Christmas Hamper Fair 2025: the fair that changed everything

There are moments in a job that you only understand later. Of which you think in hindsight: that was the turning point. For me, that was the 2025 Christmas Hamper Fair. Not because everything went flawlessly. Quite the opposite.

First working day. Two weeks. Exhibition.

I had only just started at Giffy when, on my very first working day, I was told: in two weeks, we'll be exhibiting at the Christmas Hamper Fair. I barely knew what we did. Our proposition, our clients, our USPs: it was far from lodged in my brain. But pulling out was not an option. So, along with Joy, still in my trial month, I went to an exhibition full of exhibitors, buyers, and professionals who had been doing this for years.

We had a story. Or at least: we thought we had a story.

“We unburden companies and make gift cards less flat. Nice for the recipient, easy for the sender.”

Going into the conversation full of confidence. And then the reactions.

“What’s in it for me?” “What do you do differently from the competitor?” “We already work with a partner.”

Conversation after conversation was the same. The story wasn't landing. We looked at each other and both of us knew: this isn't working.

The moment everything clicked

But why not? We started thinking. And then the penny dropped.

These were not companies looking for a Christmas hamper for their own employees. These were parties that offer Christmas hampers to their own clients. Buyers, facilities service providers, gift specialists, concept agencies. They weren't waiting for a nice story about the recipient. They wanted to know what we could do for them. What was in it for them. How they would benefit.

Pitch rewritten. The next morning, we approached it differently.

“We offer you the best margins in the market. We unburden you completely and think along with you on how best to serve your client. With Giffy, you get more out of your existing clients, win new clients, and book more turnover, with less work.”

The reactions? Completely different. Doors opened that had remained shut the day before. People joined us. Business cards were exchanged. Follow-up questions were asked.

In one day, we had discovered what we hadn't seen before: the partner market.

What that exhibition set in motion

What followed was not a minor adjustment. It was a fundamental shift in how we looked at our market.

We started approaching potential partners directly. We exhibit at trade fairs with a sharper and stronger story. And a large part of our new business now comes in through external channels: partners who offer Giffy to their own clients.

But something else changed too. Operating in this direction made us look at our offering differently as well. Because a partner doesn't always ask for a gift card. They ask for a complete solution. And if you are honest about what you can deliver, you sometimes have to admit that you want to go further than where you started.

So we did just that. Now we don't just do gift cards. We do everything.

Physical products, letterbox gifts, handwritten cards, Christmas markets, complete Christmas hampers, branded items. Want a pull-cord alarm? We'll sort it. A terrarium? No problem. A luxury package with a personalised card in house style, delivered to the door? Done.

What we couldn't offer before, we now offer effortlessly. And that has opened doors with existing clients that we never expected, and with new clients we would never have reached in the past.

What I take away from that exhibition

The 2025 Christmas Hamper Fair holds a special place in my heart. Not because it was a perfect exhibition. But because it was the exhibition where we failed, adjusted, and came back stronger than the day before.

Trade fairs give you something a cold calling round doesn't: you stand face to face with your market. You hear directly what works and what doesn't. You adapt, you learn, you discover opportunities that you would never have seen from behind a desk.

And sometimes, if you're lucky, you change the direction of your company in two days.