Deadline extended to Friday, 7th May for professionals to enter skillVM
26 April 2010: The UK’s most famous visual merchandiser, Mary Portas, has been confirmed as the special guest at this year’s skillVM final, at the In-Store Show.
The Queen of Shops will present awards to the winners of skillVM, the only competition which sees teams of visual merchandisers battle it out on a live stage to create the most stunning window displays.
Demand has led to the expansion of this year’s competition with five pairs in both student and VM professional categories competing in the finals at London’s Olympia. Each pair will build full-scale window displays in front of the public eye and under a strict time limit on Tuesday, 29th June before being judged the following day.
This year’s theme ‘The Future of Retail: 2060’ has already attracted much interest around the country, with entrants submitting mood boards that outline plans for their window displays. Entry for the student category has now closed, but applications from professional visual merchandisers are still being invited.
skillVM Competition Co-ordinator Sasha de Caires said: “The way this year’s competition is set up, with students having to go through one more round of heats than the professionals, means we have been able to extend the deadline for this category. Deadline for registration is now Friday, May 7th, with design submissions required two weeks later on the 21st.
“With the confirmation that Mary Portas will be at the final to award prizes to our winners, it is an amazing opportunity for all retail artists to show off their skills to one of this country’s most respected VM experts.
“I urge retailers of all sizes to enter the UK’s only live visual merchandising competition and show off their flair for retail art. It is great exposure for retail companies—last year’s competition attracted media interest from the BBC and Sky among others and the winners have gone from strength to strength in their VM careers.”
For full information on how to enter and to download the competition brief, visit www.skillVM.com
In addition to the competition, the three skillVM judges, Alan Westcott, Director of Visual-Red; Neil Morgan, Creative Director of Display One; and former Big Brother contestant and VM professional, Kris Donnelly, will hold a Q&A session on Wednesday, 30th June on the conference stage of the In-Store Show. Titled The Changing Face of the Retail Industry, it will give visitors the opportunity to hear the experts’ views on many current issues affecting retail.
There are still numerous opportunities to get involved in skillVM, including mentoring competitors, sponsoring the event or attending the UK finals as a visitor. For full information, how to register to attend the In-Store Show and to see photographs and videos from 2009’s event, visit www.skillVM.com