Empowerment, inclusion, and the subject of sustainability. It was all on the menu when The Giftware Association’s Women in Gifts conference brought together some of the industry’s most inspirational women business leaders for its triumphant return to the team’s Birmingham HQ last week.
Following a successful debut in December last year, last week’s conference was held in celebration of International Women’s Day as it served up a roster of inspirational guest speakers and a retail panel made up of no fewer than five leading names from across the gift retail sector.
Established to celebrate the story, achievements, and endeavours of women in the gift industry, the event opened with a special message of positivity from the GA’s very own Sarah Ward who championed not only the women within the industry but the many opportunities the industry itself presents to come together in unity.
The full-day event saw many stories shared as attendees sought inspiration from the conference’s line-up of speakers, including Meg Hawkins; Buy-From Creative Agency’s MD, Louise Welsby; B Gifted’s Fi Burge; and Whiz Kid Games founder, Heather Watherson.
A member of the Products of Change community, Heather talked attendees through the company’s journey to date, from its inception during the Covid pandemic, to the focus it has today on sustainability and the aspirations the business has to promote sustainable development in the games space.
The Women in Gifts conference was brought to a close with a special retail panel featuring Retail 100 Consulting’s Sara Albright; St Peters Garden Centre’s Laura Matheson; Social Enterprise UK – eBay for Change’s Joanna Final; Nest Gifts’ Samantha Gibbs; and Ivy and Rose Gifts’ Alex Becket.
“It was great to spend a wonderful International Women’s Day eve with so many of our industry’s phenomenal women,” said the GA’s Sarah Ward. “Building on our first Women in Gifts Day, we heard from some inspirational businesswomen who have built their businesses within our industry… we learned of their successes, their pitfalls, and everything inbetween.
“It was also brilliant hearing from our retail panel who offered insight into their buying trends and how to approach buyers and where to meet them. We hope everyone left feeling inspired by what was a fantastic day with our peers.”
