By Kymberly Martin
Captures attention of visitors.
The decision to focus on its new space-saving BBQ was a good move for Ilve at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show. Confirming the success of this strategy to Appliance Retailer at the show was marketing manager, Daniel Bertuccio (pictured).
He said the initial response from visitors to the stand was curiosity as to what the product was as the wall mounted barbecue folds away when not in use and this was how it was displayed. “When we pull out the product people are genuinely surprised to discover it is a barbecue.” While AR was on the stand there was certainly a regular roll-up of people looking at the product. “Unlike previous shows where we focused on our range of cooking products it was decided to concentrate on the barbecue “with some intent” which represents a new category for Ilve.
It was a perfect time to exhibit the new space saving MYQ barbecue as Sydney approached the warmer months. “It is interesting to see how many people are such avid BBQ fans and there is a growing trend to outdoor living.
“The Good Food & Wine Show is a perfect audience for this type of product. As part of our show sponsorship the barbecue is used in daily food demonstrations and Ilve appliance have a presence on the stage. The show is a good vehicle for us as we are seeing a strong focus now on barbecues for general household cooking.”
The stainless steel MYQ, which had a soft release in January, features three burners, a stainless steel grill and cast iron hot plate with a storage cover/lid that doubles as a splash back. It retails at $1,600.
Bertuccio expects the product will feature in a number of store catalogues and has been well received by retailers. It joins the Ilve built-in barbecue that was launched late last year which he said was designed for people building an outdoor area. “The MYQ can be easily attached to any fixed wall and is ideal for balconies, courtyards or back yards.”
This is fourth year Ilve has been a major sponsor at the show “it gives us the opportunity for brand exposure which is valuable. We don’t sell off the stand. For us the event is all about creating awareness for our product, educating people on our brand.
“We were very satisfied with the visitor numbers with more than 9,000 coming through the door on Saturday and there were similar numbers on Sunday.”
Dyson was another appliance brand exhibiting at show with people gathering on the stand to see the range of floorcare appliances on display. The new Dyson hair dryer was available “on request” and AR was given its first demonstration of the Dyson Supersonic that sells for $699.
At first glance it looked vaguely familiar – like it heating/cooling appliances is has no visible blades. There are three speed settings and four heat settings, the latter which probably puts the dryer into a hair space of its own – because even at the highest, fast drying setting the dryer did not reach the uncomfortable temperature like most other hair dryers. There is even a gentle drying setting which is ideal for children. This convertible of hair dryers comes with three magnetic attachments and even in a noisy environment of a show it seemed to be less noisy than some models.