Leading buying group Associated Independent Stores (AIS) has revealed the calendar for its industry-favourite INDX Home, Fashion and Leisure trade shows.
Following a successful Q1 in 2023, AIS has made the decision to retain the same running order for the Q1 2024 shows, with the year set to open with INDX Furniture on 19-22 January at AIS’ dedicated exhibition venue, Cranmore Park, in Solihull.
As part of the format’s 10th anniversary in 2023, INDX Womenswear & Footwear was combined with INDX Accessories to form INDX Woman, while the nation’s number one menswear show, INDX Menswear & Footwear, was revamped into INDX Man. With AIS recording positive visitor and exhibitor feedback to both, the refined Fashion shows will also return in 2024 on 31 Jan-1 Feb and 4-6 Feb respectively.
INDX is also the home of the UK’s only dedicated intimate apparel show, which is set to take place on 11-13 Feb, while INDX Homewares will return as the one-stop-shop from homewares categories on February 20-21.
The full calendar for INDX 2024 is below:
January
· INDX Furniture, 19-22 January
· INDX Kids, 28-29 January
· INDX Woman, 31 January-1 February
February
· INDX Man, 4-6 February
· INDX Intimate Apparel, 11-13 February
· INDX Homewares, 20-21 February
March
· Toys Autumn/Winter 2024 Imports, 12-13 March
April
· INDX Bed & Bedroom, 23-24 April
June
· INDX Sports & Leisure, 5-6 June
· INDX Furniture, 18-20 June
· INDX Kids, 30-31 June
July
· INDX Man, 14-16 July
· INDX Woman, 21-23 July
· INDX Intimate Apparel, 28-30 July
August
· INDX Bed & Bedroom, 28-29 August
September
· INDX Homewares, 10-11 September
· Toys Spring/Summer 2025 Imports, 11 September
December
· INDX Sports & Leisure, 4-5 December
Jane Bartlett, Director of Events at AIS, said: “We have taken exhibitor, visitor and member feedback into account in the curation of our 2024 show calendar. In 2023, we made the decision to schedule our shows in relation to industry buying cycles so that they are best placed to serve the needs of both ends of the buying relationship. Overall, the response to this has been extremely positive, so we have made the decision to carry this running order over into 2024. We look forward to welcoming our varied customer base back to Cranmore Park for another successful year of trading.”
AIS has already hosted seven exhibitions so far in 2023, with a number of exhibitors weighing in with positive feedback.
Greg Bachelor, Sales Director at TCH, said: “We’ve been attending INDX Furniture since the very first show 10 years ago, and it’s amazing to see how it has adapted over this time to keep in line with industry demand. Throughout this time though, the low-pressure environment has been a constant mainstay, meaning we can focus on letting our products do the talking.”
George Mann, National Sales Manager at Le Creuset, added: “It’s no exaggeration when I say that this (INDX Homewares) has been a fantastic show for our business. We had our first customers on the stand for 8:30am on the Tuesday morning and by 8:50am the first orders were secured.
“I believe, more so than ever, that it’s incredibly important to connect face to face with business owners and buyers during this challenging climate. The lovely personal environment INDX offers allows us to spend time with our customers to learn about their challenges and ensure we are tailoring our support to their individual needs, and of course sharing our newness of the season to secure deals with both existing and new customers.”
Andy Smith, Sales Agent at Jana Shoes, concluded: “We recently returned to INDX (Woman), with this being our second show since coming back, and it’s definitely been the right decision for us. The current climate is forcing people to place orders much earlier in the season and we chose INDX because it’s so well-timed as well as being a focused order-writing show.
“The trade show landscape has changed so much in the last 10 years and exhibitors need to be able to demonstrate ROI more clearly, which is why I think INDX is seeing a resurgence with a lot of key players in the market. We’ve certainly had to make some important decisions with regards to where we prioritise our exhibition budgets.
“The INDX shows seem to have a new lease of life in the past year or so, and the organisers are clearly responsive to what’s going on in the world around us to make sure it’s well-suited to both suppliers and visitors.”
