In a first of its kind event since pre-Covid, British fitted furniture manufacturer, Symphony Group opened the doors to its impressive Marketing Suite at its Headquarters in Barnsley to host over 100 retail partners for an interactive and informative set of workshops last week.

Featuring new product displays, training workshops and industry guests, the open day allowed retail partners to become further immersed in the Symphony brand as well as meet key suppliers, experts and share industry news and updates.

Attendees had the chance to participate in an interactive rotation through eight distinct areas;

  • Sustainability updates and initiatives were presented by Symphony’s Sustainability Analyst, George Burtoft who shared information about Symphony’s pledges and on-going activities
  • A glimpse into Symphony’s new Product E-Directory designed to help streamline the retailers’ workflows. This innovative system allows easy online access to product information, making Symphony one of the first in the industry to transition from traditional hard literature to a digital platform
  • Engaging conversations with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, with whom Symphony has been a Gold Member since 2022, supporting the charity with local wildlife initiatives
  • An introduction to Haier Appliances
  • Illuminating displays from Sensio Lighting
  • Clever storage solutions from Kessebohmer
  • A PR & Social Media workshop led by Symphony’s Marketing Manager, Nicola Wiley in collaboration with the Company’s PR Agency, Sellers PR
  • Finally, a Feedback Forum for attendees to interact with key business managers and find out how Symphony can support their businesses

In addition, brand new sets were on display including its new Langdale, Melrose and Princeton Paint to Order range which have very recently launched. Forthcoming ranges were also previewed, alongside a Trends presentation from Symphony’s Product Manager, Ashley Brunt to provide insights for the retailers on what to expect for 2024.

The day also included cookery demonstrations from TV Chef Peter Sidwell, creating bitesize dishes including cheese & herb bread, sausage rolls with chilli jam and a chocolate and passionfruit tart, as well as a style board workshop with Graham & Brown and Johnson Tiles led by Symphony’s Design Manager, Josie Medved. Many retailers were also taken on a tour of Symphony’s brand new factory to provide an even wider view of the company’s impressive operations.

Attendees could mark off each station on a scorecard for a chance to win a bundle of prizes, with the winners to be announced next week.

Rob Newton, Head of Marketing said of the event, “This was the first Open Day we have run since 2019, before Covid hit. This year felt like the right time to revive these popular events, and we aimed to make the first one bigger and better than ever before. We are really pleased with how it turned out and the feedback has been great. Regular communication and meetings with our retail partners is important to Symphony, and we want to offer them as much advice and support as we can – especially at a time when the industry is facing challenges as a whole. It’s times like these that we need to pull together and keep a positive mindset and remain top of mind for consumers in every way possible, ready to come out the other side stronger than ever.”

For further information about Symphony, please visit www.symphony-group.co.uk