The Interiors Buyer's Essential Guide to Trade Shows

Trade shows should be an integral part of any interiors calendar, bringing thousands of products, hundreds of exhibitors, and countless opportunities under one roof. But with such scale comes a challenge: how do you make smart buying decisions in just a few days? This guide is designed specifically for interiors retailers, designers, and buyers to help you navigate the fair strategically and leave with a curated collection that works. 

Before You Arrive 

Set Clear Goals 

Know what you want to achieve before you step onto the show floor. Are you looking for new suppliers for a specific category, perhaps outdoor furniture or sustainable textiles? 

Are you seeking to refresh your lighting range? Looking for emerging designers to stock? Or strengthening relationships with existing suppliers and seeing their new season collections? 

For interiors buyers, clarity is especially important because the range is so vast. You could spend hours browsing without direction. Setting intentions, whether that's "source three new upholstery suppliers" or "find statement pieces for autumn window displays", keeps you focused and makes every decision easier. 

Do Your Homework 

Before arriving, take time to prepare: 

Review the exhibitor list and create a "must-see" and "want-to-see" list. For interiors, this might mean identifying brands in specific categories: lighting designers, sustainable furniture makers, or textile specialists you've heard about but never met in person. 

Research participating brands in advance. Look at their social media, websites, and recent collections. This means when you arrive, you're not starting from zero. You'll know which brands align with your aesthetic and customer base. 

Familiarise yourself with the show floor plan. Spring Fair can be vast. Knowing where key exhibitors are located saves you hours of walking and helps you prioritise your time. 

Check for show-exclusive deals. Many exhibitors offer exclusive discounts, free delivery, or percentage reductions during the show. These are often advertised on the website beforehand, so knowing them in advance helps with your buying strategy. 

Prepare Your Budget 

This is non-negotiable. Calculate your open-to-buy budget before attending, ensuring you're not overbuying. If sales were slow in a particular category last season, perhaps statement lighting underperformed, your inventory decisions should reflect that reality. Know your numbers before you start shopping. This discipline prevents impulse purchases that don't align with what your customers actually need. 

Plan for Multiple Days (If Possible) 

If you can stay overnight, use a two-day strategy. Day one is for exploring, testing the waters, and building your shortlist. Overnight, review your notes, work out your budgets, refine your product mix, and plan which suppliers deserve your orders. Return day two with clarity and confidence, ready to place orders with intention rather than emotion. 

At the Show 

Walk the Show First Before Buying 

This is crucial: try to walk all the aisles at least once before committing to purchases. You might discover a emerging designer whose aesthetic perfectly complements your existing range, or a new supplier offering better terms than your current contacts. Walking the show first allows you to compare options, spot trends across categories, and make more informed decisions. 

For interiors specifically, this walk-through is about seeing how products relate to each other. A lighting fixture you see early might pair beautifully with textiles you discover later. A colour palette you notice in one hall might inspire a cohesive buying direction for the season. 

Plan Your Days with Breaks 

Build breaks into your schedule and take advantage of the free content on offer. Spring Fair features multiple stages with keynote talks, panel discussions, and insights on design trends, retail strategy, and industry developments. Check  the full content agenda on the website before you visit and plan which sessions align with your business goals. 

For interiors buyers, these sessions are invaluable. A talk on designing for calm and connection, an expert panel on sustainable sourcing, or a discussion on colour, texture, light for interiors can reset your thinking and give you fresh perspectives to bring back to your buying decisions. Use these breaks to recharge, learn, and return to the show floor with renewed focus. 

Schedule Appointments 

Reach out to priority suppliers before the show to book meeting times. This is especially important for interiors, where you may want to place significant orders or negotiate terms with key brands. Booking appointments guarantees you'll connect with them even during busy periods and signals you're a serious buyer. 

Take Detailed Notes 

Capture everything: product details, supplier information, lead times, minimum order quantities, payment terms, and any show-exclusive deals. With hundreds of exhibitors, these notes will be invaluable when you're back in the office making final decisions. For interiors, also note how products might work together in your retail space, any custom options available, and delivery timelines for seasonal collections. 

Think About Your Merchandising 

As you shop, visualise how products will work together in your space: 

• How will this fit into your shop layout and window displays? Interiors is visual. A beautiful piece of furniture looks different depending on how it's styled and displayed. Consider the sight lines in your shop. Will this statement chair draw customers in? Will this textile collection work as an anchor piece for a seasonal window? 

• Does this complement your existing product mix? Interiors retailers need cohesion. A stunning sculptural vase that doesn't align with your brand aesthetic will sit on the shelf. Ask yourself: do my customers already love pieces like this? Or am I pushing into a new territory that requires education and marketing? 

• Is the seasonality right for your buying timeline? Consider what your customers will need in the coming months. Are you buying summer outdoor furniture? Autumn home comfort pieces? Spring refresh essentials? Timing matters in interiors retail. 

Network Strategically 

Trade shows bring thousands of retailers under one roof, a rare opportunity to connect with people who understand your business. 

Fellow retailers: Ask what's working in their stores. Interiors retail can be isolating, but other retailers have solved problems you're facing. How are they merchandising sustainable furniture? What lighting collections are moving? Which designers are gaining traction? These conversations are gold. 

Exhibitors: Build relationships beyond the transaction. Many of the best supplier relationships develop when brands understand your customers and aesthetic. Tell exhibitors about your customer base, your shop location, your price point. This information helps them recommend products that will actually sell in your store. 

Industry experts: Attend networking drinks and happy hours to expand your professional network. These informal conversations often lead to collaborations, exclusive product launches, or insider knowledge about upcoming trends. 

Bring Business Cards 

Have plenty on hand to exchange with exhibitors, fellow retailers, and industry contacts. You'll be surprised how many follow-up opportunities come from conversations on the show floor. 

Don't Rush Key Conversations 

If a supplier you want to speak with is busy, wait to speak with them rather than thinking you'll return later. You won't want to walk the entire exhibition centre again, and suppliers are often busiest at the start of the day. Patient conversations often lead to better negotiations and deeper relationships. 

After the Show 

Follow Up Quickly 

Confirm orders as soon as possible after the show while products and vendors are fresh in your mind. For interiors, this is especially important because stock typically has lead times. Delaying orders might mean missing the delivery window for seasonal collections. Follow-up also demonstrates professionalism and seriousness as a buyer, which builds trust with suppliers for future seasons. 

Review and Reflect 

Go through your notes, catalogues, and business cards. Organise them by priority and follow up with any suppliers you want to work with but didn't order from at the show. For interiors, this might mean circling back to a designer whose work excited you but whose minimum orders didn't fit your budget, or a supplier offering custom options worth discussing in depth. 

Share Insights With Your Team 

If multiple people from your company attended, debrief together. Compare notes, share discoveries, and coordinate your buying strategy. One team member might have spotted a trend another missed. Pooling insights ensures you're making buying decisions based on collective knowledge rather than individual perspectives. 

Final Tips for Success 

• Pre-register for the event to streamline your arrival and skip queues 
• Stay hydrated and take breaks. Exhaustion leads to poor decisions, and interiors buying requires aesthetic judgement that suffers when you're tired 
• Don't be afraid to say no. You can't buy everything, and that's okay. A curated range always outsells a cluttered one 
• Trust your instincts. If something feels right for your customers, it probably is. You know your audience 
• Remember: relationships matter. The connections you build with suppliers, fellow retailers, and industry experts often prove more valuable than individual orders. These relationships sustain your business through multiple seasons 

The Bigger Picture 

Trade shows are one of the most efficient ways to discover new products, compare suppliers, stay ahead of trends, and build relationships with the people who shape the interiors industry. With preparation, comfortable shoes, a strategic approach, and clear buying goals, Spring Fair can become one of your most productive and enjoyable buying events of the year. 

The interiors market is evolving rapidly. New designers are emerging, sustainability is becoming essential, and consumer expectations around wellbeing and design are shifting. Spring Fair is where you'll see all of it first, and where you'll make the decisions that shape your retail offering for the seasons ahead. 

Go prepared. Stay focused. And remember: the best purchases are the ones you've thought through carefully, not the ones you've rushed into.