The Gift Card and Voucher Association (GCVA) has announced the return of its annual two-day Global gift card conference, which unites over 400 major players across the UK and international gift card community to celebrate the continued growth, innovation and diversification of the industry.
With the sector now estimated to be worth over £7bn, the gift card and voucher industry is growing rapidly. It continues to expand its reach beyond gifting, with gift cards now used extensively for corporate rewards, customer incentives, self-use and insurance payouts.
Taking place on the 1st and 2nd of March, at the Hilton London Bankside, the conference is an opportunity for industry professionals to hear the latest data on the sector’s ongoing growth and evolution. The GCVA will also be launching its whitepaper analysing the role of the gift card beyond gifting and revealing new industry insight from KPMG and Global Data.
Sessions will cover the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the industry, the skills challenge facing the sector and the ever-growing role of gift cards for rewards and incentives. Attendees can gain insight from a range of industry voices, as well as keynote speaker Em Stroud, who will be delivering her Laugh, Think, Play More talk to inspire life and business success.
Stored Value Solutions (SVS) will be returning as lead sponsor, supporting the GCVA with the event. The conference is also sponsored by a range of key industry businesses, including Tillo, Appreciate and lastminute.com.
Gail Cohen, director general of the GCVA, said: “The conference is a pivotal date in the industry calendar. It’s even more pertinent this year, following a period of rapid growth and innovation in the sector as it continues to thrive despite challenging economic conditions.
“Gift card and voucher use is diversifying further than ever before. Whilst they remain at the centre of gifting, gift cards are playing a vital role in helping people with the cost-of-living crisis, enabling consumers to access discounts and businesses to support and reward staff. Ongoing innovation, such as reloadable gift cards, means that the role of gift cards will continue to evolve and the conference provides an opportunity for industry professionals to see the latest exciting developments for themselves.
“We look forward to bringing the industry together once again to celebrate success and look to the future as our latest research reveals gift card growth shows no sign of stopping.”
The conference is open to members and non-members of the GCVA across the gift card, payments, fintech and related industries. Those who are new to the gift card industry can head to GCVA 101 where a series of live sessions will run across the two days.
In-person tickets are now sold out but those still wishing to attend can purchase virtual tickets which provide access to a live-stream of the main stage proceedings.
