been right . For this ecosystem , it ’ s about live interactions .”
Having been trialed at Autumn Fair , day two of Spring Fair saw the official launch of Hyve ’ s Curated Meetings - short , pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings between vetted buyers and brands based on mutual interests .
In Hall 4 , Hyve commercial product manager Monica Todd mentions the buzz she saw in
52 — March