A Wee Chat With Country Living Christmas Fair

At the SEC, our commitment to our clients is a source of pride, evident in our longstanding partnerships with many of them. One such relationship is with the Country Living Fair, an event that has chosen our campus as its host venue since 2004.

To delve into the success story of the Country Living Fair, we recently had the opportunity to speak with Event Director Fay Rayner. Our conversation revolved around the charistic Scottish audience, the importance of cross collaboration between venue and organiser, and how Fay and her team have built a loyal following for the show while adding a new dimension each year.

What is it about Scotland that makes such an attractive proposition for your business?

The Scottish audience has an enviable reputation for its energy and enthusiasm, and in our experience they always live up to it. They book their tickets early, and in advance. We get excellent retention on our visitor base, and also see lots of new visitors join us each year. Tickets go on sale in May, and our guests are ready and waiting to buy so they can plan their Christmas shopping day out. We love going to Glasgow. It's such a fun city, so vibrant, the food, the nightlife - it’s got the full package. We always have a good time while we're here!

How has the show evolved year on year and what does that mean for the audience?

The key is to ensure the show delivers a familiar feel for returning guests, but with some new elements present to keep things fresh. For 2023 we delivered tasting demos, live workshops and built in amazing content and shopping opportunities with both newcomers and our existing brands. Our taste of Orkney and Creative Orkney experiences were also new for this year, with both delivering a strong performance and testament that we are reaching out across Scotland to develop our brand extensively.

How important is collaboration with the venue to delivering your show?

The SEC is a trusted collaborator, as evidenced by the long standing relationship we have. This year the best example of that is our work on the show’s catering offer. We wanted to take things to a new level, and the team at SEC Food came up with the brilliant suggestion of working with celebrity chef Gary McLean. Gary’s style of cooking and his parochial personality was perfect for our event, and his involvement really elevated the show and added to that essential festive feel. Consistently offering support at this sort of level has meant the SEC has become more than just “a venue” for us. It’s the channel for us to reach a hugely valuable audience, with their team of valued partners who take a genuine and supportive interest in helping us deliver the best show possible in advising us on how the city of Glasgow operates, to the expansion of reaching across Scotland as a country that certifies the quality of this artisan brand.

Breda Cruickshank, Head of Exhibition Sales at SEC has been working in partnership with Country Living for 19 years, she said:

Country Living’s enduring popularity is testament to how much care and attention they invest into the look, feel and offer of their show. Our annual frequent guests get everything they expect from a unique shopping experience, but they’re also revisiting to encounter the fun aspect of this show combined with a great day out and to chance upon the latest trends in food and drink. It really is an immersive experience to delight your senses and taste buds. The addition of Gary McLean for the 2023 Christmas Fair is the perfect example of Fay and the team working with us to innovate around a successful concept to ensure there’s no chance of audience fatigue.

The creativity and enthusiasm shown by our team is also to be commended across the sales, marketing, operational and food teams to ensure that exhibitors, visitors and the organising team have the best experience. Their supportive approach with clients remains the same whether a show is newly launched or is a well established fair, and they’re always ready to go above and beyond.

Already looking forward to next year!