Our Day at Spring Fair International

All this week at the NEC in Birmingham is Spring Fair International and yesterday I went along to see what all the fuss was about. Dragging a friend along with me and sporting our new Ginger Sky fleeces, the aim was to meet in person many of the suppliers we’ve been in touch with over the last few months. It was also a chance to get our hands on some of the products we want to stock.

The first thing that struck us was just how big this event is, spread over 20 large halls at the NEC, there was no way we could fit it all in in one day. For the purposes of Ginger Sky we focussed on the Kitchen, Dining & Housewares and Contemporary Gift & Home halls. Having said that, I couldn’t resist a little peak at the Christmas Gifts and Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets sections too.

One of the suppliers that I had been in touch with before the fair was Cubic Uk. I’ve been interested in stocking a brand called Fred and Friends from the very start of this journey and Cubic UK are the exclusive UK distributor. Meeting them in person re-affirmed they are the type of company I wanted to work with, so friendly and welcoming. Being able to get my hands on their products, understand how they work, how they are packed and to talk through their new ranges was also invaluable. This experience with Cubic UK was repeated with other suppliers I had been in touch with previously, such as

As well as reaffirming relationships with existing contacts, the Spring Fair International proved a great event for finding new products and new potential suppliers. Stumbling across the likes of Yormii, an innovate product designer from Sheffield, and The Kids Cooking Company, who have featured on The Dragon’s Den, was brilliant. Meeting people with similar visions to mine and seeing the great products they have designed has been fantastic.

There were far too many amazing companies and great people at the event to even try and list them all here. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned from yesterday though is that next year I will be spending more than just one day at this excellent fair.