Life Instyle wraps up successful Melbourne trade fair
Life Instyle has just wrapped after four days of seeing thousands of retailers through the doors. There was a constant buzz of excitement and reconnection amongst the attendees and hundreds of the most unique and premium brands showcasing their wares.
The event, which was held against the perfect backdrop of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne from 3 to 6 August, was deemed a huge success by both exhibitors and visitors alike.
Exhibition director Nina Vidale said: “Over the past four days, we’ve had a blast sourcing, learning, and connecting with all of the visitors and exhibitors. It was truly inspiring to see how our curated collections helped brands soar to new heights!”
Visitors and exhibitors were quoted saying, ‘It’s the most beautiful Life Instyle to date.’ with every detail considered from wide aisles so that visitors could comfortably check out all of the exhibitors through to gorgeous flower arrangements placed on all the communal tables. The pop of sparkling wine bottles and excited chatter filtered across the show floor every day, with people excited to share their show floor favourites and reconnect with people in the industry.
Cathy from Watertiger, who has exhibited at Life Instyle for years, said: “There is a real buzz about the event. I have seen a number of my stockists that I haven’t seen for five or six years. It’s exciting to see them back.”
Experienced retailers and Life Instyle-ers like Cathy rubbed shoulders with newcomers, with 150 exhibitors attending Life Instyle for the first time in 2023. For these newcomers, this was their opportunity to launch into wholesale, take the step to showcase their products to new audiences, as well as make connections with likeminded business owners, who could help them along their business journey.
Lauren & Alysha from Peggy Sue Co, a skin and body care company using 100% natural ingredients, said: “We made amazing connections with some other brands that have given us a lot of help. It’s a community, we’re all in the same boat. We’re here for the same reason. And as well as being a trade show to sell our products, it’s the connections you make with other brands that are in the same space. It’s been game-changing!”
Courtney of MAUDE Studio said: “I have been building the brand very slowly and steadily, and it finally felt like the right time to launch a little into wholesale. A few people that I admire and see in stores did Life Instyle so it felt like it was a good alignment and maybe a nice proof of concept that it’s the direction and the end point that I’m aiming for.”
Visitors and exhibitors were able to learn from others on the show floor as well as the various education pillars offered, namely The Business Couch where attendees could hear experts covering subjects such as marketing campaigns, e-commerce, business strategy and sales tools, and the Retail Therapy Seminar Sessions, where they could learn about evolving their business strategy and taking their customer experience to the next level.
Life Instyle will return to Sydney next year from the 17 to 20 February 2024 at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Sydney.
