Our Top 7 Tips For Attending Spring Fair
OUR TOP 7 TIPS FOR SPRING FAIR 2022
Important information to remember:
Date: 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th February 2022
Location: NEC Birmingham
& you can find The Art File at Hall 3, Stand P11!
Are you a first timer at Spring Fair? If so, we can’t wait to welcome you with open arms, and we know you’ll have a fantastic time – it’s impossible not to with so much going on at the show! If you’re a trade show veteran but haven’t been to Spring Fair before, this article is for you too - every trade show is different, and Spring Fair is one of the largest in scale. Either way, we hope you’ll gain something from our top tips to know before attending Spring Fair 2022!
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(1) Plan your visit!
We recommend that before attending Spring Fair, you make a note of who you want to visit. Spring Fair is far too big to get through in one day, so you’ll need to prioritise the exhibitors you simply can’t miss before you go for a more relaxed wander around the NEC. Whilst t’s fun to walk around and visit whichever stand takes your fancy, you might get back and kick yourself if you’ve missed someone important! It’s all about striking the right balance.
To do this, you can utilise the show guide – Spring Fair’s ‘Little Black Book’ - that gets sent out before the event and note down the stand information for each company you want to visit on your phone or in a notebook that you’ll be taking with you. Here’s one to note down now – our stand is Hall 3, Stand P11
(2) Stay hydrated
All trade shows are in large buildings that often use air con all day to keep people comfortable, so you’ll be surprised at how dehydrated you get quite quickly – not to mention all that walking and talking. We recommend bringing water with you so you don’t have to keep heading off to find a food stall. As we mentioned before, Spring Fair is huge, and depending on where you are at the time you might be a little way from a bottle of water.
(3) Comfort is key!
Speaking of walking and talking, we highly recommend you wear comfortable shoes for Spring Fair. The average trade show goer walks up to 10km in a day – and you wouldn’t go on a hike in an uncomfortable pair of shoes that might blisters! Even when you’re not walking, you’ll be standing up more often than sitting down, which is even more of a reason to prioritise comfort. Because of this, we highly recommend taking your lunch break seated, or you’ll run out of steam by the end of the day.
(4) Prepare a business card or contact details
Companies exhibiting at shows really appreciate it when you have information ready to go – not to mention it ensures you a place in their contact books. It’s optimal for everyone! At trade shows, everyone is busy and has a lot to remember, so having the information already written down and easily to hand over helps both you and the person you’re networking with.
(5) Choose your bag wisely!
We recommend bringing a large rucksack that will be comfortable even when full, or even better, a small suitcase or shopping bag with wheels. Make sure they’re as empty as possible when you arrive, though. This is because you’ll want to take a brochure from most of the stands you visit, and these get heavy quite quickly when piled on top of another.
You don’t want to get halfway through the show, find a new company you really love, and not have any more space or strength for their brochure or promotional material. Make sure your bag lets you carry them all – you don’t want to miss out!
(6) Parking
There is free parking at the show and shuttle buses from the car park to the NEC entrance. This is great, as it means you don’t have a considerable walk to the venue before you’ve even started exploring Spring Fair. Before you hop on the shuttle bus, though, it’s a good idea to take a photo of where your car is parked, or make a note of the name of the carpark you’re leaving it in (they are named with letters, i.e. Carpark F, Carpark G, etc). You could even set a location marker on your phone. This is important because there are numerous carparks at the NEC, each with hundreds of cars parked in each one – it would be quite easy to get to the end of the day and totally forget where your car is, and where to get off the shuttle!
(7) Travelling by train
If you’re travelling by train, there’s a direct walkway from the station at Birmingham International to the Atrium serving Halls 1-5 Birmingham, taking about 10 minutes. Follow the signs (or the crowds), and you won’t get lost!
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We look forward to seeing friends and industry colleagues old and new at Spring Fair very soon. We hope our tips will serve you well, and save you time and energy! We hope to see you at Hall 3, Stand P11. Finally, here are some useful links so you can make the most of Spring Fair 2022:
Little Black Book: https://bit.ly/3AzkNBu
List of Exhibitors: https://bit.ly/3AE2Q4T
Plan Your Visit: https://bit.ly/3u5wvm1
The Art File’s Spring Fair Profile: https://bit.ly/3AD4gfQ
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REMINISCING: SPRING FAIR 2020
We’ll be updating our socials throughout the trade show. Keep up to date via our social media platforms through these links - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok – or just search The Art File! You can also follow Spring Fair’s socials here: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Remember, everyone at Team Art File is here to help. As always, if you have any questions about our new products, or anything else, please send an email to sales@theartfile.com and we’ll be happy to help.
