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Homewares Shopping

Reed Gift Fairs reveals The Activator Pod

Sponsored by Reed Gift Fairs

With the pervasiveness of online shopping, there’s no denying that traditional retailers must find new and innovative ways to lure customers back into bricks and mortar stores. And it’s something that the team at Reed Gift Fairs will cover at the upcoming Reed Gift Fairs Sydney February event, from 23-27 February at ICC Sydney. To celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the event, the line-up will feature two new product categories (Travel & Tech) plus The Retail Activator Pod. Staffed with industry experts, they’ll help you unlock the secrets to getting customers through your shop doors, engaged with your brand and spending!

Retail Activator Pod
Hosted by a team of retail aficionados, the custom built Retail Activator Pod will be located in the event’s new Travel & Tech precinct on level 4 and will be open from 9am until 6pm daily. It’s a great place to discover ideas and techniques to help engage customers, create more inspiring in-store experiences and drive sales. With no appointment necessary, you can drop in and chat to the team about everything from ‘design and digital’ to ‘point of purchase and display,’ ‘interactive technology’ and ‘customer culture.’ They will also reveal how to drive brand loyalty, create powerful visual displays, develop a consistent multi-channel brand and engage customers with interactivity and cutting-edge technology. This is the place to discover everything about the next generation of retail.

Meet the experts
With over 30 years’ retail experience, Marguerite Bell is the founder of Retail Life, a company that works with Aussie retailers to help them meet and exceed the expectations of contemporary shoppers. Marguerite is a highly sought after independent retail consultant and has worked with Sheridan Australia, Dymocks, Interflora, Harbour Town Adelaide and Charter Hall shopping centres to name a few. There are few people in Australia more qualified to discuss all aspects of retail than Marguerite.

A visual communications expert with over 30 years industry experience, Grant Cunningham is the CEO of Sydney’s Allprint Graphics. Experts in creating printed visual communication materials using the latest technologies, Allprint Graphics produce everything from bespoke counter displays, freestanding display units, in-store signage, outdoor signage, decals, window displays and installations. Much of this is created using new digital equipment that allows for the production of bespoke point of purchase items that a few years ago wouldn’t have been possible. He is your go-to guy for everything visual.

Euan Wilson is the founder of Tap Media, a tech company that is changing the way that shoppers interact with bricks and mortar retail stores. Tap Media technology allows shoppers to tap their smartphone to retail displays of products and immediately launch critical information about the products (no app required). This puts general product info, online reviews and more in the hands of shoppers while providing valuable feedback to the retailer on the customer journey too.

Graphic designer Melissa Webber is the founder the Sydney based boutique design and digital agency Holy Cow! The company specialise in branding, environmental design and digital solutions with a customer-centric focus that has seen them work with many large retail groups including Lend Lease, The Perron Group, Dexus, Mirvac, Colliers and CBRE. Holy Cow! is renowned for its award-winning partnerships with retail brands including Dymocks, Mad Mex, Pie Face and Sumo Salad.

Reed Gift Fairs Sydney February | 23-27 February 2019 | ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre

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Categories
Design Furniture Homewares

2019 interior design trends: Our predictions

Sponsored by Reed Gift Fairs

The interior design scene is an ever evolving space (that’s what we love about it right? The thrill of the new!), and 2019 looks set to deliver plenty more fabulous inspiration. From sustainable design to matte black and the enduring appeal of green, the upcoming Reed Gift Fairs Sydney is the perfect place to discover the latest interior trends and products when it takes place in February 2019. But before the event takes place, we’ve compiled a list of interior design trend predictions for the year ahead.

Matte black
2018 was a big year for black in interiors and I don’t see this trend waning anytime soon. A strong look for kitchens, where matte black reigned supreme, the flow-on effect will see black remain relevant in 2019 where we will see it make a strong appearance on the homewares scene too. Lighting, furniture, and home accessories will all take a walk on the dark side.

Sustainable/ethical design
With the environment a hot-button topic at the moment, I think we’ll see a shift towards more sustainable and ethical design. People will be more concerned with an item’s provenance than ever before and we’ll see lots of sustainable fabrics and natural fibres on throws, cushions and furniture – jute, rice paper and clay will be big. The beauty of this trend is its ability to cross genres – it works across French Provincial, boho, coastal and Scandinavian inspired interiors and more.

Love That Homewares, stand T72

Green
It seems our collective love affair with green is going nowhere. From jungle-inspired prints to the indoor plant trend (a trend that looks set in) green will remain relevant for 2019 interiors. In keeping with this idea, Taubmans named its paint colour ‘Night Watch’ its 2019 Colour of the Year. A deep, luxe green it’s the perfect way to bring the outdoors in and it’s a moodier alternative to bottle green that looks fabulous with on-trend black.

Love That Homewares, stand T72

Dark kitchens
Remember when kitchens were almost universally white? Well that’s certainly a thing of the past if this year’s penchant for dark (mostly black) kitchens is anything to go by. A consistent theme on this year’s Block, dark kitchens are certainly having a moment and I see that continuing in 2019. Ranging from graphite to navy blue and black, the look is almost always matte in finish and door profiles range from settler style to ultra-minimal iterations. It’s also a look that doesn’t end with joinery – dark splash backs (tiled or otherwise), dark flooring and dark paint will be the look du jour for 2019.

Caravel Gifts and Homewares, stand QQ52

Art deco
Given our love affair with the mid-century modern period has saturated interior design for many years now, I’m predicting the rise of art deco inspired interior furniture and homewares. Possibly the most glamorous design period in history, it’s already celebrated in the Hollywood Regency aesthetic (think curves, velvet, mixed metals and mirror) but I predict it’s a look that will cross over to the mainstream.

Annabel Trends, stand E47

Resort inspired style
Perhaps it’s because we’d all rather be on holiday but resort-inspired style will be big a big interior trend in 2019. Think expansive bathrooms with decadent spa baths and rain shower heads, tropical scented candles and smatterings of rattan furniture paired with large tropical indoor plants. Aloha!

Kelly Lane Homewares, stand Q11
KAS Australia, stand L29
Mr Poppins+Co, stand DD18

Mixed metals
From brass to gold, nickel, silver, bronze, pewter and copper, metallic finishes remain a strong trend that will continue in 2019. I wouldn’t mix more than two or three in a single space but there’s nothing like a touch of metal to inject a high-end, luxe feel.

Love That Homewares, stand T72

 

Reed Gift Fairs Sydney February
23-27 February 2019
ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour

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Categories
Homewares

Reed Gift Fairs: the perfect post-christmas buying experience

Sponsored by Reed Gift Fairs Sydney

Over 500 wholesalers showcasing thousands of new product ranges across homewares, gift, fashion and jewellery, will come together at Reed Gift Fairs next week. And in a retail world that is constantly evolving, retailers will also have the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best minds with their Retail Therapy education series.

From social media bootcamps and creating digital content to smartphone photography tips and and getting your website front and centre, you’re promised affordable, practical, take-home tips to take your retail business to the next level.

Retailers come to Reed Gift Fairs for a multi-sensory experience, to source for their shelves’ (bricks and mortar or online!) next bestsellers. The show spans two levels categorised into Homewares on the lower level (Home, Furniture & Interiors; Kitchen & Dining; Body, Bath & Fragrance) and Gift on the upper level (including Books & Stationery; Kids, Toys & Games/Gadgets; and Jewellery, Fashion & Accessories), in a department store style layout.

Reed Gift Fairs Sydney is on from 24 to 28 February 2018 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney, Darling Harbour.

More than just a collection of exhibitors’ stands, there’s also wine bars, pamper massage zones, charging stations and multiple food and beverage outlets for the ultimate retail trade sourcing experience. It’s the perfect time for retailers to stock up post-Christmas.

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organiser with a growing portfolio of over 500 events in 40 countries, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings, across 43 industry sectors – from retail and aviation to beauty and cosmetics to sports and recreation.

Reed Gift Fairs is a trade-only event, and admission is free upon validation of the necessary trade credentials (company website and/or ABN) and completion of the registration process.

Getting there

Located in the heart of Darling Harbour, ICC Sydney is easily accessible by public transport, including light rail, ferry and train and is only a 10-minute walk from Central and Town Hall train stations. Secure parking is available and conveniently located within the Darling Harbour precinct. A free shuttle will operate between Reed Gift Fairs (Door 2, Level 1, ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre) and Life Instyle (Moore Park) on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February only. Reed Gift Fairs offers a complimentary airport shuttle service during the fair, available to visitors travelling interstate to and from Sydney Domestic Airport and ICC Sydney.

You don’t want to miss this event – Register Now!

Questions? Email their Customer Service team at [email protected]