Trade shows are an essential part of any retail business, so we asked the party trade to share their experiences of this year’s H&P Expo, Spielwarenmesse and Spring Fair. Here’s what a few of them had to say.
Mark Brett, UK agent, Boland Party
“Both Nuremberg and Spring Fair were very good for Boland Party. We were somewhat concerned about the move to Hall 5, but despite the paucity of party suppliers I think most exhibitors within the party section were pleased with the final result.
It certainly seemed a more positive atmosphere compared to the last couple of years. But we must remember that we were all moved out of Hall 5 a few years ago which created that very indifferent feeling in the first place. The Spring Fair organisers need to keep their wits about them as more UK visitors are going to Nuremberg , which is expanding its party section next year.”
Holly Forder, product and marketing manager, Creative Party
“We had a fantastic time setting up our temporary home in the Cardgains Village this year. The show, as always, brings great networking opportunities and we were thrilled to catch up with old faces and build relationships with new.
There was a great buzz surrounding our new launches, especially the self-inflating Balloon Toppers and the new Pink Chic range. The feedback was invaluable and really cemented our belief that we are moving in the right direction when bringing fresh and innovative items to the market. We are very excited about the future.”
Angela Reijenga, marketing, Folat
“In general, Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair was well organised and there were a lot of visitors who were interested in party products. The trend we saw a lot of focus on was circus – we had a lot of that on the Folat stand as well, with new pink circus costumes and accessories.
For Folat the fair was very successful. We had a lot of visitors from all over the world and the sales team was busy the whole time with existing and new customers. We also showed a lot of new products, such as the new confetti balloons and solid colour tableware as well as new wedding, flamingo and toucan lines.“
