Although no official announcement has yet been made by the Hyve Group, the gift industry is buzzing with the news that Autumn Fair, scheduled to take place from September 6-9 at the NEC, has been cancelled.
Although the intention was to go ahead with the event, it is understood that the health and safety aspect of holding the show was a major deciding factor in the organisers taking the decision to cancel.
Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association commented: “I have been working very closely with the organisers of Autumn Fair over the past few months, and the main issue has been looking after the best interests of people in the industry, both from a business and a personal perspective. All the way through, it has been about health and safety issues and the practicalities of exhibiting and/or visiting the show. As everyone recovers from the impact of Covid-19, the hope is that our industry will be able to come out in a much better shape in 2021.”
2020 would have marked Autumn Fair’s 30th anniversary, with highlights of the show including an expanded Summerhouse and a brand new sector, The Furniture Show.
Top: Autumn Fair will not be going ahead as planned this September.
