Home & Gift A guide to retails favourite sourcing event
It was all the little details that had gone into the show that made it for me, the lawn area was a real highlight
Home and Gift is an annual trade show in Harrogate for retailers to source products for their stores and exhibitors to showcase their latest product collections, it claims itself to be Retail’s favourite sourcing event and I thought i’d share why I agree!
Before Home & Gift I’d taken a 2 year break from trade shows.
I was at a point in my business where things were going well but it felt a little bit like I was on a hamster wheel and growth was slow but steady. Investing in trade-shows felt like something I should be doing and so was doing them but I wanted to see what actually happened if I didn’t do one, would I stop getting orders, would my brand loose visibility, would I feel like i was missing out?
I have never wanted to sign myself up to a trade show because of FOMO and whilst of course I had my doubts when I saw others having success from doing multiple events I knew deep down I needed to try this.
What in fact happened was that I found out I didn’t need the trade show for orders they came in all sorts of ways and without the cost outlay I was able to invest in my biggest opportunity so far becomimg stoked in a national retailer. Not having the stress and costs of a trade show ended up being a blessing in disguise and I now know I can feel confident to do it again, it was actually really good for me to do this. I will say though that not being able to connect in person was the biggest miss for me, it’s why doing them even if it’s only occasionally is so important.
The map of the site which consisted of halls within the Conference Centre and 3 Marquees at the Majestic Hotel Grounds.
Why did I choose Harrogate for my return show?
I’d previously not considered Harrogate as it had always fallen in the Summer holidays but when I looked at the timings this year it was the last week of school.term so in terms of childcare logistics this one worked best!
I had heard some great things about the show too. When I asked my stockists where they go to source new products and which their favourite trade show was, so many of them told me it was Harrogate Home & Gift.
I’d had several people tell me that it would be a good show to try and that they thought my cards would be popular with the buyers that visit, so it felt like one to dip my toes back into the water with.
How it was different to Top Drawer
Aside from its location these were the main differences I noted when I compared it to Top Drawer
Harrogate is spread out across multiple venue’s all housed on one site although access to the Design point areas (which were marquee’s) was separate to the main halls in the conference centre. Top Drawer is under one roof within Olympia exhibition hall.
The cost of a shall scheme (which is basically your display area) I would say is similar as I am comparing 2024 prices against 2026 prices.
My last Top Drawer which i booked in 2024 cost me £2631.60 and Harrogate was £2989.20 (both costs include VAT and an exhibitor protection fee of £195 which is refundable if you have you own public liability insurance.) This was for the smallest space they offer a 3×1m/2×1.5m area
The set up and pack down (IYKYK) is less organised and more relaxed at Harrogate. It’s a bit of a nightmare to be honest as its right in the centre of town. There is a loading area but only a few cars can access it at a time. I used it for arrival and got there early and for pack down I ended up parking 10 minutes walk away and did 4 trips with my Trolley back and forth. I would say the set up and pack down is better organised and smoother at Top Drawer! (And that is saying something!)
Top Drawer runs over 3 days and Harrogate over 4 so if you are comparing costs I would say Harrogate is better value
I took x3 times the orders at Harrogate so for me it was a more successful l show. I was expecting the last day to be really quiet and it was to start with but then it got much busier again late morning early afternoon. I would say it was busier overall to what I have experienced at Top Drawer.
Where the retailers had travelled from
As the trade show is in North Yorkshire I had expected more northern stockists to be attending the show. And there were, but I would say it was a real mix and lots of stockists had travelled further. It’s in a lovely location and spread over a few days. The show had a lovely atmosphere and I really got the sense that it was enjoyable for visitors. I saw the most amount of my stockists visit compared to other shows I have done, and that’s maybe because I have more now, but I also think it does pull lots of buyers in.
Other Things to Note
It was beautiful weather when i was there. I believe the previous year had been torrential rain and the marquee tents had leaked!
I would personally avoid the Halls (A, B, M and C) these were inside the conference centre and it had a completly different feel, I found it a little dark and depressing and wouldn’t have been somewhere i’d have wanted to be. If you are thinking to exhibit I’d really recommend the Design Point marquees DP1, DP4 and DP3. I was in DP4 which were more smaller brands. DP1 was bigger and full of more established brands and DP3 had more jewellery and gift
Set up and Pack down is tricky due to the location but manageable. I’d recommend a Trolley and a helper!
Harrogate is a lovely base for a few days and it’s been my favourite and most successful l show to date and I have booked up again for next year.
What almost £3,000 buys you!
Making the space my own
