Yesterday, I attended the AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair 2024. This premier wholesale event is a must-visit for retailers looking to source giftware products, including Australian-made products, and stay ahead of industry trends. Let me share my personal experience and insights from this year's show.

A Bustling Marketplace of Ideas

The Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre was abuzz with activity as I entered the fair. There was so much to see, the exhibitors showcasing their wares; it soon became clear that the four hours I allocated wouldn't be enough to see everything. So I did the best I could.

I was pleased to meet many of my POS software users. They told me they were actively spending at the show, with many expressing satisfaction with the show. 

Australian-Made

This year's AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair 2024 strongly emphasised Australian-made products. Not much was, I think, Australian-made; there were many products with an Australian theme.

Standout Categories

A few product categories caught my eye, which could be valuable for you:

Costume Jewellery

These items have very good margins. Not that expensive to get into either. 

Health and Wellbeing

With consumers increasingly focused on self-care, this category has shown strong growth for years. There is a growing market for wellness-minded customers.

Socks

Surprisingly, high-end socks were a big trend. While it might seem odd, there's a market for premium foot comfort. What do you think? Are fancy socks the next big thing in gifting? Everyone needs socks.

Mixed Feelings on Toys and Games

The children's section left me a bit underwhelmed, not that much there. Many retailers I spoke with mentioned they do better with major brands like Disney regarding toys. It's something to consider when managing your gift shop inventory.

Pricing Concerns

My biggest takeaway? Many items seemed overpriced for the average gift shop. While the fair offers an excellent opportunity to discover unique products and meet smaller suppliers, savvy retailers might consider diversifying their sourcing strategies to balance their inventory by buying directly through the Internet.

The POS Perspective

As someone in the point-of-sale industry for gift retailers, I couldn't help but notice how so many products were set up for POS Software. With a diverse range of products, from small trinkets to larger homewares, a versatile retail POS software system is essential for smooth operations and effective small business inventory management.

Is It Worth Attending?

Despite some reservations, I believe the AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair 2024 is valuable for retailers. Here's why:

• Thousands of unique products under one roof
• Chance to discover fresh, trendy items
• Networking opportunities with suppliers
• Insight into upcoming industry trends

Conclusion

The AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair 2024 offers many opportunities for brick-and-mortar retailers. While it's vital to approach pricing critically, the event provides an unparalleled chance to refresh your product lines, connect with the industry, and explore new retail POS software solutions to streamline your operations.

Have you attended the fair? I'd love to hear about your experiences and the gems you've discovered. Comment below, and let's chat about your retail trade show tips!

Here are some pictures I took of what I thought was interesting.

Fairs and conventions came to a halt with the Covid-19 pandemic. Many organisations tried some form of virtual meetings. From what I've seen, the results were generally disappointing. If someone is looking online, what do they need for a virtual trade show?

Now, as vaccines are rolling out and restrictions loosened, trade shows are viable again. Still, the way forward may not be clear.

* Many are not yet vaccinated and will be denied admission if they try to come. The big problem is that if two people want to go in a group from a store today, one is most likely not vaccinated.

* Many vendors' staff and attendees still have health concerns.

* Some potential attendees now prefer virtual trade shows after getting used to them as it is much faster and cheaper, e.g. no travel or hotels.

Still, some things are difficult to do virtually, such as analysing a photo gift item, meeting with your vendors in person, meeting new vendors, etc. 

So it will be interesting to see what happens as the trade shows start again, will many go?

It will be a make or break for the trade show industry.

Still, vendors are interested as both the Reed Gift Fair in February in Sydney and the Fine Food Australia scheduled for March in Sydney are already over 90% booked. I have also been told that there is little left, which I believe as prices are pretty high to attend.

Note, they all have clauses in case of another cancellation.