Home & Gift Harrogate round up by Clare Harris
Posted by Clare Harris on
I enjoyed my summer trip to Harrogate for the Home & Gift Harrogate. It is such a beautiful town, so a pleasure to walk to the stand each morning and to find restaurants in the evening with colleagues. I did not make the nightclub, but it sounds like Clarion Events were very generous hosts.
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Of course, above all, it is fantastic to meet our customers and to hear how they are getting on and their specific interests/feedback. This is so enjoyable and vital for me staying on the pulse and being of some value.
I also love to meet comrades at other suppliers – some veterans and lovely ex-colleagues like Rachel Stables at Jellycat or meeting Andrew McLellan our stand-neighbour at KIKKERLAND EUROPE BV. Our other stand-neighbour was selling beautiful English Delphinium petals grown on LSF farm so we struck up some work related conversations.
My favourite tent was perhaps Design Point 4 with some lovely companies, all my cup of tea and many with various products that complement a gathering or gift. I confess, I am a fan of recycled serving spoons when dishing up dinner at home, so TwoSpoons is a favourite with messages such as “Dig In” or “Elbows Off”!
Whilst meandering, I tuned into several themes and trends: - Made in Great Britain – that is such good news for team UK. And not only made in Britain, but also all the below on top - Recycled materials – from plastic bottles to old tea lights (Recycled Candles UK) or old cutlery (Two Spoons as above). - Personalised messages – perhaps my favourite personalisation is from a stand I have always liked Repeat Repeat Ltd and indeed have in my kitchen cupboard at home (made in The Potteries and able to personalise a mug with say, The Cotswolds or Edinburgh). - Helping those less fortunate – I spotted some soap from Labre's Hope made by people experiencing homelessness. That can’t be easy to orchestrate, so an uplifting concept.
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