The return of a live Exclusively Show – potentially the first opportunity for small domestic electricals, tableware, kitchen ware, gift and destination garden centre buyers to get together with suppliers for many months – is an exciting prospect!
So says Will Jones, Chair of Exclusively and Chief Operating Officer of BHETA (the British Home Enhancement Trade Association), which owns the show.
A briefing webinar for exhibitors attracted a record turnout eager to hear about the many marketing options, networking events, the Brand Showcase, the consumer trends manifesting in Autumn 2021 and beyond, and of course the operational and safety procedures.
One of the great things about Exclusively is the level playing field it offers to all companies – large, small and new to the market – ensuring that buyers see the leading brands, the major launches and many items that they will not have seen anywhere else.
Among the 130 exhibitors and 300 brands on show, there will be the biggest and most established names in small domestic electricals – brands like Dualit, RKW, ESG, Funky Iron, Swan and Melitta. It is the perfect opportunity for buyers, journalists and influencers to find everything they need, including ideas that are that little bit different.
Exclusively 2021 – which is scheduled for 24 and 25 August – will feature a wider range of product than ever before. Just taking the Launchpad – a new feature at the live show dedicated to smaller companies and start-ups – there will be a whole host of consumables on show alongside general merchandise. This will make Exclusively a perfect opportunity to explore the potential of baking kits, speciality teas, exotic spice blends, gorgeous cheeses, home curing kits and foodie hampers alongside the related housewares and small domestic electrical items.
Trend Talks
The Exclusively show is also not just about product. It has a reputation for predicting commercial trends and a proven track record for enabling brands to get in front of buyers and the media. Popular features such as the Trend Talks and Tours with trend forecaster, Scarlet Opus and the Brand Showcase, which provides media with a curated insight into the best new products have been expanded considerably compared to previous years.
Insightful trend predictions are a particular draw for savvy buyers and this year will be no exception. At the briefing meeting, Phil Pond from Scarlet Opus gave a sneak preview of three trends which will start to come through from the Autumn/Winter this year – the idea being to help ensure that the products on display at the show are perfectly placed for buyers both short term and into Christmas, as well as long term.
Neo Luxe, all sophistication and dark romance from earlier centuries, combines rich luxurious colours with high drama and an almost punk quality in its provocative glamour. Key for Christmas, the look will be around for three to five years.
Reset accepts sustainability not as a trend but as ‘the norm’. This is about the circular economy and designing out waste and will see blues and greens with muted patterns reminiscent of foliage, herb, fruit and vegetables.
The third trend to be previewed was Togetherness, which will manifest in Spring/Summer 2022. Upbeat and positive, joyful, colourful and vintage, it is all about sharing, collaboration and putting people first, a multicultural outdoors them with flavours of Africa and the Caribbean.
Brand Showcase
There is no doubt that products which work with any of these will not only be prevalent in the exhibition in general, but also in the Brand Showcase – a media-friendly edit of the main show – where some 250 press, bloggers and influencers will soak up the on-trend thinking and use it in all their coverage to come.
Given all that the world has endured over the last 15 or so months, it goes without saying that the safety of all Exclusively visitors and exhibitors is paramount and Exclusively is working closely with its venue, The Business Design Centre in Islington, to ensure that all necessary protocols for registration, hospitality, events, meetings and the total visitor/exhibitor experience are in place, should they be required.
Will Jones commented: “Everyone can be confident in being there and in enjoying a great show. The opportunities to see the latest product, talk to suppliers and gather all manner of excellent content and market intelligence is second to none.
“Following the lack of industry face-to-face interaction over the last year I would say that this year’s Exclusively is a real must for buyers in the small domestic electricals market.”
Over the coming days, ERT will present some of the key product lines from some of this year’s biggest exhibitors at Exclusively. Keep your eyes peeled next week!
