Uncategorized

Name: Sydney Gift Fair 2023
Start: 2023-02-18T19:00-05:00
End: 2023-02-21T23:00-05:00
Location: Sydney Olympic Park

South Africa’s Mervyn Gers Ceramics expands distribution down under at AGHA Gift Fair

EDITORIAL FROM BIZCOMMUNITY.COM SOUTH AFRICA:

South African handmade ceramics studio, Mervyn Gers Ceramics, has expanded its export footprint to include Australia and New Zealand. To do this, the local company has been working closely with Australian distributor, iKhaya Collections, based in Sydney.

NEWS-mervgers — Photo from mervyngers.com

Says Mervyn Gers, founder and director: “We’re delighted to work with iKhaya Collections. Headed by Peter Polovin, the company imports uniquely handmade products from South Africa and is the perfect fit. We’ve always believed Australasia, one of the largest economies in the world, to be an excellent export destination for our products.”

According to Shireen Ridgway, sales manager at Mervyn Gers Ceramics: “It’s so exciting that iKhaya Collections now imports our range of items in 14 of our unique glaze finishes. These are now available in stores throughout Australia and New Zealand, and will also soon be available online to these markets.”

NEWS-wonkiikhaya — Photo of iKhaya Collections stand from AGHA

Trade fair success

Ridgway recently returned from a large-scale exhibition in Melbourne. “AGHA is the organiser of Australia’s largest industry-led events for the retail and design sector, including two annual gift fairs in Sydney and Melbourne. Held at Sydney Olympic Park in February and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in August, the gift fairs are world-class business-to-business trade exhibitions, connecting wholesalers with retailers, corporate and hospitality buyers, stylists, designers and more,” she says.

The Melbourne Gift Fair was the first trade show since the Covid restrictions had been lifted and nobody knew what to expect. She continues:

I’m thrilled by the response to Mervyn Gers Ceramics. Retailers loved the uniqueness of our truly bespoke handmade table and serveware…

The fair afforded iKhaya Collections the opportunity of an excellent footprint in retailers throughout Australia and New Zealand. We’re truly encouraged by the response with orders placed to be in store for the forthcoming festive season.”

Sustainable job creation and business growth

Gers believes that Australia and New Zealand will boost the brand’s already growing export market.

“Needless to say, it’s all very exciting. We’re dedicated to supporting local job creation and passionate about handcraft every step of the way, from clays mixed in-house to our unique glazes developed over the years. This agreement offers us greater business security, continued sustainable job creation as well as growth. We employ over 48 staff and need to constantly expand our offering to both the hospitality industry and households locally and overseas.”

Ridgway concludes that Mervyn Gers Ceramics already has a strong footprint and brand recognition in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

“Mervyn Gers Ceramics is all about individuality, beauty, durable design, and a dash of sexy rebel spirit. Our studio, launched in Cape Town in 2011, has continuously been on the creative move. Being available in Australia and New Zealand can only further increase our brand recognition internationally, keeping the brand current and relevant. These two countries have a large discerning population and many foodies who love entertaining.”

To view Mervyn Gers products, view their website mervyngers.com and view distributor iKhaya Collections/Wonkiware website here.

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

DARLIN (AUST) LATEST GIFT AND HOMEWARES

EDITORIAL FROM SYDNEY GIFT FAIR 2022 CATALOGUE: Get your hands on the latest gift and homewares this February at the AGHA Sydney Gift Fair 2022. Your wholesaler with heart, Michelle Lawson from DARLIN (Aust) reveals why you cannot miss their range at the Gift Fair next month and why it’s important to attend, despite the current environment.

Michelle Lawson and her Husband, Phil from DARLIN (Aust) are dedicated to providing artisan made giftware, homeware and woodware from all over the world that meets the needs of their customers desire for premium goods that are both unique and beautiful. But its not all about the product, DARLIN pride themselves in customer service and creating a ‘family like’ experience when dealing with customers. Michelle shares,

‘We’re proud of our transparent and honest business ethics and when you become a member of DARLIN you become part of our family.’

The previous two years have been extremely challenging for everyone in the industry and with the return of Sydney Gift Fair in February 2022, DARLIN are getting ready to show the industry what they’ve been missing. From gorgeous and practical gift ideas that are excellent value for money to stunning new and bespoke homewares and furniture, you cannot miss this stand next month at Sydney Gift Fair. ‘We have so much on offer this February in Sydney. It’s been nearly two years and we can’t wait.’

‘Many of our customers have not seen at lot of our new products yet so it’s exciting to be able to reveal them in-person at the Gift Fair next month.’

When you visit DARLIN at the Gift Fair, you experience product that goes beyond the trends. You are sourcing products made from one of many small manufacturers who are making beautiful pieces with heart and soul. Most of the range is hand made from recycled, re-purposed, eco-friendly and/or sustainable products, so both you and your customers can feel good about looking after our precious environment. With No Minimum Dollar Spend, order what you need and go from there or enjoy their amazing Rewards Program – the more you order, the more freight and product discounts you will receive.

It doesn’t stop there! Despite the challenges faced in the past two years, Phil & Michelle went on a journey of business and personal growth through business coaching and won an award for ‘Most Improved Client Results over $1M Turnover’ – some recognition for the blood, sweat and tears they put into their business and servicing their customers.

Michelle also unveiled how crucial it is for retailers and buyers to attend the Gift Fair in February, despite what’s going on around us with Covid-19. ‘There is nothing like seeing, touching and feeling product. It’s a way for us to re-connect again as it’s been nearly two years! There are so many faces we have missed and face-to-face contact is so important, whether creating new relationships or re-building old ones. We need to return to the Gift Fairs in the ‘new normal’ to keep our industry strong – onward and upward we go!’

AGHA’s next event is Melbourne Gift Fair. LEARN ABOUT EXHIBITING or REGISTER TO ATTEND.

Tableware brand introduces new colour range at Sydney Gift Fair

Lyndal Thomas, founder of LyndalT, began selling artisan flowering tea and glassware in Sydney 14 years ago, expanding into fine china in 2015. For most businesses two years of Covid has been tough and like many other people in the industry Thomas was very excited to exhibit at the Sydney Gift Fair, which was held from 18 to 21 February.

Lyndal Thomas at Gift Fair — Courtesy of Australian Giftguide

“It has been lovely to be back and meet some old favourite clients,” she enthuses.

“They have been all happy to place an order and see the latest collection because I haven’t seen them for two years.

“We have a new range of heritage colours. Previously we had pastel and bold primary colours, so now we have the new mustard, aubergine, crimson, lavender, mint green and olive green. The response has been fantastic.”

Thomas says she has noticed a significant change in the kind of buyers attending the fair compared to before the pandemic.

“It has been a mixture of buyers—two thirds have been existing, a third have been new and a lot of those have been online-based, which is remarkably different to two years ago when we last exhibited.

“Pleasingly, the orders have been on the larger size and that could partly be due to the higher number of SKUs since we doubled the number of colours within the range. There has definitely been some good spending over the last four days, that is for sure.”

One of LyndalT’s latest collections, a limited design range, is a collaboration with Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. A donation of $5 for each product sold from this collection will be given to Arterie, an art and craft initiative for patients and their families coping with cancer treatment, a cause very close to Thomas’ heart.

She has been involved with Lifehouse since 2017. “A cup of tea can make all the difference between feeling overwhelmed and being reassured. Drinking tea from fine china is a special invitation to calm nerves and offer inclusion within a community.

“Staff can share teatime with a colleague over a cuppa which is both supportive and restorative, enabling a moment to converse and talk about what’s going on in life.

“I enjoy going to Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. It is a positive institution where specialists and community come together to fight cancer, providing hope.”

Thomas adds she loved her experience at the Sydney Gift Fair and all the positive feedback regarding her brand.

“The AGHA fair has been a really lovely community—the support is beautiful and we all share the same problems. As a result, I have come away with a lot more solutions, so it is great to work with like-minded businesspeople.”

Read the full story here from Australian Giftguide and view LyndalT website here.

AGHA’s next event is Melbourne Gift Fair. LEARN ABOUT EXHIBITING or REGISTER TO ATTEND.

Bondi Letters makes its debut at Sydney Gift Fair

Bondi Letters founder, Vanessa Opazo, wasn’t sure what to expect from her first gift fair, however, she is very happy with the outcome.

“I just had a three-month break, so I wasn’t overly prepared for the Sydney Gift Fair, but it was a beautiful experience and I met lots of different people,” she enthuses.

“Buyers who were interested in my products and wanted to sell them, but also people that just wanted to buy my products as a gift for someone else. They loved my products and had seen them on Instagram.”

Opazo, who is an architect by trade, came to Australia seven years ago from Spain on a working holiday visa, but it didn’t take long for her to find a steady job.

Dedicated to construction in her architectural role, she felt like she was losing her creative side—she studied both architecture and fine arts at university—and after browsing the internet she started practicing calligraphy and brush lettering.

“Every day after work, I was using it as a tool to ground myself and have some ‘me time’. I got really good at it and thought, I could teach this.

“So I started running workshops about three years ago (I love teaching and used to tutor back in Spain). As a hobby at first, it was more about having the experience than about the money. In fact, I started donating the money I made. For example, I did one workshop for the bushfires two years ago.”

When Covid hit and amidst the many lockdowns and people losing their jobs, Opazo realised that it was a good idea to have something of her own and she decided to cut her full-time job to three days and spend the rest of the week on building her business.

“I did a workshop with crystals and gave everyone a crystal with a word on it, that had a specific meaning to them. They loved it and the requests where they could buy them started coming in. At one point I had a waiting list of 100 people and I didn’t even have an online shop,” she explains.

“I started doing more workshops and it snowballed from there, so it was time to do the business full-time.”

But while the business is growing, Bondi Letters is part of a bigger plan, adds Opazo. “My vision is to have my own space where I can run workshops, but also be a space for other women, to share ideas, where we can help each other with the skills we have, so we don’t need to do everything on our own.

“Being an entrepreneur and trying to get your business going is scary, I have no idea what I’m doing at times, it’s overwhelming and there are so many things to learn. Having a circle of other women in the same position, collaborating and empowering each other, creating that sisterhood, having each other’s back, that’s what I envision. A space to transition from our full-time jobs to our dream jobs.”

Opazo has already collaborated with Tara from Wildfire Design Co on cards with zodiac prints. “When we launched the zodiac creative, I met Tara on Instagram and we decided to collaborate on cards with zodiac signs, got into prints and crystal prints. Our products are now available in 30 stores around Australia.

“I also got on really well with my neighbour (in the Artisan Lane zone) at the Sydney Gift Fair who is a jewellery designer and now we are collaborating on a new collection.”

Read the full story here from Australian Giftguide and view Bondi Letters website here.

AGHA’s next event is Melbourne Gift Fair. LEARN ABOUT EXHIBITING or REGISTER TO ATTEND.

Alcoholder’s new range showcased at Sydney Gift Fair

Alcoholder, which is known for its quirky drinkware, showcased its latest range, Tipsy Wicks, at the Sydney Gift Fair.

The alcohol-scented candles come sealed in beer cans and according to founder, James Boardman, buyers absolutely loved them.

Tipsy Wicks New Range — Courtesy of Australian Giftguide

“Buyers at the exhibition have been going nuts for these new products as they are something that is so unique that people haven’t seen before—and who doesn’t love a candle,” he enthuses.

“If you have ever wanted to crack open a hot one this is your chance, but I wouldn’t recommend drinking it as you might have some problems.”

Driven by a ‘moment of lunacy’, the team at Alcoholder came up with the idea for Tipsy Wicks last year when the pandemic was still creating a lot of havoc.

“About six months ago, during the worst period of Covid last year, we were sitting in the office with a lit candle and looked at the rest of our Alcoholder range and thought, wouldn’t it be great to be able to combine the two,” says Boardman.

“So then we worked out how to do it and we did it. We use a 330ml beer can with a full aperture lid so that when you crack the lid, the entire lid comes off the product.”

There are six candles in the range (RRP $34.95) including Mint Mojito, Champagne and Strawberries, Pina Colada and French Vanilla Bourbon.

Exhibiting at the Sydney Gift Fair for the first time, Boardman says the actual order values have been a lot stronger than anticipated.

“The expansion of our range is also a factor, but we have seen somewhere in the vicinity of 30 per cent increase in order value. Maybe the shelves are empty, but we have found that people are definitely ready to buy.

“We have seen approximately 70 per cent new buyers and 30 per cent existing buyers. We are seeing a lot of newly-born home-based businesses as well as interest in a lot of personalisation and branding for individual orders such as initial on a cup or names on a tumbler rather than corporate events that have dwindled by comparison,” he adds.

“We are about to take delivery of a laser-etcher so we can do more of this type of personalisation for our customers in-house.

“Overall, it has been a very pleasant experience and there have been no issues for us whatsoever. The amount of support from AGHA is difficult to match and you will definitely see us back again.

Read the full story here from Australian Giftguide and view Alcoholder website here.

AGHA’s next event is Melbourne Gift Fair. LEARN ABOUT EXHIBITING or REGISTER TO ATTEND.

Home furnishings company experienced boosted sales at Sydney Gift Fair

The decision to go ahead with the Sydney Gift Fair last month paid off for many exhibitors including home furnishings company Inertia Handicrafts. Owner Vivek Jain says that he was writing orders on each of the four days of the show, which hasn’t happened before.

Intertia Handicrafts home furnishings at Sydney Gift Fair — Courtesy of Australian Giftguide

“After two years and a lot of cancellations, the show has been a lot better than I had expected,” he says.

“I must congratulate the AGHA for going ahead with the show and even on the fourth day I have made very good sales, which I have not experienced at previous fairs.

“I had one sale on the second day from an existing customer who would normally spend $5,000, and this customer spent more than $20,000.”

Jain comments that having only one show instead of two had its advantages. “With only one show, there was definitely a decision by many buyers to spend all of their money at this show rather than across two. As a result, I believe there was a higher overall order value. Although the number of visitors was lower, we found that the quality of buyers was strong.”

Inertia Handicrafts always launches new designs at the fair and then after the show Jain adds them to his website and social media channels.

“There are four or five designs that are now completely sold out because I make only 200 pieces of each, so for the buyers there is an incentive to visit my stand at the fair.

“I have noticed an increase in online retailers attending the fair and an increase in the number of people who have already started their businesses and others who are about to start a new business. Another trend is store owners with a single store supported by an online business.”

Jain believes that the industry should support and frequently attend fairs.

“Each time I attend I acquire new customers and I increase the size of the order because it is not possible for me to create this type of display anywhere else in Sydney. When the buyers come to the fair, they come prepared to spend money.

“I have seen more new customers than old customers, the ticket size went up and by meeting in person it helps improve the bonding with the customer, and it is the decision maker who comes to the show and they are looking to make an order.”

Read the full story here from Australian Giftguide and view exhibitor Inertia Handicrafts website here.

AGHA’s next event is Melbourne Gift Fair. LEARN ABOUT EXHIBITING or REGISTER TO ATTEND.