sydneyretailfestival.com.au

Good range of brands on display, worthwhile seminars, runway was awesome, admittedly I only caught a few mins of the show. Only constructive comment would be easier parking options and more vegan/veg food options available pls for next time :)

I do want to mention that they have some repeat participants that participate in all their events and I believe its some sort of agreement or deal with them to present a more promising image of the event.
The bottom line is that if you participate, you are wasting your time and money. No one even comes near the stand so its no use even if you follow all their guidelines and put in all your efforts to present the best

Thank you MRF team! You have all been wonderfully helpful and supportive through the entire process, I look forward to working with you guys next year, I'm super excited.
Tan x

Great event to check out if you are in the fashion or retail space. Lots of brands and supply chain business for the industry on show. I was surprised that all of the seminars were FREE! There were some really good speakers in the mix. I look forward to attending again as a retailer and finding some new brands to work with

Hi Team, I miss working with you guys on the events! I see 2021 MRF is looking great, so many awesome brands involved. I look forward to joining you guys in Feb next year

After chasing me for a year, I was told this would be a great opportunity to introduce my brand to the market as it's ac"trade show"
In three days there were no businesses looking for trade. Did not meet anyone except students.
Not one member of the event introduced themselves. All the stalls business owners paid varied prices. Such a scam will never work with these unprofessional business again.

I just watched a couple of your seminars online through vimeo, they are very good. The sustainability seminar, hosted by the head of sustainability and sourcing from The Iconic, Jaana, was particularly good. Thanks for making these available :)

I exhibited last year and did well. I picked up some new accounts, including the big online retailer that I was after. I am a new brand based in Sydney. Looking forward to doing it again.

Extremely poorly organised Charge $4,000 for a both that had no foot traffic and no buyers. If you are a designer and are unsure of participating or not I highly urge you to invest the money into online marketing and trying to grow your presence online. Retail is such a dying trade as it is, boutiques no longer visit trade shows the visit Agency show rooms. Drive around and organise your own meetings with boutiques they are more likely to respond to personal interaction rather than at a trade event.

After the first day there where at least 50+ exhibitors who stood up and spoke with the organiser of the event and some of which actually recorded this scenario expressing disappointment and raining concern on the overall event. This resulted to the organiser promising to do his best to make up for it the following day by sending out more emails to boutiques to attend, the result was the same, no buyers or foot traffic.

Not only did the Sydney Retail Team handle every case unprofessionally to over 50 unhappy & confirmed designers they also decided to block and delete us all of instagram in hope that we wouldn't catch onto them wanting to run a 2020 and 2021 event.

It's not worth the head ache, if you are unsure please personally reach out to any of the past designers who exhibited. Don't trust the reviews in here stating 5 star ratings the are only trying to get ahead before the next exhibition.

This was just a poorly organised event, you are better off investing the money into your own marketing campaigns, pop up stores!

Parking was difficult, car park was full.
Apart from that it was a good event.
If you are planning to go, Uber or Taxi instead

We have been extremely pleased with the sales made at the events and the new accounts generated. We have made invaluable contacts and connections.
We connected with a major retailer who has become our largest wholesale account to date. We will absolutely continue to exhibit.

Be super careful and avoid this mob. Total scam. Lots of angry vendors last year. Multiple disputes with fair trading. They need to be shut down. Do not pay for a stand with them!

I've made sales with big buyers and smaller boutiques and had a good experience at these events.
I've read some of the garbage 'anomymous' reviews below. You guys are nasty pieces of work. I've dealt with their team for a few years now and they have gone out other way to help me in so many ways, they are great to deal with.
I've taken part in a few of their events and my experience was always really good. Sure, some do better than others at events in general, but what are you guys going on about. Some of the behaviour from a small number of exhibitors, I'm assuming it was you anonymous people' below, at the last event was disgraceful. Are you adults or children?
I felt awful for the organisers and for other exhibitors there who had to put up with some your behaviour. And yes, you know what you psychos were doing Some of you were running around and screaming for not making a sale after being there for 2 friggin hours on the first day Others of you were trying to bully organisers Who are you trollsseriously! Grow up. I had to tell a bunch of you idiots to pull your heads in. Most trade events are similar to this, the marlin isn't just going to jump in your boat, you gotta do some work too! Or at least keep smiling even if you're not doing as well as others around you.
I've made sales with these guys, other brands that I have been around have made good sales also, there are a bunch of us that continue to exhibit for a reason, because we get sales and build awareness and connections. You guys below are harsh critics to say the least, actually just completely unprofessional operators.
Some of the exhibitor behaviour and language used at not only these events, but other Gift Fairs we attend is disgusting and disgraceful, it has become progressively worse over the years. At AGHA last year the exhibitor opposite us was literally yelling at the event organisers, before grabbing him by the arm and physically assaulting him, its just shameful behaviour.
My family and I have been attending and exhibiting at trade fairs in Australia and overseas for over 20 years. They aren't as strong as they used to be. You just can't expect to go to one fair and retire building a brand is hard work and takes years and years of working at it and being exposed to the industry.
I think these guys at the Retail Festivals are doing a really good job. They are offering a platform that no others are offering. You can't blame them if you don't make enough sales, there are buyers there, that's not the excuse, the buyers just don't decide to come talk to sour looking folk. There's def some trade show etiquette that you guys are missing and you're def shooting yourselves in the foot with that behaviour and attitude.
The Industry is tough at the moment as everyone knows. I got notified late last year via email that the Sydney Retail Quarter is shutting down, who are owned by a massive group. I also got an email saying that 3 of the Gift fairs are combining together for one event next year, shows how f'ed things are out there in the industry.
The retail festival events are the only place I get the chance to meet with major fashion buyers, none of the major buyers I want attend the gift fairs, only these events. I intend on exhibiting again. I suggest you guys (reviews below) put things in perspective and grow up a little. Less screaming, spitting and swearing and a little more realistic perspectives.

Qld brands need the exposure!
Please hold next event in Brisbane or Sunshine Coast, so many exciting new brands on our pretty little coast ;)

It's a wrap #sydneyretailfestival! And what an excellent wrap! This is my 4th trade fair with the Sydney Retail Festival and I can't be grateful enough with their excellent team.
Read my full review here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dos-donts-trade-fair-liliana-rubiano/

Lessons learnt from The Trade Fair:
Consistency is a key for success.
Patience is a virtue.
Forget about overnight success. It takes time, efforts, investment, and relationships.
Do not assume. Every visitor could be helpful to your business or you can be helpful for them.
Share the knowledge when asked (when possible).
Relationships in business are a key factor. Build them!

Do's and dont's of a Trade Fair:
The basics:
Do prepare yourself and your stock.
Do practice KISS: Keep It Simple.
Do bring the necessary stock to show your potential buyers and current buyers.
Do have a catalogue and a price list. With excellent content.
Do have business cards ready with your name, title, social media, email, and description of your shop i. E. "Tolu Australia - Latin American Swimwear and Resortwear"
Do have clear numbers (wholesale and retail prices).
Do have clear production times and delivery times
Do apply the 3-1-8 rule: have a list of potential visitors (buyers, media editors, models, influencers, clients, etc) 3 months before your trade show. Contact them, send written invitations, email and call them. Send another invite 1 month before the event, and a final reminder with your stand number 8 days before the event. Use Mailchimp or personalised emails, connect with them via LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.
Do have your social media up to date and interesting. Remember it is the "virtual window shop" and first impression nowadays for your business.
The extra miles:

Do be patient, if your desired buyers haven't arrived yet, keep waiting.
Do meet other stand holders. Chat to them and share contacts. It's a win-win situation. Specially the stand holders that sell products that complement yours. They might stock a boutique that could also be your potential buyer.
Do greet and welcome everyone.
Do keep a nice and relax body language. (Never have your arms crossed).
Do listen to the buyers and what are they looking for. Ask what's their target market, what products are they searching for, which season are they interested on, what's their price point, etc. (Scan their details)
Do share the event via your Facebook page and social media.

The best tips of advice:
A trade fair is a work in progress job.
It doesn't start on the 1st day of the event and it doesn't finish on the last day of the event.
It starts at least 3 months before, by doing all your preparations and contacting buyers, media editors, clients, potential clients etc, and after the event, the most important thing is the follow ups you give to the people who visited your stand or that you meet at the event (even your neighbour stand holder).

Don't s:
Don't complain if your desired buyers haven't turned up yet. Keep waiting.
Don't blame the event organisers, they can only do as much and they put together an amazing event infrastructure, stand holders, marketing, advertisement, seminars to attract people from the industry, venue, contact buyers. But remember is the final decision of a visitor if they show up to not.
Bringing buyers to a trade show is a dual job: from event organisers as well as stand holders.
Don't think a trade fair is a crystal ball where you invest money and will receive a return on the investment straight away. It is a hard work and it is a work in progress. The results don't come overnight. It took one of my suppliers 3 years trading at the Miami Swim Show to be able to get into a major department store in The United States of America.
Don't pack up early. If you have been in the trade fair 24 hrs, 1 more hour won't hurt and a speaker, buyer, editor could come along to meet you.

My conclusion: This was my 4th time attending the Sydney Retail Festival and I'm grateful and confident enough to say that it has been working for me. It takes time but I could see the results, my highlights are being able to meet with a major department store (several months after one of the events), as well as welcome my major online retailer, The Iconic, to see my latest collections every time they attend. #TheIconic is a big supporter of fashion industry in Australia and New Zealand and they have attend two of the events, they take the time to visit most of the stands, talk to the suppliers, participate at the seminars speaking about sustainability and choosing brands to get on board at their marketplace.

Ive also met buyers such as #TJX, #OzSale, #DavidJones, fashion boutiques, and alike as well as stylist, designers, software suppliers such as #shopify, freight companies such as #interparcel, and I've welcomed into my stand media experts such as #flaunter, and I've networking with women empowering women such as #ChanaImsirovic, agents such as #AngelaLowe, shop fitters and designers such as #JulesBuckland, and my own competitors.

The SRF team are doing an amazing job filling an evident gap of Fashion Trade Fairs in Australia. Their business (as everyone else in the trade fair) is small and growing and they count with the support and interest of buyers as well as stand holders to fill this gap.

If you are a buyer, editor, student, model, influencer in the fashion industry, I would like to invite you to visit their next event, and all together we will build the perfect destination for fashion buyers in Australia.

Read my full review here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dos-donts-trade-fair-liliana-rubiano/

Next year I would like to see more Mens apparel brands and Mens accessories brands. Lots of good women's and kids brands, some okay mens swim and street brands, more mens evening wear options please. Thanks!

I am a retailer who attended last year. I thought it was really good.
I liked the seminars. There was a lot of variety with the exhibitors. I picked up 5 new labels, swim and resort brands.
I have been to gift events before but nothing like this that focussed on fashion.
Keep up the good work guys, I look forward to attending next year.

The organizers have no genuine buyers - only some industry contacts to stage this fraudulent event. They should be exposed so they cannot fool any more people in the future.
I also want to question these 'contacts' who are associating with this scam and because of their help the organizers are creating a convincing yet fake image of a successful event.

A really Disgusting Disappointing event!

The organisers behind this event over promised and under delivered. Hardly any exhibitors connected with genuine buyers let alone got sales. Yup, there were buyers there, but not the 2500 we were promised. Not even a fraction of that number and the ones that were there weren't overly motivated to buy.
If the organisers read this, a piece of advice... instead of putting the time and effort you do into prospecting new exhibitors, maybe you'd be better to put that effort in getting buyers to come.
And for exhibitors... If you're thinking about doing this event... DON'T.

This show was a complete scam we are now at a loss over $4000 in expenses. There was not one single order we made over our time there. As many of the people that walked through with fashion students, emerging designers and people trying to sell their patterns to us. You will not make any money if you are a wholesaler wanting to attend this event. It is utterly disgusting that they are doing this again when over 30 wholesale customers did not make an order during the Sydney Retail Festival in September 2019

They sold me a dream, told me they would give me a list of attendees and potential buyers in my category which I could invite to visits my stand.
The list contained approximately 120 potential buyers. I called 99% of the people on the list and also sent them emails with invite and look book.
Not one of those people said they were attending the Sydney Retailshow.
I tried to call Sarah and left a message for her to call me back as I was confused why no one on the list was attending.
No one returned my call.
Apart from the amount charged from SRF for the stand I paid for airfares for two people and accommodation food and transportation, time for look book /invite/and costs to advertise.
I am very disappointed wasted time and money.

I made some sales a snow negotiating with a sales agent, spoke to a few manufacturers and made some awesome new industry connections. Staff were amazing! Can't thank them enough.

This is not a genuine trade event and is a complete scam. Do not waste your money!

A promise of "genuine" buyers consisted of fashion students or aspiring designers looking to steal ideas.

Don't be fooled by the well designed marketing collateral or heresy venue, this is a scam!