Get Out of the Office and Into the Room 🎸

I'm writing this quickly before jumping in the car to head up to Solihull for the UK Guitar Show this weekend.

And here's something particularly exciting...

Saturday is completely sold out!

Not "nearly." Not "strong advance sales."

Sold out. 🔥

That's unusual. Normally there are still tickets available on the door. Sunday is close behind.

Which tells you something important.

People still want to see and try guitars in the flesh. 

And they'll travel if the experience is worth it.

We spend a lot of time talking about digital growth. Ecommerce funnels. Content strategy. Creators. AI. Direct-to-consumer.

All important. All necessary.

But none of it replaces what happens in a room full of players, dealers and brands actually interacting with instruments. 🤝

This weekend:

Players will pick up brands they've never touched before. Dealers will have conversations that compress sales cycles by months. Creators will film content that started with a handshake, not a DM.

And someone will discover the guitar/amp/pedal they didn't know they were looking for. ⚡

That still matters.

In 2026, it might matter more than ever.

Because attention online is rented. Relationships in person are owned.

What makes shows like this powerful is the mix. 🎯

Established brands alongside one-person operations. Big stands next to boutique builders. All on the same floor.

Online, the algorithm decides who gets seen. At a show, everyone gets a fair crack.

And if we're honest, part of the value is simply reconnecting. Other brands. Retailers. YouTubers. Artists. The UK guitar community isn't that big when you zoom out. These weekends are where you find out what's actually happening beyond the posts and polished feeds. 😄

For me though, the real gold is simpler.

Real-time feedback from actual players.

Not comments. Not surveys. Not filtered through anyone else.

Someone plugs in. Plays a chord. You see the reaction instantly. 🎸

Good or bad, it's honest.

It's the fastest market research you'll ever get. And it happens in 30 seconds.

At our booth we'll have:

JET Guitars, Spira Guitars, and making its UK show debut, Patina Guitars 🎉

Custom Shop style, nitro finished guitars for under £600. That's one thing on a spec sheet. It's another when someone picks one up and feels it for the first time.

Over at the Southern Ukulele Store booth, Flight Ukuleles will be well represented too.

Every brand in the portfolio in one building. That's not accidental. That's the strategy meeting the community.

For brands, events aren't about a few weekend sales.

They're about accelerating trust, testing real-world reaction, generating authentic content, and proving demand exists beyond the algorithm. 📈

For retailers, it's footfall beyond your postcode. For distributors, it's relevance. For players, it's belonging.

The businesses that win over the next five years won't be purely digital or purely physical.

They'll scale online. And build loyalty offline.

A sold-out Saturday tells you the appetite is still there. 🙌

The real question is whether you're visible when people show up.

If you're in Solihull this weekend, make sure to come and say hello!

If you're not, ask yourself:

When was the last time you put yourself in the room?

Next week I'll share what I saw and what it says about where the UK guitar market is actually heading.

See you there.