Some of the industry's leading buyers have lined up behind the Totally Shows in an effort to encourage other retailers to attend next February.
Each buyer has put their name and face to the 2014 visitor marketing campaign, which will be featured across all the show's promotional materials, website and advertisements. This is a departure from previous campaigns, which have majored on the shows' product areas and venue.

The nine retailers involved are: Wendy & Robert Evans, proprietors of Nibletts MICA Hardware; David Dickens, managing director of Martin & Partners Builders Merchants; Nicholas Rickard, lead buyer, Building for B&Q; Vin Vara, managing director of The Toolshop Group; Steve Akers, buyer for Bira Direct; Jim Chadwick, head buyer for CDS The Range; Neil Davies, purchasing manager for Trago Mills; Neil Mackay, managing director of Mackay of Cambridge; and Rob Connor, buyer for Taskers.

"Attending an exhibition is all about meeting people and getting to know their products and business to see if it fits with what retailers are trying to achieve," said exhibition director Paul Grinsell. "Our key question to our supportive buyers was 'Are the Totally Shows strong enough to enough to guarantee your attendance next year?', and we're delighted to report that everyone we approached said 'Yes'."

The Totally DIY and Totally Tools shows will run at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry from Sunday, February 16 to Tuesday, February 18 2014.