In licensed merchandise, timing matters. Retailers are planning around entertainment releases, seasonal opportunities, emerging fandoms and consumer trends months, sometimes years, before products reach shelves.

That makes early communication between suppliers and retailers increasingly important. But it also raises a question: should the traditional seasonal product presentation be doing more?

That thinking led to The Pyramid Circle, a new customer convention recently hosted by Pyramid International in Spain. Rather than simply presenting upcoming products, we wanted to create an environment where customers could get closer to our business, meet the people behind it, understand what's coming further down the line and, importantly, contribute to the conversation.

Under the theme "Behind the Scenes", the event was built around four ideas: Our Story. Our People. Our Products. Our Future.

The result was more than a range presentation. It was an opportunity to explore what closer collaboration between retailers and suppliers can look like.

How Can Supplier Events Become More Valuable for Retailers?

A product presentation naturally has a commercial purpose. Buyers need to see what's new, understand availability and identify opportunities for their customers.

But bringing customers together in one room creates an opportunity to go further.

The Pyramid Circle was designed as a dedicated Pyramid experience, with its own identity and narrative running through the communication, venue, presentation, displays and Product Gallery.

Across five acts and a finale, customers were taken from Pyramid's beginnings as a UK poster company in 1992 through to the international licensed merchandise business we are today, with more than 500 licenses and IPs, and products spanning wall décor, stationery, drinkware, apparel, accessories, gifting and homeware.

Just as importantly, customers met the people behind those products.

Strong supplier relationships aren't built solely around the products available today. They're built around understanding the capabilities, expertise and people that can support a retailer tomorrow.

Why Is Earlier Visibility Important in Licensed Merchandise?

Licensed retail rarely stands still.

A major entertainment release can create a new retail moment. An emerging fandom can quickly become a commercial opportunity. Seasonal events change the context in which products are bought, while established properties continue to evolve alongside their audiences.

Retailers therefore need to plan beyond the immediate buying window.

At The Pyramid Circle, we presented our Q4 2026 ranges before looking ahead to Q1 and Q2 2027 developments, with pre-production samples providing an early view of products still to come.

Rather than moving through a catalogue one category at a time, the presentation was structured around consumer and retail opportunities.

Current cultural phenomena sat alongside established fandoms and evergreen properties. Halloween and Christmas opportunities were considered alongside wider entertainment moments, while new formats demonstrated how a single license can extend into different areas of a retailer's offer.

This reflects how consumers actually engage with licensed merchandise.

A fan doesn't necessarily think in terms of "stationery", "drinkware" or "accessories". They think about the films, characters, games and worlds they care about.

For retailers, understanding when, where and why consumers are engaging with a property can therefore be just as important as deciding which individual products to stock.

Why Do Physical Samples Still Matter to Retail Buyers?

Digital catalogues, imagery and virtual presentations have made buying more convenient, particularly for businesses operating internationally.

But physical product still has an important role to play.

The Product Gallery was a central part of The Pyramid Circle, giving customers dedicated time to step away from the presentation, handle products and discuss individual ranges directly with members of our team. 

Photography can show a design. Product specifications can tell you its measurements and materials.

Picking something up tells you more.

Buyers can understand its scale, weight, finish, construction and perceived value in a way that is difficult to replicate completely on screen.

That becomes particularly significant as product development moves into more premium formats.

During the event, we shared early thinking around Q3 2027 product development, exploring opportunities for stronger presentation, greater perceived value and premium gifting.

Crucially, these weren't presented as finished answers.

They were the beginning of a conversation.

How Can Retailer Feedback Influence Product Development?

One of the most important parts of The Pyramid Circle wasn't what we told customers.

It was what they told us.

Towards the end of the event, we opened the discussion to the room and asked some deliberately practical questions:

• Which collections are most relevant to your business?

• Which product formats would you like to see developed further?

• What information helps you make buying decisions?

• How far in advance do you need that information?

That changed the dynamic from presentation to participation.

Customer feedback after launch will always be valuable. Sales performance tells us what worked, retailers can tell us what customers responded to and the market inevitably teaches us things that couldn't have been predicted.

But there is another opportunity much earlier in the process.

Speaking to retailers while ideas are still developing can help us understand the practical realities behind the buying decision. What works for their store? Where are they seeing opportunities? What formats are missing? What information do they need from us to plan confidently?

Those insights can then sit alongside our own product development expertise, licensor relationships and understanding of the wider market.

Feedback gathered during The Pyramid Circle is already feeding into our 2027 product development and planning.

Can Exclusivity Make Customer Events More Meaningful?

If you're asking customers to take time away from their businesses to attend an event, there should be genuine value in being in the room.

Alongside previews and development discussions, attendees at The Pyramid Circle received access to an exclusive first production run of 15 products across nine licenses. 

That created an immediate commercial opportunity alongside the longer-term conversations taking place throughout the day.

It also reflects something we want The Pyramid Circle to stand for in the future: access.

Access to products. Access to what's coming next. Access to our teams. And access to conversations that can help both Pyramid and our customers plan more effectively.

Why Do B2B Relationships Still Need a Human Element?

For all the discussion around data, forecasting, speed to market and product strategy, B2B relationships remain fundamentally human.

After the formal event concluded, customers and members of the Pyramid team continued the day with a sunset boat trip.

There were no slides and no formal agenda. Instead, it gave everyone the opportunity to continue conversations in a more relaxed environment, both with our team and with one another.

In fact, some of the most valuable conversations of the day happened there.

Technology can make international business faster and more efficient, but it doesn't remove the value of sitting down with a customer, understanding their business and building trust over time.

The strongest partnerships need both.

What Did We Learn From The Pyramid Circle?

The response from customers was extremely positive, but perhaps the most useful measure of the event was what both sides took away from it.

Customers told us the format gave them a clearer understanding of Pyramid, our capabilities and how they could plan future business with us. In return, our teams left with direct insight into what those customers need next.

That exchange is exactly what The Pyramid Circle was designed to create.

A customer event doesn't have to be the final stage of product development, where finished ranges are unveiled and orders are taken.

It can sit much earlier in the relationship.

It can be somewhere to test thinking, identify opportunities, understand different markets and give customers greater visibility of what's ahead.

What Comes Next for The Pyramid Circle?

The event in Spain was the beginning, rather than the conclusion.

Individual conversations with attendees are continuing, feedback is feeding into future development and the opportunities identified throughout the event are being taken forward by our teams.

We're also looking at how The Pyramid Circle could evolve across other international markets, creating further opportunities for early access, product discovery, strategic conversation and closer customer collaboration. 

Ultimately, that's the bigger idea behind the concept.

A customer event shouldn't simply communicate what a business has already decided. At its most valuable, it should create an environment where customers and suppliers can begin shaping what comes next together.

The Pyramid Circle is our first step towards creating that environment.

Finally, an event like this only happens because of the work taking place behind the scenes. A huge thank you goes to the entire Pyramid Spain team for the weeks of preparation, attention to detail and teamwork that brought The Pyramid Circle to life, with special recognition to Kally, Juliet and Ralf for their contribution to the event.