UK – This year’s spring edition of the Merchandise World, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, was held at the CBS Arena in Coventry, England on January 25 and 26, 2023. The freezing temperatures outdoors didn’t seem to dampen the joy at being able to meet up again live, because the temperatures were warm enough inside the exhibition hall.
According to the joint organisers, the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) and Sourcing City, the exhibition space started to fill up just after the show opened on the first day and a positive mood prevailed in spite of the bad news from all over the world, political turbulence and the increased cost of living. Many exhibitors reported to the organisers that their performance level was in fact up on pre-COVID times.
According to the official figures, in total over 160 exhibitors took part in the spring edition of the Merchandise World, including 14 new suppliers. Regarding the presentation of their line-ups, many of the suppliers placed the focus on new and environmentally-friendly products. In line with this, the special Eco World zone where sustainable products were exhibited attracted a great deal of attention. According to the BPMA and Sourcing City, 1,354 trade visitors poured into the exhibition hall during the two-day event that was extremely busy right through to the end at 3 p.m. on the second day. 60% of the visitors attended on the first day, 40% opted for the second day. “From the feedback we have had, our latest show was considered the best one yet. We always aim to push the bar higher, so this was great to hear. Visiting distributors were excited about the new products and suppliers that they had found, and exhibitors felt that both the quality and volume of the visitors was exceptional. There was a lot of optimism in the air and that ensured that everyone left the show with a smile,” stated Ella Long, Show Organiser.
As usual, the traditional BPMA Awards Dinner, where this year’s winners were announced, was held after a reception on the first evening of the trade show. The BPMA Awards are conferred to promotional products suppliers and distributors of the association, the winners were selected by association members in advance. Allwag Promotions, Bio Laboratories, Bounce Creative Design, Fluid Branding, Geiger, Laltex Group, Navillus, Manic Merchandise, WCM+A and Zippy Promos were distinguished. The Briman Award that is conferred by the Briman Group in support of British promotional products manufacturers went to Premier Print & Promotions. Furthermore, Juniper Trading won the Product Awards Grand Prix and Andrew Hill the BPMA Recognition Award for outstanding services to the industry.
The autumn edition of the Merchandise World is scheduled to take place at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on September 13, 2023. The next spring edition will be staged at the CBS Arena in Coventry from January 24-25, 2024.
www.merchandiseworld.co.uk
Photo source: Sourcing City
