The show that attracts thousands of clever crafters and passionate quilters from all over south east Queensland and beyond is celebrating 21 years at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre with its 2015 show in October.
The anniversary show which opens at BCEC on October 7 and runs until October 11, will be a celebration of craft creativity and is expected to attract thousands of enthusiasts eager to check out the latest trends and craft products on offer.
The Craft & Quilt Fair is only one of a handful of events appearing on the BCEC calendar every single year since the Centre opened in 1995.
Gary Fitz-Roy, Managing Director of Expertise Events, which has owned and operated the Craft & Quilt Fair since day one, said the Show has kept its focus and has never compromised on its consistency and quality, which is why he says the Queensland fair is highly regarded as one of the best craft fairs in the country.
“The Show has a huge drawing capacity from all over Queensland as far north as Cairns and the top end to the border towns of New South Wales and out to the districts of western Queensland. They travel by plane, coach, train and even bicycles to attend,” he says.
The line-up of attractions at this year’s Craft & Quilt Fair feature what’s happening and what’s new in craft including the latest calming craft activity, adult colouring-in as well as textile and wearable art, embroidery, knitting, paper craft, vintage fashion and an impressive array of quilts, with the quilt exhibition being lauded as the best ever.
BCEC General Manager, Bob O’Keeffe said the Craft & Quilt Fair is one of the most popular and enjoyable events on the Centre’s busy calendar. “I congratulate Gary and the Expertise Events Team on this significant milestone and their many accomplishments in developing this event to one of the most successful consumer shows on the national exhibition agenda today.”
As part of a shared resolve to improve overall visitor experience at exhibitions, BCEC is partnering with Expertise Events at the 2015 Craft & Quilt Fair next week with a holistic approach to the overall theming of events including menus and food outlets.
“BCEC Executive Chef, Martin Latter in conjunction with Food & Beverage Service Director, John Gaudin have been working on new concepts for exhibition catering. “We want to deliver a restaurant style experience to the exhibition audience to create a focal point of the food and service with the allocation of space in the centre of the show, taking the experience right up to the customer on the floor” said Martin.
Roy’s Carvey – a full bistro style carvery with all the trimmings and a selection of gourmet style cakes made fresh daily in the Centre’s in-house Pastry Kitchen will be top of the menu selection at this year’s Craft & Quilt Fair.