Sensational comeback: Frankfurt consumer goods fairs set international benchmark

Sensational comeback: Frankfurt consumer goods fairs set international benchmark

Frankfurt am Main, 7 February 2023. The leading international consumer goods fairs Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld have joined forces for the first time from February 3-4 to 7, 2023, to inspire as the global hub for upcoming lifestyle trends. They reflect the increasing merging of lifestyles and focus on the top theme of sustainability. 4,561 exhibitors occupied the entire Frankfurt exhibition center on 352,950 gross square meters and impressed 154,000 retailers from all over the world with their innovations. Participants from more than 170 nations celebrated the personal encounter.

Finally, discover product worlds with all your senses again and be inspired by innovations! More than ever, Frankfurt became the home of the global consumer goods market. For five days, the fully booked exhibition halls were buzzing with reunions and an energetic ordering mood. A total of 154,000 buyers came to Frankfurt to experience trends live and to order for their collections, with which they stimulate the consumer mood.

“With an overwhelming participation and tremendous internationality, we have made an incredible comeback for the global consumer goods world after two years of pandemic. Frankfurt has strengthened its leading position and is the comprehensive inspiration, ordering and networking event. Our new concept One-Stop-Shop is working” says Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board. Buyers benefited from a unique variety of fresh business impulses: at Ambiente Dining, Living and Giving were expanded by the new Working section with a view to modern working worlds. Christmasworld inspired the sector with seasonal eye-catchers and festive decorations with a wow effect for the most beautiful and best-selling time of the year. With numerous creative offerings and interactive workshops, Creativeworld celebrated the ongoing DIY boom like no other trade fair. The greatest possible efficiency is the focus for all participants.

“The new trade fair format consisting of Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld is very coherent and perfectly tailored to the needs of the trade, as the ranges in the home and living segments are also increasingly merging. The mood among our members was consistently positive and it was confirmed once again that our industry needs the trade fair marketplace as a platform for networking, ordering and experiencing the products,” says Christian Haeser, Managing Director of Handelsverband Wohnen und Büro e.V.

The Central Association of the Hardware Trade (Zentralverband Hartwarenhandel e.V.) also agrees with this tenor: “Full halls, super atmosphere, lots of new products, great discussions – the restart of the trade fair after the pandemic has been a success. The specialist retail trade in the housewares/glass porcelain ceramics sector is pleased and grateful to be able to return to the world’s most important consumer goods fair, Ambiente, in its presence after three years. Christmasworld and Creativeworld open up further exciting segments, and a wide range of ideas, which are essential in a challenging market to inspire customers,” says General Manager Thomas Dammann.

Best ratings in internationality and satisfaction

The high level of internationality exceeded all expectations: 70 percent of visitors came from abroad. In addition to Germany, the strongest participating nations included Italy, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Great Britain, Spain, Turkey, Switzerland, Greece and Poland. “It’s gigantic and the visitor frequency super international – even far more than expected and far more than in 2020 before the pandemic. We are overrun, nobody expected that and we are very happy. The combination of Christmasworld, Ambiente and Creativeworld is proving to be a very fortunate solution for exhibitors and trade buyers alike, and one that should definitely be maintained,” stresses Lars Adler, Chairman of the Board EVL (European Lifestyle Association).

The entire spectrum of German and international retail trade was on site. In addition, the mega event attracted the who’s who of major international buyers such as Amazon, Illums Bolighus, Galeries Lafayette, El Corte Ingles, KaDeWe, John Lewis, E. Leclerc, Marks & Spencer, Museum of Modern Art, Rinascente and Stapels. Moreover, major distributors of hotel and restaurant supplies from around the world, as well as hotel chains such as Marriott International, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels, were also attending. The fact that the trade sees Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld as its new platform for success is also confirmed by Messe Frankfurt’s visitor survey. The satisfaction ratings are at a very high level and currently stand at 94 percent.

DEHOGA Hessen, Frankfurt am Main District Association, was also pleased that the launch of the Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld 2023 consumer goods fairs in Frankfurt has set the signals back in the right direction. It is extremely important to the hospitality industry association that Frankfurt is strengthened as a MICE[1] destination in national and international perception. “After the crisis years, which hit the hotel and catering industry in particular, it is extremely important that the trade fairs and congresses boost business travel tourism again,” emphasizes Robert Mangold, Chairman of DEHOGA Frankfurt. “The trade fairs are an important economic factor for the city’s image as well as for the overall structure of all tourism profiteers in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.”

New ideas for sustainable consumption
The extensive supporting program, which brought together a large number of top international speakers and designers such as Karim Rashid, Ross Lovegrove, Olivier Lapidus, Tassilo von Grolmann, but also promising young talents, was praised as a valuable source of inspiration. Through special presentations, lectures, workshops or guided tours, the exchange on the most important meta-topics such as sustainability, new work, design, lifestyle, future retail and digital expansion of trade was stimulated. In this way, all forms of trade were given targeted approaches to solutions as well as practical and implementable ideas to take with them on their way.

A particular highlight was the Future of Work area in the new Ambiente Working section, which presented individual solutions for modern working environments. After all, the workplace is increasingly merging into social places where interaction and social exchange take place. The establishment of co-working spaces as a new form of office organization meets the urgent need for flexibility and mobility. Buyers found a variety of offers and impulses for this. “Future of Work is not just about practical solutions, but about a mindset. We are experiencing a great deal of interest on the part of visitors here. In any crisis, people start to rethink and fresh ideas emerge. It’s an exciting time. We have gained new customers who were not actually looking for products like ours. Many hotels are also showing interest, as they too are offering more and more co-working spaces. The high visitor frequency in the Future of Work area shows that it really is a topic for everyone,” says Diane Wendel, Managing Director Country Living.

The topic of sustainability was omnipresent at all three trade shows with innovative products – according to the Zukunftsinstitut, it is increasingly in demand among consumers and is becoming a decisive purchasing criterion. “More than 70 percent of people worldwide still prefer to shop in stores. However, they want to do so more locally, more sustainably and more collaboratively. Every crisis generates resilience, courage and creativity, and changes create new opportunities and potential for retailers. Here, it is important to set the course early on and consistently put on the consumer’s glasses,” suggests futurologist and retail expert Theresa Schleicher from the Zukunftsinstitut.

Digital Extension enables over 80,000 contacts and extends trade show experience
The decisive factor in inspiration remained the physical experience, which was clearly in focus in 2023 – and continues to be meaningfully supplemented digitally before and after the trade shows. On the online platform Digital Extension, a total of 80,242 participants were virtually on the move, there were over 8,000 networking interactions, around 4,000 chat messages were sent and over 1,000 hours of content were watched.

Until 17 February 2023, exhibitors and visitors can continue to network via the online platform and follow selected trade show highlights. This enables optimal post-fair business and offers the chance to make important business contacts even afterwards.

During the year, the online exhibitor search, the order and content platform for Home & Living nmedia.hub, the knowledge platform Conzoom Solutions, the Ambiente Blog and the social media channels of Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld are also available for networking, placing orders and gaining knowledge.

Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld