Longford craft and design businesses set to take part in Showcase 2023

Longford craft and design businesses set to take part in Showcase 2023
Wendy Louise Designs, Craft Around the Clock and Sonas Aromas attend from 22-24 January

Press Release
16 January 2023

Some of Longford’s best up and coming craft and design businesses will attend Showcase 2023, taking place in the RDS in Dublin on 22-24 January. The event will be attended by international buyers and over 100 companies from across Ireland.

County Longford will be represented by local businesses showcasing their products and services. Wendy Knight of Wendy Louise Designs, a local milliner producing bespoke hats and headpieces with excellent craftmanship, and traditional skills will attend. Annarita Monaldi of Craft Around the Clock will show their knitted, crocheted and textile jewellery, accessories and home furnishings at the event. Alison Bray of Sonas Aromas, producers of natural aromatherapy products including candles, reed diffusers, wax melts and pulse points will also represent County Longford.

Showcase 2023 is one of the country’s largest international trade shows and is the pinnacle event in the global design and crafts calendar. It will open its doors to thousands of buyers from across the world, including the USA, Europe and Asia. Showcase is presented on behalf of Design and Crafts Council Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. Sales orders of over €20 million are generated during the Showcase tradeshow.

Recent participants from Longford include the likes of Kilteel Coppercraft, Gene Rhatigan Art and Wendy Louise Designs. In 2022 there were thousands of buyers from 25 countries in attendance at the event in the RDS and it is expected this will increase again in 2023 following the lifting of Covid restrictions that were still in place early last year.

Local Enterprise Office, Longford Head of Enterprise Michael Nevin believes this is an opportunity like no other for up-and-coming craft and design clients looking to make that break through. “To be exposed to this many high-quality buyers in one place is an incredible opportunity for any business starting out. If things go well at this event, a business could fill their book for the year and may well establish a partnership that could extend longer than that and help them grow. While that won’t happen for every business, just to be here, see other clients, get new ideas and develop their skills in marketing and sales will stand by them going forward.”

Design and Crafts Council Ireland CEO Rosemary Steen said, “We at Design and Crafts Council Ireland are greatly looking forward to the return of our international trade fair, Showcase 2023. Showcase offers designers and makers the opportunity to not only meet and do business with buyers from Ireland, the UK, USA, mainland Europe and Asia, but also the chance to come together to celebrate the creativity, the impact and the importance of the heritage of the Irish craft and design sector globally. With restrictions linked to the pandemic due to be fully lifted for Showcase 2023, we look forward to even more buyer attendance this year.”

For further information on Showcase please contact Anna Lane at the Local Enterprise Office Longford on 043 334 3349 or at alane@leo.longfordcoco.ie.

ENDS

All media queries should be directed to the Longford County Council Communications Officer via mediaenquiries@longfordcoco.ie or by calling 043 334 4217.