Another trade fair casualty as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, boutique gift fair The Big Design Trade has been postponed.
The retail trade show for original, ethically made gifts and design was scheduled for 30 July to 1 August at Meat Market Melbourne, held concurrently with another popular retail event, Life Instyle.
While Life Instyle is still planning to go ahead, the organisers of The Big Design Trade have made the difficult decision to cancel the fair.
In a statement they say there were too many uncertain factors making it very difficult to continue with the show.
“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, however, after listening to the shared financial and health concerns of our retailers and exhibitors we think this is the safest and most responsible course of action,” the statement reads.
“In addition, government restrictions on travelling and major events, as well as the need for social distancing, would make it extremely difficult for a live event to be successful this August.
“So that our clients and stakeholders can avoid losing money on flights, accommodation and other associated costs, we feel that it is within everyone’s best interest that we act now.”
The organisers add that with Covid-19 changing the world around us, they have had to adapt just like many of its exhibitors.
“The world may have stopped for a moment, but our exhibitors have not. They are adapting, creating and looking for new lines of distribution. We’ll continue to highlight their beautiful, original design products via our social media channels and e-newsletters so you can stay in-the-know about new product launches and other exhibitor news.
“We are also very excited to let you know that in response to these unprecedented circumstances The Big Design Trade will be launching a digital catalogue for 2020, creating a new platform for retailers to browse our exhibitors’ latest collections and order their products for the Christmas shopping season. We look forward to sharing more information about this over the coming weeks.”
The Big Design Trade is an industry-only event for retail buyers from across Australia and New Zealand who are committed to stocking original, high quality and ethically made products in their stores including fashion, jewellery, homewares, art prints, stationery, body products and kids gifts.
The next Big Design Trade will be held from 29 July to 31 July 2021.
