DCUK: Celebrating 21 Years at Spring Fair with a Quacking New Launch
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As DCUK marks an incredible 21 years at Spring Fair, we caught up with Co-Founder Craig Wensley and Head of Marketing Steve Manser to learn more about the brand’s journey, their commitment to craftsmanship, and what’s in store for this year’s show. From their iconic hand-carved ducks to the unveiling of an exciting new licensed product line, DCUK continues to evolve while staying true to its quirky, creative roots.
In this exclusive Q&A, Craig and Steve share insights into their history with Spring Fair, the evolution of their stand, and how the event has helped shape their success. Plus, they offer advice for new exhibitors and reveal what visitors can expect to see on their stand this year.
Tell us about your business and the products you offer. How long have you been exhibiting at Spring Fair, and where can visitors find your stand this year?
For the last twenty years, we’ve been passionate about helping people to smile every day, thanks to our incredibly popular wooden characters, here at DCUK.
Starting back in 2004 (which was also when we first appeared at Spring Fair, too!) we create hand-carved, hand-painted wooden ducks and feathered friends, each with its own unique personality. We like to think that our designs celebrate the beauty of craftsmanship and storytelling, with the help of bamboo root.
Our first range was simply the natural bamboo ducks, before we decided to put them in spotty welly boots. Why? Well, it certainly made us smile. This quirky addition proved extremely popular with collectors and stockists, and it wasn’t long until we moved onto name tags, and specific character creations to appeal to customer interests and special occasions, such as baking, sports, tartan, Christmas and weddings.
We’re excited to be back at Spring Fair again for the 21st year in a row. We’ll be at stand 4C01, right next to the Hall 4 entrance.
How has your stand evolved over the years in terms of design, size or approach?
We’ve certainly got bigger, that’s for sure! For the last three years, we’ve had the same extended space at the edge of Hall 4, after several years with a smaller area. We’ve also moved from a standard shell scheme to a customised brand approach. This has given us the chance to spread out a bit more, given our design team more creative options, and importantly, allowed us to add a dedicated ‘room’ to highlight Christmas-themed ranges.
It’s also been important to recognise the growing trend of retail spaces becoming more immersive in the high street and in garden centres, with visual displays telling the story of the brands on show as much as sales staff. In our case at the show, we’ve worked hard to use the extra space at Spring Fair to visually introduce and showcase both our new and bestselling ranges with interesting and eye-catching creative displays.
We know from feedback that it’s something a lot of customers and visitors like to see, taking photos as inspiration for their own display ideas, and being able to visualise DCUK characters in their own locations.
Benefits of ExhibitingCan you share examples of clients or partnerships you’ve secured through the show?Exhibiting at Spring Fair in recent years has given DCUK the ability to educate and inspire customers, and attract new stockists. In the last two years, our presence at the show has also brought us to the attention of several distributors within the UK and overseas – which we’ve since set up and agreed. Following an initial meeting, we’ve also secured our first major licensing agreement too. You’ll see who it is at the show in February! |
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How has the event impacted your brand awareness or growth over the years?
Spring Fair is a well-attended and popular event in the giftware industry calendar, so even attending the show acts as a powerful signalling device. All the top brands are in attendance, which means it’s easier to be noticed by more buyers, owners, and the most useful key media, PR, and industry contacts.
Where possible, we’ve looked to amplify and support our appearances at Spring Fair in recent years, across paid and owned opportunities. That’s included advertising within the NEC, targeted mailings and email campaigns to customers and prospects.
Every show generates a lot of fresh interest for DCUK characters, especially because what we offer is very visual and tactile. Being at Spring Fair means that potential and current (or lapsed) customers have the best opportunity to engage with us in person and see the magic for themselves!
Advice for New and Returning Exhibitors
What advice do you have for first-time Spring Fair exhibitors? What common mistakes should they avoid?
Firstly, it’s important to see attending Spring Fair as an opportunity to learn.
Having the ability to discover, look, and learn what’s going on in the marketplace is priceless – and something that everyone needs to plan into their time whilst at the show. This can be simply walking around during the day if possible, getting involved in any meet ups, and talking to other exhibitors.
It’s very easy to get caught up in focusing on your own stand and products, but don’t miss up on a great chance to see competitors and ‘best in class’ brands in action. It’s likely that you’ll come away with a renewed focus and fresh ideas, as well as hopefully new orders.
Looking Ahead
What excites you most about this year’s Spring Fair? Are you looking to connect with specific businesses or showcase anything new at your stand?
We’re excited ahead of every Spring Fair, and this one is no exception. It’s always a great opportunity to remind customers about our hand-carving and hand painted creative process with the DCUK characters, helped by having some bamboo root examples, and handy behind the scenes crafting videos on our big screen.
We always have our Christmas and seasonal pre-orders at Spring Fair every year, with new ranges and characters for customers to add to orders. It’s also important to add other new or updated everyday ranges to keep things fresh, so we’ve got several trade packs getting the full DCUK exhibition display treatment for 2025.
For example, we’re launching our Natural Dodo for the trade, set against a Darwin-style backdrop. These have been incredibly popular as a limited item on our own retail site, so we’re excited to get these into shops and outlets elsewhere. We’ve also expanded our successful baking range with new Baker Dinky Ducks, in five different patterned designs and colours. Our designer has some great ideas for showcasing these on the DCUK stand.
Our Christmas range for 2025 includes German market-inspired Gilded Caramel Ducklings and Duckys, along with a fresh Candy Cane range that sits nicely with our tweaked Traditional Christmas theme. But perhaps most of all, we’re excited to unveil the first two characters that are part of our new collaboration with the award-winning creators at Aardman. Some of our ducklings have dressed up as Wallace and Feathers McGraw, so official stockists have the chance to get involved in their adventures too.
With such a strong and varied mix of characters and themes this year, it promises to be a fun show.
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“We are delighted to welcome DCUK back to Spring Fair for their 21st consecutive year. It’s incredible to see how their brand has grown and evolved over the years, reflecting the creativity and craftsmanship that their wooden characters embody. We’re especially excited to see their new licensed product line launch at Spring Fair 2025. It’s a testament to how brands can expand their reach and success through the opportunities provided by the show. Watching businesses like DCUK thrive and take their place as industry leaders is what makes Spring Fair such a vibrant and inspiring event.”– Soraya GadelrabEvent Director, Spring Fair and Autumn Fair
We can’t wait to welcome all the incredible exhibitors and visitors to Spring Fair this year! If you haven’t secured your tickets yet, there’s still time to join us—register for free today and be part of this fantastic event. See you there!