autumn fair

What autumn fair does

Autumn Fair is the UK's leading wholesale trade show for the home, gift, garden and fashion sectors, held annually over four days at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. It is organised by Hyve Group and connects approximately 1,250+ exhibiting brands with 13,000+ trade buyers in a concentrated sourcing window positioned immediately before the peak Q4 retail trading season. The 2026 edition runs 6-9 September and is co-located with Glee (8-9 September), a garden and outdoor living show, creating a combined event of more than 20,000 buyers and 1,200+ exhibitors at no incremental attendee cost.

The product surface consists of the main trade show itself, structured into twelve curated sectors (Home Living & Décor, The Summer House, Beauty & Wellbeing, Gift, Greeting Cards Stationery & Wrapping, Kids Toys & Play, Everyday, Clothing & Footwear, Fashion Accessories, Jewellery & Watch, Food & Drink, and Retail Solutions). Around this core, Autumn Fair operates a portfolio of complementary event-format products: The Clubhouse (a buyer's lounge with networking, mentor sessions, and partner experiences including a live commerce integration with WhatNot), Pitch Live (an exhibitor pitching competition), Retail Makeover (a retail transformation event), 1-to-1 Mentor Sessions (run with Buying & Beyond), Retail Huddle Live (industry discussion programming), and the Voices of Retail Report (an annual research publication produced in partnership with wholesale marketplace Faire).

Revenue is generated predominantly from one-time exhibitor stand licence fees at the standalone Autumn Fair event, supplemented by registration-driven visitor traffic and a roster of strategic and association partnerships (WhatNot, Faire, Buying & Beyond, Garden Centre Connect, Greeting Card Association, Heritage Connect, Home & Gift Association, Retail Huddle, Save the High Street). The go-to-market is event-driven and B2B-only: exhibitors rent physical booth space to showcase products to pre-registered retail buyers ranging from independent stores through mid-market chains to enterprise retailers such as Scribbler. No AI/ML or software platform capability is disclosed; the underlying technology stack is the physical NEC venue infrastructure plus standard marketing surfaces (website, newsletter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube).

Name

autumn fair

Legal name

Hyve Group

Website

https://autumnfair.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Autumn Fair is a UK wholesale trade show, organised by Hyve Group, connecting 1,250+ home, gift, garden and fashion exhibitors with 13,000+ retail buyers at NEC Birmingham each September.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show Events

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD)

Keywords

• B2B trade show
• Retail buyer exhibition
• Wholesale trade fair
• Gift and home sourcing
• Fashion trade event

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Stand Fees: Revenue generated from brands and suppliers renting exhibition space at the trade show.
2. Visitor Registration: Trade buyers register to attend the event to source products from exhibiting brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Autumn Fair operates an annual B2B wholesale trade show held at NEC Birmingham every September, connecting 13,000+ trade buyers with 1,250+ exhibitor brands across home, gift, garden and fashion sectors over four days. The event generates revenue primarily from exhibitor stand rental fees and offers free trade buyer registration, with complementary experiences including Pitch Live competition, The Clubhouse buyer's lounge, Retail Makeover, 1-to-1 Mentor Sessions, and an Exhibitor Zone portal. Co-location with the Glee garden and outdoor living show creates combined footfall of 20,000+ buyers and 1,200+ exhibitors positioned as Europe's biggest buying moment before Q4.

Product overview

Autumn Fair is a physical trade show event and platform rather than a software product. It operates as the UK's largest trade event for home, gift, garden, and fashion sectors, held annually at NEC Birmingham. The offering consists of the main Autumn Fair trade show event (6-9 September) co-located with Glee garden show (8-9 September), creating Europe's biggest buying moment with 20,000+ buyers and 1,200+ exhibitors. The platform includes complementary services such as Pitch Live competition, The Clubhouse buyer's lounge with live commerce experiences, Retail Makeover events, 1-to-1 Mentor Sessions, an Exhibitor Zone portal, the Voices of Retail Report research publication, and Buying & Beyond partnership. The show is organized across twelve product sectors covering home, gift, fashion, beauty, toys, everyday, and retail solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Autumn Fair Annual B2B trade show held 6-9 September at NEC Birmingham connecting 13,000+ trade buyers with 1,250+ exhibitor brands across home, gift, garden and fashion sectors, creating Europe's biggest buying moment ahead of Q4 peak trading season.
• Glee Leading retail trade show for garden and outdoor living that co-locates with Autumn Fair at NEC Birmingham on 8-10 September, bringing combined 20,000+ buyers and 1,200+ exhibitors across home, gift, fashion, lifestyle, garden and outdoor living in a single buying trip.
• Pitch Live A competition event at Autumn Fair where exhibitors pitch their products to a panel of judges, with past winners having secured retail buyers, PR opportunities and business growth as a result.
• Retail Makeover A featured event at Autumn Fair offering retail transformation experiences, insights and competitions designed to help retail businesses reimagine their stores and customer experiences.
• 1-to-1 Mentor Sessions Exclusive mentoring sessions at Autumn Fair where attendees can discuss business challenges and retail buying strategies with experienced consultants from Buying & Beyond.
• Exhibitor Zone An exclusive online portal for confirmed Autumn Fair exhibitors containing profile details, exhibitor manual, stand construction information, health and safety guidelines, venue details, marketing resources, order forms, PR materials and checklists.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ collective buyers through the doors with over 1,200 exhibitors across both shows
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WhatNotcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2026Autumn Fair is partnering with live commerce platform WhatNot to bring their live commerce experience to the buyer's lounge (The Clubhouse) during the 6-9 September show at NEC Birmingham. WhatNot holds nearly 60% market share in live commerce and reported UK sales up 281% year-on-year, UK sellers up 360%, and first-time buyers up 374%.
• FairecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaire is a partner of Autumn Fair. The two companies collaborated to create the Voices of Retail Report, combining insights from 650 retailers and 2,000+ consumers to reveal what's driving growth in retail.
• Garden Centre ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Autumn Fair, connecting garden centre retailers with the trade show.
• Greeting Card AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Autumn Fair representing the greeting card industry.
• Heritage ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Autumn Fair.
• Home & Gift AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Autumn Fair representing the home and gift industry.
• Retail HuddleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Retail Huddle X Autumn Fair event featuring retail industry discussions and networking.
• Save the High StreetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Autumn Fair supporting high street retail.
• Buying & BeyondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Buying & Beyond (Katy and Lynsey, former Heads of Buying with over 30 years combined experience at retailers including Accessorize, M&S, Moonpig, Hobbycraft and Dobbies Garden Centres). They offer 1-to-1 mentoring sessions and host a Buyers Meet Up and Live Podcast at The Clubhouse during Autumn Fair.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Faire: Wholesale online marketplace connecting independent retailers with brands. Both an Autumn Fair partner and a structural competitor providing year-round digital sourcing that could substitute for physical trade show attendance.

Direct peers

• Top Drawer: UK-based curated trade show for design-led home, gift, fashion and lifestyle. Direct competitor for the same retail buyer segment, held at Olympia London.
• Home & Gift (UK): UK trade show for home and gift retailers. Comparable UK-focused event-driven model targeting independent retail buyers in the same categories Autumn Fair serves.
• Spring Fair: Sister UK wholesale trade show for home, gift and fashion also organized by Hyve Group, held in February. Most directly comparable event — same organizer, same buyer base, complementary seasonal timing.
• Glee: UK trade show for garden and outdoor living co-located with Autumn Fair at NEC Birmingham. Directly comparable event-driven model serving retail buyers with exhibitor booth fees.

Broad incumbents

• Vegas Market: Major US home and gift wholesale trade show operated by ANDMORE. Same event-driven B2B trade show model with substantial exhibitor and buyer scale.
• NY NOW: Twice-yearly US wholesale trade market for home, lifestyle, gift and accessories. Comparable model connecting designers and manufacturers with retail buyers via physical trade show.
• Ambiente: Frankfurt-based global consumer goods trade fair organized by Messe Frankfurt covering home, gift and dining. Comparable scale, venue-based B2B trade show model, broader international reach.
• Maison & Objet: Paris-based biannual trade show for home, gift, fashion and lifestyle. Europe's flagship design-led wholesale event; broader global footprint but same B2B trade show model targeting retail buyers.

Regional players

• Harrogate Christmas & Gift: UK regional trade fair focused on Christmas, gift and home products at Harrogate Convention Centre. Direct competitor for UK independent retail buyers but smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SpringAutFair
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Springautumnfair
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpringAutumnFair
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/spring-&-autumn-fair
• Instagraminstagram.com/springautumnfair/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@springautumnfair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about autumn fair