It was good to be together again.

That was a common sentiment among suppliers and distributors who attended Merchandise World, the first in-person national trade show event for the United Kingdom’s promotional products industry since February 2020.

Held Sept. 8 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, Merchandise World drew 80 exhibitors and some 400 attendees – a better-than-expected turnout given the impact of COVID-19 on Britain’s society, economy and promo industry, organizers said.

Merchandise World drew better-than-expected attendance and helped energize U.K. promo pros.

“Hearing the show hall buzzing was exciting for everyone,” read a statement from Sourcing City, a U.K.-based promo trade service organization that produces Merchandise World along with the British Promotional Merchandise Association.

The statement continued: “Many exhibitors also commented on the high quality of the people they were speaking to, and were delighted that their commitment to the show had paid off. It is clear that people were very keen to reignite existing relationships, meet new people and to get the industry thriving again.”

Tony Barber of supplier Promo Seeds was among those glad to have attended.

“It was a gamble attending an exhibition as we come out of a pandemic, but Merchandise World has exceeded my expectations,” Barber said. “Engagement from distributors has been fantastic.”

Attendees talk shop at Merchandise World.

David Williams of Redrok was one of those enthusiastically engaged distributors.

“There was a real buzz of optimism around the arena from all the distributors and exhibitors,” Williams shared. “It was good to catch up with familiar faces and also was a great opportunity for us to meet new suppliers and discover new products. Well done to all those involved in making the show a huge success.”

Just like in North America, COVID-19 has had a dramatically negative impact on the U.K.’s promo industry. Societal lockdowns and other restrictions led to the cancellation of events and tightening of marketing budgets, which fueled a general drop in industry sales and widespread staff reductions.

Still, amid vaccination rollout and societal reopening, the promo market has been experiencing increased momentum, even if anxiety remains over the potential for future viral outbreaks that could hinder recovery.

“We’re finding that the U.K. and Europe are slowly getting back to pre-COVID levels and there’s hope that things will continue to improve over the coming weeks,” a Sourcing City leader told ASI Media.