Announcing Showcase® 2022 – Ireland’s Creative Expo and Awards Return to the RDS with 4,000 Visitors Expected to Return
SHOWCASE – IRELAND’S INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE EXPO® RETURNS TO THE RDS, DUBLIN FROM SUNDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY TO WEDNESDAY, 2ND MARCH 2022 WITH 300 EXHIBITORS AND OVER 4,000 VISITORS FROM IRELAND AND OVERSEAS EXPECTED TO ATTEND. BUYER REGISTRATIONS ARE CURRENTLY +65% AHEAD OF WHAT THEY WERE IN 2020 FOUR WEEKS OFF OPENING DAY.
Showcase was founded in 1976 by Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) and is delivered with support from Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. It generates over €20 million of sales orders over the four days of the show. After a break to the physical show in 2021 due to the pandemic, the new hybrid trade only show (both an in person and digital event) will be an enthralling reflection of the changed design and craft landscape in Ireland and internationally.
While there were challenges, the last two years have marked a period of innovation and creativity, giving rise to exciting new ideas and approaches, products and entrants to the craft and design sector that will be presented to trade buyers at Showcase. Trends include a heightened focus on sustainability and the increased appreciation for quality crafted products and the stories behind them. These are aspects that Irish craft and design is renowned for the world over, and which have been drawing domestic and international buyers to Showcase for the last 45 years.
There is a hunger among buyers to attend physical shows again, registration is at an all-time high. As Ireland’s eighth largest employment sector, contributing €2.9 billion in Gross Value Added, this expo of design and craft will prove a significant catalyst to the recovery of the Irish economy.
A new digital experience will link international and national attendees who can’t travel this year with the event, and Showcase 2022 promises to see an expansion of buyers across all segments. This augurs an increase of domestic buyers whose consumer-driven demand for locally made products can be satisfied. The new digital marketplace, Showcase Connect, features all exhibitors, made fully accessible to registered buyers, 24/7/365. Using the platform, registered trade buyers can browse products and engage with exhibitors before, during and after the event. They can browse and ‘favourite’ products, send instant messages and set up 1:1 meetings. Showcase Connect opens on Valentine’s Day for buyers all over the world and closes on St Patrick’s Day, at which point the new Showcase Community 365 opens.
Showcase is an annual destination for retail buyers from Ireland and more than 20 other countries, including the UK, USA, Mainland Europe and the Far East, all keen to see the very latest designs from Ireland’s top brands and craft producers. The fair is an international launch pad for the 300 Irish designers, manufacturers and craftspeople who unveil their new season collections across fashion, jewellery, home and giftware. Each year, a particular emphasis is placed on a kaleidoscope of new products to market, providing retailers with opportunities to discover and stock up on the latest design-led products, many of which are unique to the show.
Brian McGee, Enterprise and Market Development Director at DCCI, says: “Showcase Ireland is a unique trade fair for designers and makers meet retail buyers, show their new work and secure orders for the year ahead. Buyer registrations are currently +65% ahead of 2020, which was the last year that the physical show was held at the RDS Dublin. Already we have a significant increase in Irish buyers showing the rapid improvement in confidence since the lifting of restrictions. There are also strong numbers for USA, Canada and UK. This year there is also a free Digital platform for all exhibitors which enables exhibitors to reach out to the more than 9,000 buyers on the database.”
“Showcase has a limited additional number of exhibition spaces available for creative enterprises who wish to engage with the retail trade for 2022. All the details are available on Showcaseireland.com or email [email protected]”
Showcase 2022 runs from Sunday 27th February to Wednesday, 2nd March and is for trade attendance only. For further details on the event or to register to attend, please visit www.showcaseireland.com.
For further information, please contact [email protected]
