One of Australia’s longest running consumer exhibitions will move to Sydney Showground this year, with the Craft & Quilt Fair to be held in June.
In previous years, the event was held at ICC Sydney, and was scheduled to take place there in 2020 before being cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the event will draw in crowds of craft and quilt enthusiasts to the Sydney Showground exhibition halls, from 23-27 June 2021.
Sydney Showground head of sales Andrew Roberts said he and the team are delighted to become the home of such an iconic event, produced by Expertise Events.
“The Craft and Quilt Fair is such a well-known and well-respected event, so to be chosen as the new venue for the June exhibition is a fantastic start to the year, and we look forward to working with Expertise Events to welcome the show into a new era at Sydney Showground,” he said.
Attendee feedback leads to venue change
Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy explained the relocation of the event was in response to a changing market.
“It is important that as the event industry emerges out of 2020, we listen, act and be open to changes that create more integrated experiences and meet the needs of the markets we serve,” he said.
“For us, that meant a new home that better suited our needs for the 2021 Craft and Quilt Fair.
“Feedback that we had received from visitors over the past few years included a need for increased access, difficultly moving across multiple levels and ‘add on’ costs for attending.
“The decision to relocate to Sydney Showground was our way of taking on board feedback and providing a real ‘solution’ to these issues.”
Sydney Showground’s location within Sydney Olympic Park was another key motivator for the move, with Fitz-Roy saying a high percentage of the event’s audience is based around that area, while the event hopes to attract an “emerging younger market” based in Western Sydney.
“From what we saw, consumer events that have made the move have enjoyed increased attendance, so it was a natural transition for us to call Sydney Showground home and place the Craft & Quilt Fair in the best possible position for continued growth,” he said.
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