While promo shows across the globe were still finding their footing in 2022, 2023 has shown without question that events catering to branded merch professionals have bounced back – both in attendance numbers and enthusiasm.

This rebound was definitively on display at the 2023 Merchandise World show – the 10th event of its kind, which services the U.K. promo market – at the CBS Arena in Coventry, England, co-hosted by Sourcing City and the British Promotional Merchandise Association/BPMA.

The fabulous ladies of Sourcing City, the entity that puts on the Merchandise World show twice a year with the BPMA, who handles the awards dinner. Together, both groups do an amazing job with this event. Third from the right is Ella Long, operations director for Sourcing City, and the one who spearheads all the heavy lifting for the running of the show.

The show featured 14 new suppliers and over 160 exhibitors, many of whom had a strong focus on environmentally friendly products – evident from the new items presented across product categories and price ranges – especially in the curated ECO World booth, filled with a myriad of suppliers’ sustainability-driven items.

Over the two-day show, 1,374 distributor visitors attended – up 55% from 2022 – with 60% of visitors coming on Day 1 and 40% on Day 2.

“From the feedback we’ve had, our latest show was considered the best one yet,” said Sourcing City’s Ella Long, the show’s organizer. “We always aim to push the bar higher, so this was great to hear. Visiting distributors were excited about the new products and suppliers they had found, and exhibitors felt both the quality and volume of the visitors was exceptional. There was a lot of optimism in the air.”

Carey Trevill, CEO of the BPMA, noted that while the show was held in April last year due to scheduling and Covid issues, it’s advantageous to have it back in its usual end-of-January time slot. “Merchandise World this year proved the industry is buoyant, buzzing and busy,” said Trevill. “The show welcomed some of its highest visitor numbers for several years, keen to see the range of familiar and new suppliers to inspire the year ahead and deliver against briefs. A strong sustainable slant was adopted across the show, with visitors looking for the cues their clients are asking for. At the show, the BPMA launched its StepForward Pledge – a voluntary member-only initiative aimed at supporting every member’s sustainable journey. We showed off the recently presented Product Awards at the show and during the much-anticipated awards dinner hosted on Day 1 of the show celebrating our members, we also presented the first-ever Product Awards Grand Prix winner. We were also delighted to welcome colleagues from ASI and PSI to the event and discuss more collaboration in the year ahead. With many sectors facing tough times, our industry is looking onwards and upwards with order books that need filling and customers looking for innovation and inspiration. We won’t disappoint.”

Clive Allcott, commercial director for Direct Textiles + Bags (DTB), noted that Merchandise World is the U.K.’s premier event for both suppliers and distributors in the promotional marketplace, and a conduit for suppliers to introduce their benefits, new products and European solutions to customers. “For DTB, it allows us to showcase our company values set out within our ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) company pillars and goals,” said Allcott. “Merchandise World has also been the springboard to voice our European solution where we can now offer similar benefits to that of our U.K. offering across Europe.”

San Francisco-based Kenny Ved, director of global sales for supplier Goldstar (asi/73295) and a first-time attendee to the show, was impressed by the new clients with whom he and his team interacted. “I was able to meet and connect with many industry professionals which opened new opportunities for Goldstar globally,” said Ved.

Tom Kroc, director of international sales for Canada-based Counselor Top 40 supplier Stormtech (asi/89864), concurred. “We had a fantastic time at Merchandise World this year,” said Kroc. “We’ve had many new team members join over the past few months – including Shaun Rolfe who’s our new U.K./EU sales manager – and the show was a great opportunity to meet with our key customers and make introductions. We will be back again next year.”

The UK Market, By the Numbers

For context, in 2019 the promotional merchandise market for the U.K. and Ireland was close to £1.17 billion (British pounds) – about $1.44 billion (USD), with the industry declining by approximately 37% over the two years of the pandemic. According to just-released market data from Sourcing City, which services the U.K. promo market and is ASI’s and PSI’s partner in PromoAlliance, the industry has now recovered to 97% of pre-Covid levels with a market size of £1.13 billion (British pounds) – about $1.4 billion (USD). Further, according to Sourcing City’s data, there are just under 3,000 distributors in the U.K. and Ireland, and just over 2,000 suppliers.

“This is the sixth Lynka exhibition at Merchandise World, and this time was definitely the best,” said John Lynch, the American CEO/owner of Krakow, Poland-based apparel decoration firm, Lynka and Counselor’s 2022 International Person of the Year. “We were happy with the set-up – professional as always – and in particular the traffic: quantity and quality. Especially with so many U.K. distributors needing help getting their products to Europe – due to Brexit complications and logistics – we found many distributors eager to talk about our practical and creative solutions. Finally, the BPMA awards gala on Wednesday evening was huge fun and showed what a mature and cohesive promotional industry the U.K. has.”

Debbie Abergel, chief strategy officer at Counselor Top 40 distributor Nadel and Counselor’s 2022 Woman of Distinction, has attended the event in previous years, due to Nadel having an office in London. “There was definitely a positive vibe at this year’s show,” Abergel said. “Lots of energy on the floor, as there’s no doubt that everyone seems happy to be back to live events. Regarding product trends, of course sustainability continues to be a huge focus. And I was impressed at how many people attended the BPMA awards dinner, as it was really nice to see the U.K. promo community celebrate each other.”

And the Awards Go To…

The annual awards dinner, where the best and brightest in the U.K. promo market are lauded, is traditionally held in the evening of the first show day and hosted by BPMA. The honors are given to suppliers and distributors following a vote placed by each member.

Hosting the event, BPMA Chairman Haydn Willetts kicked off the evening by welcoming the approximately 500 U.K. promo pros in attendance back together for the spirited event. The recipient of the large Supplier of the Year award was the Laltex Group, and the recipient of the large Distributor of the Year award was Fluid Branding (asi/195718), the company owned by Miles Lovegrove and Matt Franks, Counselor’s 2021 International Persons of the Year.

Regarding the Supplier and Distributor Marketing Campaigns of the Year, Willetts shared the judge’s feedback before naming this year’s winners and talked of the innovation and inspiration from every entrant to this category. Judged by an independent marketing panel, the Supplier Marketing Campaign of the Year went to wcm+a; the Distributor of the Year Marketing Campaign award went to Counselor Top 40 Geiger (asi/202900/ U.K. office). And in a lovely moment for the last honor, the BPMA’s new Recognition Award acknowledging a lifetime of service to the U.K. promo market, Angela Wagstaff, owner of Allwag Promotions and a BPMA board member, presented Listawood’s Andrew Hill with the award, to a standing ovation from guests.

“It was wonderful to participate in this year’s BPMA Merchandise World event, as the show provided us with a great opportunity to re-connect with our suppliers face-to-face, and welcome some new suppliers and their innovations to our industry,” said Vicky Kinasz, managing director of Geiger’s U.K. office and the company that won the 2023 BPMA award for Distributor Marketing Campaign of the Year for its “Geiger Green Live” campaign. “The awards event also celebrated the best of British promo, bringing together hundreds of supplier and distributor members for a fun evening. We’re thrilled to have such recognition and are committed to drive our industry forwards in this important area.”

Willetts agreed with that sentiment: “In my role as both the chair of the BPMA and as regional director for U.K. and Ireland for midocean, I’m extremely happy with all aspects of the 10th Merchandise World show and the BPMA Gala Awards – excellent attendance for the show and the awards dinner, and making new contacts and potential new customers, as well as cementing existing relationships,” he said. “At the show, there was a real buzz and sense of excitement to all being together again and seeing what great new products are available for the coming year. High quality meetings and conversations took place. We hope that we can all carry this momentum forward and translate into positive sales growth for the U.K. market again in 2023.”

The 2024 Merchandise World show will be held January 24-25 in the CBS Arena in Coventry, England. For more information go to: merchandiseworld.co.uk.

Goldstar’s Kenny Ved (center) in his booth with Josh Haftel (far left) and Valerie Demontis (far right) from the London office of Counselor Top 40 distributor Nadel, shown here with Debbie Abergel and Craig Nadel.

Nadel owner & President Craig Nadel (left) with David Long, owner of Sourcing City, the service provider to the U.K. & Ireland promo markets and ASI’s partner (along with PSI) in PromoAlliance.

Haydn Willetts, the current chairman of BPMA and the regional director for the U.K. and Ireland for midocean who hosted the fabulous awards dinner, shown here with John Lynch, CEO/owner of Krakow, Poland-based Lynka and Counselor’s 2022 International Person of the Year.

What a fantastic group of people! (Clockwise): Sourcing City’s Jason Grenham (“J,” as I call him); PSI’s Viola Proietti; BPMA’s Tom Robey; and PSI’s Petra Lassahn at BPMA’s fun and festive awards dinner that attracted nearly 500 promo pros from the U.K. & Ireland market (as well as a handful of thoroughly entertained North American visitors).

There’s no doubt that sustainability was the top trend on everyone’s mind, which is hardly surprising considering the European market is about 10 years ahead of the U.S. in emphasizing the need for eco-minded products and initiatives. Here’s a sign from DTB’s booth explaining their ethos. www.dtbeurope.com

I loved this company – BabyUSB (with the tagline “The Branded Tech Geeks”) – who showed that even tech items can be eco-friendly, as evidenced by these chargers made from recycled water bottles. www.babyusb.com

Also from BabyUSB, this solar-powered calculator is made from recycled paper. www.babyusb.com

Meet Honest Bottle, a U.K,-based company that manufactures reusable bottles that are designed and made locally from recycled single-use bottles. They can imprint the lid and or the bottle’s strap. www.honestbottle.com

Shown here is the program for the awards dinner held during Merchandise World, beautifully organized and superbly hosted by the folks at BPMA.

The Geiger U.K. team with their BPMA award for the Distributor Promo Campaign of the Year.

Now in its 10th iteration, the Merchandise World show is the premier event for the $1.4 billion (in USD) U.K. & Ireland promo markets.

This colorful lion, the mascot of U.K. supplier Abbeygate Manufacturing – which produces branded diaries, journals and leather gifts – was full of personality and did its best to engage with everyone at the show. www.abbeygatemanufacturing.com.

Emphasizing the importance of the ever-growing sustainability trend and the omnipresent items at the show that spoke to that movement, there was a dedicated “EcoWorld” booth on the show floor, filled with sustainably focused and earth-friendly items.

One clever participant found an efficient way to make the best use of his time to cover the show floor.

With attendance up 55% over 2022, this year’s Merchandise World show proved without question that the U.K. market is primed for a robust 2023.

Here’s Clive Allcott, the commercial director for U.K.-based textile and bag supplier DTB. Leaning into its tropical theme, the booth served pina coladas, mojitos and daiquiris to the delight of show attendees.

The Sourcing City team, which handles the operation side of running the Merchandise World show. A phenomenal group, they have cutting-edge product search and business strategy tools and the best data I’ve seen for the U.K. & Ireland promo markets.

Canada-based Counselor Top 40 supplier Stormtech – building on its European business endeavors – had a booth at the show that garnered steady traffic throughout.

A new supplier, XD Connects has a wide array of beautifully designed promo items – the majority of which are eco-friendly, sustainable and have the item’s CO2 footprint data readily available.

The popular “Strike a Pose” photo booth on the show floor.

In addition to offering complimentary chair massages and a rolling coffee & tea cart, breakfast and lunch are free for participants of the Merchandise World show.

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