Spry launches new events for the upcoming Winter Booking Season with COVID-19 Restriction-proof formats to ensure they can go ahead.
The industry has spoken and has sent a clear message that the Spry Shows need to take place this upcoming booking season in some shape or form. As a result; the Spry Fall/Winter Booking events are confirmed to be taking place! Some format changes are necessary to ensure full compliance with anticipated COVID-19 distancing and crowd restrictions. But the usual Spry event formats will actually face very little disruption to ensure compliance due to their typical size and format.
The Ontario Season Preview format will remain virtually the same due to its existing “private, by-appointment” format except for some enhanced distancing and visitor traffic management.
The Ontario Winter Market and the Maritimes Winter Market will be replaced with new formats that will more resemble the format of the Season Preview in order to comply with any mandated health and safety requirements at the time of the events.
Introducing...
Spry Ontario Pop-Up Showroom Appointments Week
&
Spry Maritimes Pop-Up Showroom Appointment Week
For these new events, Suppliers and Sales reps will reserve pop-up showroom space as opposed to traditional "open booth" spaces. The biggest difference between a Spry pop-up exhibitor showroom and the more usual trade show booth space is physical and will focus on the degree of distancing between participating exhibitors and the degree of isolation/privatization of the space to avoid “crowding”. Retailers will be advised that they will need to make appointments with the brands they wish to meet with but will also have some limited opportunity to meet with other brands participating whilst there.
Depending on the exhibitors space design, any changes may involve greater use of high draped walls or some modifications to their hard –wall configuration. This will be to essentially provide isolated meeting rooms or "showrooms" with which to conduct business – but all the while, retaining the general location convenience and efficiency which retailers need to do their buying effectively and in the manner that they are used to in the tight seasonal booking window.
If exhibitors have any questions about what changes will be required for their traditional exhibit structure to be compliant to participate in the Spry Pop-Up Showroom Week, they should call the Spry office.
These new format Winter Market events will essentially comprise multiple individual private meeting spaces conveniently located in venue(s) in one geographical area to provide retailers an efficient and compliant-format opportunity to meet with many suppliers by appointment whilst they are "in-town" to buy for their stores.
For the Ontario event, the Embassy Grand will serve as the initial venue for this event but additional venues may be added based on demand. The Spry Maritimes event will be held at the Casino NB, unless forced to use an alternate venue.
The Spry Pop-Up Showroom Week venues are selected for their ability to provide individual, compliant event spaces that meet the distancing, “crowd-limiting” and isolation criteria mandated by the respective local governments.
These new events will replace the traditional Spry Seasonal Markets format until further notice.
Spry Season Preview Appointment Week: November 16th – 19th 2020
Spry Maritimes Pop-Up Showroom Appointment Week: December 1st – 3rd 2020
Spry Ontario Winter Pop-Up Showroom Appointment Week: January 4th – 6th 2021
For information about which brands will be participating, go to www.spryshow.ca