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the Curated Meetings lounge area , hailing the launch as a huge success as hundreds of meetings took place .
Driscoll says Hyve previously looked into whether international buyers could dial in virtually to use the meetings , but she adds , “ We ’ re confident that for Autumn Fair international visitors will be back in their droves and in fact 12 % of this show is international , compared to 11 % prepandemic .
“ We are expecting at least 15-20 % international exhibitors for Autumn Fair , because we ’ ve had such a strong interest in the show .”
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A big blooming show The NEC is of course a huge venue and navigating the eight halls may have been overwhelming for those returning to a show for the first time in months . But thanks to the Spring Fair app , visitors were able to find their way around using an interactive floorplan and integrated GPS , similarly to Google Maps . The app also features AI product recommendations based on users ’ profile and interests , which was just one of the ways Hyve invested in this year ’ s show , says Driscoll . “ Digitally enabled trade shows are what we ’ re doing and we ’ re using technology to digitally fuel our products ,” she says . “ It means that visitors get even more value from their experience .”
Another way Driscoll claims Hyve invested in the show is introducing more awards , such as the Good Retail Awards , which she says was about “ bringing people together at as many touchpoints as possible ”.
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“ You need to touch and feel the product – that ’ s the beauty of a trade event ...”
Hyve also launched its Sustainability Trail on the app , which enabled users to find products with a green leaf , highlighting sustainable and ethical supply chains .
Similarly , Hyve ’ s Power of One campaign , first launched in 2019 , once again encouraged those in the retail supply chain to pledge to make one small sustainable change to their lives , such as scrapping paper receipts . Driscoll says , “ It ’ s not just about sourcing and selling sustainably , it ’ s also about treating each other in a more holistic fashion such as checking in with people and
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thinking about mental health .
“ A key learning from Autumn Fair was the sense of community and spirit that ’ s been built during lockdown and ensuring that ’ s carried on throughout business .”
When asked what she was most pleased about Spring Fair and Moda , which featured 229 exhibitors and over 350 brands , Driscoll cites strong return on investment for exhibitors , the quality and number of visitors , as well as introducing the new features .
On being co-located with Moda again , Driscoll says Hyve noticed a similarity between fashion stores and home and gift shops in terms of what was being sold , meaning a crossover buying audience was a logical next step for Spring and Autumn Fair . “ This has worked brilliantly well ,” she says . “ During the pandemic we took time to talk our exhibitors and visitors about what it is they wanted , where they wanted and what was going to make the difference to their businesses .” EN
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