Suppliers still considering entering their products in this year’s Gift of the Year competition have until 30 November to send in their entries. “The competition is an opportunity for businesses to enter their fabulous products and get them seen by the buyers and retailers who judge the competition, as well as raising their profile and boosting sales,” states The Giftware Association’s PR and marketing manager Chris Workman.
“By entering the competition companies get collateral to shout about their nominated products and are guaranteed for them to be seen by an audience that matters – buyers and retailers,” Chris continues. “At each competition stage that a company makes it through to, there are extra opportunities to raise their profile still further, with PR exposure and promotions from the trade press and our partners.”
Comments Victoria Eggs, founder of her eponymous company: “Winning Gift of the Year has been a huge help to my business. I received a lot of publicity at the time and it gave the products and myself as a designer a level of credibility and reliability that I did not have before.”
Adds Hannah Dale, founder of Gift of the Year winner Wrendale Designs: “We would definitely recommend other businesses to enter the Gift of the Year. It’s a great platform for meeting new customers, raising the profile of the business and receiving the acknowledgement of the hard work that goes into producing great quality products.”
Also highlighting the benefits of entering the Gift of the Year competition is Burgon & Ball. “The awards have really supported us with industrywide awareness as we’ve moved more into gifting over the years. Being recognised in a category helps us to reach new buyers.”
On the celebrity front, also banging the drum for this year’s Gift of the Year competition is ‘Dragon’ Sara Davies MBE, founder of Crafter’s Companion, and a Gift of the Year judge. Appearing in a promo video, Sara is encouraging companies who have not yet entered the Gift of the Year 2024 to get their entries in.
“This year, the Gift of the Year competition had over 100 industry expert retailers, buyers and yours truly, and has helped to skyrocket businesses, with previous winners now selling in Waitrose, John Lewis and Anthropologie,” enthuses Sara.
Click here to see the video Sara Davies Video
There are 20 Gift of the Year categories, with entrants also eligible for success in the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice categories.
The winners will be announced at The Gift Awards 2024, which take place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on 16 May, 2024, alongside the winners of The Greats gift retailer awards.
Visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk; awards@ga-uk.org; www.thegiftawards.com
