T'was with a heavy heart and some trepidation that I hit the M6 once more going South to the NEC , the anvil on which the year can be shattered early or the forge up which a thousand dreams can be realised. The snappily named Interiors Event was on again and this time the weather was not too menacing . At first impression it seemed to have shrunk somewhat but there were plenty of cars in the Car Park and a certain air of optimism was certainly pervading the first couple of halls I ventured into . Apparently by keeping stocks down to the bone many of our customers had left themselves short of merchandise . Over the years we have lulled our clientele into a false sense of security by offering a fast 'delivery from stock ' facility which now they rely on for repeat business but when times are tough and demand is scarce we , like most firms , have to back pedal on accepting deliveries in bulk despite the certain knowledge that '' if they don't sell today , they will certainly go tomorrow '' syndrome .

By the time I reached our stand in Hall 3 there was already a gathering of customers and all our representatives were scribbling away . Quantities were minimal but orders seemed ready enough and taking up more than one page in our antiquated order books . We haven’t got round to giving the punters an electronic device which reads bar-codes and produces orders immediately but we get a frisson of schadenfreude on seeing the devices conk out on the adjacent stands as the frustrated customer is not sure whether his/her order would be duplicated if started up again . So the first day , Sunday, was heavily attended albeit that some prams and screamers got in with their parents hanging in the back ground as little Joey discovered a spinning chair or tried out our new fast selling model ''the couch rotator ''

I suppose that limping retailers were not going to attend and no doubt found solace in Match of the Day so everybody making the effort to get to the NEC would have found a fruitful orchard of suppliers ready to do deals and get goods on the floor .

Monday and Tuesday at the event were also vibrant if not so well attended , but it is clear that punters realise that prices are going to rise this year and were all taking advantage of firms who held current stock .

Now that most of the orders have been delivered and are starting to sell out , we get the feeling that the show , although not as good as 6 years ago was definitely a focal point in the calendar and thus essential for buyers and sellers all round .

We rebooked immediately .

Anthony Febland .