GHA has announced a major overhaul of its trade fair allocation and exhibition contracts with members from February 2009 as part of it fight back to secure its trade fair exhibitions, increase the quality and quantity of exhibitors for retailers and to increase the benefits to exhibitor members.

Established by its exhibitors over 30 years ago, GHA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides the most cost effective trade shows in the gifts and homewares industry.

New sweeping changes to their stand allocation system, are designed to make it fairer for regular and loyal exhibitors, provide surety of tenure, easier long term planning and make it more difficult for competitors to offer one-off deals to entice some members to exhibit elsewhere instead.

Key stand allocation changes include:-
(1) Formally adopting the previously proposed loyalty bonus, where a Member company who exhibits with GHA at all three of GHA’s Home & Giving Fairs in any one calendar year gets an additional bonus Trade Fair Point.

(2) Reallocation of all exhibition space for all fairs for 2009.

(3) Reduced rates for contracted exhibitors who sign up for 2 or 3 fairs per annum, with higher reductions for longer contract terms.

(4) Changing the basis of fresh reallocation of a floor plan, so that Key Exhibitors (as determined by GHA management), are allocated space first irrespective of trade fair points, followed by members who are contracted exhibitors, ahead of casual and occasional exhibitors, each based on trade fair points.

(5) Only contracted exhibitors will have rebooking rights for the same space. (Key Exhibitors will be required to be contracted).

Gift & Homewares Australia’s Chief Executive Alby Taylor says:

“GHA has lead industry change for more than three decades.  As the peak representative body in the gift & homewares industry, we are receiving support from our members for improvements that must be made to help people’s businesses and the industry prosper into the future.

“We have taken considerable care to ensure that our new policies are fair for all members and benefit the industry as a whole.

“Beginning in February 2009, our new exhibition policies come into effect and consist of: a new stand allocation system; and discounted exhibition rates for loyal members who commit to a multi-fair contract. We are rewarding our members’ loyalty by offering an unbeatable return on investment.

“Unlike commercial exhibition companies, we have a genuine interest in the long term future of people’s businesses and the industry as whole.”