British Craft Trade Fair 2016

British Craft Trade Fair 2016 – April 10th to 12th 2016

For the fourth year in a row I exhibited my products at BCTF, my favourite trade show.

I like it so much mainly, I’ll be honest, because it’s just up the road.  But it’s also because it’s well organised, relaxed, and attracts a good mix of retailers and galleries.  Oh, and I won an award there once.

It’s also the only trade show I attend where I share a stand, with Charlotte Verity and Kate Wimbush (we’re all members of Manchester Jewellers Network).  I think they felt sorry for me back in 2013 and knew I’d never have managed to organise myself on my own.  They know me well.

This year we were housed in a temporary structure which we were assured was “not a tent”.  The old building was knocked down for some reason, probably because it was just breeze blocks cemented together 50 years ago.  Actually the new temporary structure was better than the breeze blocks effort in some ways, much brighter for starters.  We had shocking weather though, so white carpets in a tent in a muddy field must have seemed a bold choice, with hindsight…

BCTF has been promoting British hand-made giftware for 40 years, longer than any other trade fair in the UK.  Their online trade catalogue BCTFonline, brings these products to the trade throughout the year.  The show features hundreds of makers working in multifarious mediums and styles, offering a vast range of products, attracting thousands of buyers from as far afield as Cork, the Hebridean Islands and Cornwall!