Workshop: Grow your Creative Business – Your Pathway way to the Shop Floor – follow up with Onsite Guided Visit to Showcase Jan 2027

Dates:  Tuesday 17th November 2026

Time: 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

Venue: Online

Workshop. What Retailers look for and your pathway to the shop floor.  This workshop introduces those working in the Gift, Craft and Design sector to the Retail Market and how to find shops that can stock and sell your creative products.  We will use the trade show Showcase Ireland as a case study and offer participants a short guided tour, a visit to this trade show in the RDS, Dublin in January 2027 – a ‘Retail Reci’!

To include,

• An overview of what Trade Shows and Trade Buyer Events do, with a particular focus on Showcase Ireland, and their purpose from a retail buyers’ perspective.
• Intro to Pricing in the retail trade, Cost Plus pricing and Competitive Pricing, VAT.
• Create the “Sales Pack” for retail & trade buyers for the gift, craft, design and creative products.
• Preparation, shops, retail buyer research – what shops do you want to work with – sell on their shop floor.  
• Planning, product selection, point of sale needed for retailers.
• How to register as a visitor at trade show, Showcase Ireland 2027, Ireland leading Creative Expo, Sun 24th to Tues 26th Jan in the RDS in Dublin Welcome - Showcase Ireland 2026 a ‘Retail Reci’!

Meabh Ring has worked in the creative sector for over 20 years first as a product designer, later as a retailer and now as a business advisor and mentor. She works with designers and makers in the various stages of business development as they defined their brand, craft products and seek sales. Meabh has worked with craft, design and retail businesses in marketing, sales and export. With this experience she has gained knowledge, understanding and insight into creative industries and their business needs.  Meabh has worked on key international trade shows in the USA and UK as well as Showcase Ireland.  She has worked with Enterprise Ireland, the Crafts Council of Ireland, Creative Ireland, UCC, MTU as well as the Local Enterprise Offices nationally to support creative businesses.