With the impending opening of the new ICC Sydney centre, Reed Gift Fairs is preparing for its return to Darling Harbour after three years at Glebe Island while the exhibition centre was being renovated.
The first trade fair to take over the whole venue in its entirety, 16,000 visitors are expected to attend the event.
“With at least $60 million worth of business done on the show floor, Gift is a must attend for anyone in this incredible industry,” says event director Louisa Theobald.
“We work tirelessly to ensure that Gift evolves with what’s happening in the commercial world, and represents true value for visitors and exhibitors alike. We work alongside an advisory board of exhibitors which acts as a steering committee to ensure that Gift has an ongoing partnership with, and relevance to, those in gift and homewares retailing.”
The homewares industry in Australia is worth $1.4 billion, while the combined giftware and homewares sectors are valued at $6.6 billion, making Reed Gift Fairs in February a must attend event for buyers and sellers with opportunities to find new trends, network with both peers and leaders in the field, and to source and purchase the latest products.
One of the highlights of the fair is the much anticipated GALA, which will be held at the new Grand Ballroom. The awards are open to retailers for the first time, with one of the finalists receiving a trip to Chicago to represent Australia at the 2017 Global Innovation Awards, which is organised by the International Housewares Association.
Style Studio workshops, the Retail Therapy series of retail educational sessions, and celebrity ambassadors will also be part of the February gift fair, held from 18 to 22 February.
By Marion Gerritsen
