The January 2014 edition of Maison & Objet Paris closed its doors having shown promising signs of renewed vigour and expansion. Prior to the launch of Maison & Objet Asia next March and in anticipation of Maison & Objet Americas in May 2015, the international appeal and savvy positioning of Masion & Objet Paris, as well as the quality of the developments applied to the past several shows to generate clearer content and an increasingly personalised service for visitors and exhibitors alike, is confirmed.
By taking into account feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike, Maison & Objet’s organisers do their utmost to ensure every session has a greater impact and visibility and is better appreciated than the last. In January, the event's attention was focused on noteworthy changes made to Halls 7 and 3, where visitors saw the unveiling of scènes d’intérieur Gallery and the cook+design Studio.
These changes included a brand new layout and positioning for Hall 7’s premium home-design exhibitors, in a hall designed by French designer Noé Duchaufour Lawrance. Visitors experienced a remodelled scènes d’intérieur, with better marked sections between the pretigious brands and designers which are now gathered in a new space – scènes d’intérieur Gallery.
This new layout improves the hall’s overall visibility for specifiers and international distributors. They appreciate the content’s premium quality, as well as the variations between the January and September sessions: Maison & Objet éditeurs in January (focusing on soft furnishings and upholstery) and Maison & Objet projets in September spotlighting technical interior-design solutions and offering visitors the chance to discover exhibitors specialised in contract and hospitality interiors.
The show’s second key renovation involves Hall 3, in which the cook+design sector was enhanced by the cook+design Studio. This new space designed for activities and networking encounters rapidly found its place in the hall and highlights the objectives of the sector which has expanded its target market by incorporating tableware into the broader trend of the pleasures of cooking and entertaining.
The presentations, demonstrations and encounters with famous chefs orchestrated at the cook+design Studio throughout the show were all popular with visitors and demonstrated how this sector’s visitors embraced the new developments and changes.
More than five hundred new exhibitors participated in this session of Maison & Objet Paris. This significant increase illustrates not only the proactive work done in keeping the show on the leading edge, but also the event’s undeniable appeal. This is particularly true for international exhibitors, who see the show as the most effective platform for expanding their business. Maison & Objet Paris has become the European show at which the greatest number of Japanese decor and design firms choose to exhibit.
Among the most pleasant surprises of the January session was a marked increase in international visitors. This steady trend has been evident over the past few years and was clearly confirmed in January with the return of European visitors, but also a significant increase in overseas-export visitors. This growth can be explained by the increased international promotion of the show in parallel with the launches of Maison & Objet Asia in Singapore 10-13 March 2014 and Maison & Objet Americas at Miami Beach 12-15 May 2015. This progress is also proof of the solid comprehension of the complementary nature of these events and Maison & Objet Paris’ stature as the gold standard in this realm.
The presentations, along with the three areas set aside for the January show’s inspirations and the networking gatherings are unique features of Maison & Objet as the show channels its inventiveness and resources into perfecting visitor experience and the quality of the content offered to its visitors. The increasing audiences seen at presentations and conferences are definitive proof of the drawing power of these specific elements.
Having gained 780 followers on its Twitter account and 5550 new fans on its Facebook page (for a current total of 61,762), the show has an admirable audience in social networks and is proud to be highly ranked among all the pages for international home-design shows online. These figures are evidence that a genuine community is developing around Maison & Objet – this can also be seen in the show’s aisles, which are the site of increasingly exciting and numerous collaborations underlining the global dimension of the decor and design sectors.
