Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and Glee have announced a new partnership with Accio Work, Alibaba.com’s AI business platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to bring artificial intelligence into the visitor and exhibitor experience at their major trade shows.
Under the partnership, Accio Work will become the official AI partner of the three events and introduce a free AI-powered assistant designed to help buyers discover exhibitors, plan their visits and navigate the show floor more efficiently.
The new technology is set to launch at Autumn Fair and Glee in September, providing buyers with an AI-driven way to search the official exhibitor directory using natural language rather than relying solely on traditional categories or manual searches.
AI Assistant to Transform Trade Show Discovery
The partnership between Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, Glee and Accio Work reflects the growing role of AI in the global exhibition and trade show industry. As large-scale business events bring together thousands of products, brands and exhibitors, buyers increasingly need smarter tools to identify relevant suppliers and manage their time effectively.
The new Accio Work AI assistant is designed to address this challenge by allowing buyers to ask questions in everyday language. For example, a buyer looking for sustainable garden brands within a particular budget can enter the requirement directly into the assistant.
The system will then use information from the official exhibitor directory to provide relevant recommendations, helping buyers identify brands and products that match their purchasing requirements.
This approach could make exhibitor discovery more efficient, particularly for visitors who may not know the exact company or product category they are looking for before arriving at the event.
Image-Based Retail Recommendations
One of the key features of the new AI assistant is its ability to use images as part of the discovery process.
Buyers can upload a photograph of their retail store, allowing the technology to analyse the visual characteristics and retail style of the space. Based on this information, the assistant can suggest exhibitors whose products and brands may be a suitable fit.
The feature is aimed at creating a more personalised buying experience. Instead of simply searching for products by category, visitors can receive recommendations based on the look and feel of their own retail environment.
For independent retailers and buyers managing specific store concepts, this could provide another way to discover exhibitors that align with their merchandising strategy.
Personalised Show Floor Walking Routes
The AI assistant will also help visitors plan their physical journey around the exhibition.
After identifying relevant exhibitors, the tool can generate a personalised walking route around the show floor. This allows buyers to organise meetings and visits according to their interests, potentially reducing time spent navigating large exhibition halls.
For major trade shows where exhibitors are spread across multiple halls and sections, effective route planning can have a significant impact on the overall visitor experience.
The technology is therefore positioned not only as a search tool but also as a planning assistant that can help buyers make better use of their time at the event.
Spring and Autumn Fair Seeks Smarter Buying Experience
Jackson Szabo, portfolio director at Spring & Autumn Fair, said the partnership was developed with the aim of introducing technology that improves the buying experience without adding complexity.
According to Szabo, the Accio Work partnership will help buyers discover brands they might otherwise overlook, create personalised buying journeys and spend more time engaging directly with exhibitors on the show floor.
The introduction of AI comes as trade shows continue to evolve beyond traditional product displays and face-to-face meetings. Digital tools are increasingly being used before and during events to improve matchmaking, exhibitor discovery, navigation and lead generation.
For Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and Glee, the partnership represents an effort to integrate these capabilities directly into the buyer journey.
Accio Work Brings AI to Trade Show Buying
Michalle Lau, managing director France at Accio Work, highlighted the challenge buyers face when attending large-scale trade exhibitions.
With hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of products available across major events, finding the most relevant brands can become time-consuming. Accio Work’s AI technology is designed to simplify this process by helping visitors identify suitable exhibitors faster.
The company believes that making AI accessible within the trade show environment can help both buyers and suppliers create stronger commercial connections.
The partnership also highlights how AI is moving beyond general business applications and becoming increasingly relevant to the exhibition industry, where large volumes of supplier, product and visitor information need to be organised and made accessible.
Autumn Fair and Glee to Debut the Technology
The AI-powered assistant will launch at Autumn Fair and Glee in September, giving visitors access to the new functionality during the shows.
Autumn Fair is a major UK retail trade event bringing together buyers and suppliers across multiple product categories, while Glee focuses strongly on garden, outdoor living and related retail sectors.
The different profiles of the two events provide an opportunity for Accio Work’s technology to support buyers with varied sourcing requirements.
At Glee, for example, buyers may use AI recommendations to identify garden and outdoor brands based on specific product, sustainability or budget requirements. At Autumn Fair, the broader retail environment could allow buyers to use the assistant for searches across multiple categories.
AI Could Change How Buyers Navigate Exhibitions
The introduction of AI assistants at trade shows could mark a broader shift in how visitors interact with exhibition directories.
Traditionally, buyers have relied on printed guides, online exhibitor directories, event apps, alphabetical listings and category searches to find suppliers. While these tools remain useful, they often require visitors to know what they are searching for before beginning the process.
Natural-language AI changes that interaction by allowing buyers to describe their requirements conversationally.
A buyer could potentially specify product preferences, budget limitations, sustainability requirements or retail positioning in one request. The assistant can then use the available exhibitor information to identify potential matches.
This could be particularly valuable for discovery-led buyers who are attending an exhibition to find new suppliers rather than visiting a predetermined list of companies.
Opportunities for Exhibitors
The partnership could also benefit exhibitors by improving their visibility among relevant buyers.
Large exhibitions can make it difficult for smaller or newer brands to attract attention when they are competing with hundreds of other exhibitors. An AI recommendation system based on buyer requirements could potentially help suitable brands appear in searches where their products are relevant.
This could create additional opportunities for exhibitors to connect with visitors who may not have discovered them through traditional browsing.
For exhibitors, visibility within digital directories and event technology is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall trade show strategy. Being accurately represented in an official exhibitor database can influence how easily potential buyers discover a business through digital tools.
Personalisation Becomes a Key Exhibition Trend
Personalisation is becoming an important theme across the global exhibition industry. Event organisers are increasingly exploring technologies that can tailor content, recommendations and visitor journeys according to individual requirements.
The partnership between Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, Glee and Accio Work takes this trend further by combining natural-language search, image-based recommendations and personalised navigation.
Instead of providing every visitor with the same information, the AI assistant is designed to help create an experience based on individual buying objectives.
This approach could make trade show participation more productive for buyers who have limited time and specific sourcing requirements.
AI and the Future of Trade Shows
The adoption of AI at Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and Glee demonstrates how technology is becoming an increasingly important part of modern exhibitions.
AI can potentially support several stages of the trade show journey, from pre-event discovery and meeting preparation to on-site navigation and post-event engagement. The latest partnership focuses particularly on the discovery and planning stages, where buyers need to identify relevant exhibitors quickly.
As more event organisers experiment with AI-powered solutions, similar applications could become increasingly common across international exhibitions, conferences and business events.
For buyers, the objective is ultimately straightforward: spend less time searching and more time discovering products, meeting suppliers and conducting business.
For exhibitors, improved discovery can create opportunities to reach buyers who are genuinely relevant to their products and commercial objectives.
Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and Glee Embrace AI Innovation
The partnership with Accio Work positions Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and Glee among trade show organisers exploring practical applications of artificial intelligence rather than using AI simply as a promotional technology.
The free assistant is designed around specific visitor needs, including exhibitor discovery, personalised recommendations and show floor navigation.
With the technology launching at Autumn Fair and Glee in September, buyers will have the opportunity to experience an AI-supported approach to sourcing and exhibition planning.
The initiative also reflects the broader transformation taking place across the exhibition industry, where organisers are using digital technology to make large-scale events easier to navigate and more valuable for participants.
