The international Tendence consumer-goods fair closed its doors with a "very good" approval rating from both exhibitors and visitors. During the four days of the fair, exhibitors from 55 countries presented their latest products for the autumn and winter season, and offered an initial preview of the coming spring in the fields of Living and Giving.
“Tendence remains one of Europe’s most important order platforms in the second half of the year. Despite the difficult economic situation in Europe, we have succeeded in repositioning Tendence in the interests of our exhibitors and visitors. The new concept has produced its first positive results. The overall rating given to the fair is significantly better than last year’s,” says Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of organiser Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
The majority of exhibitors not only said they were very pleased with the level of orders placed and visitor quality but also emphasised the great importance of Tendence for the sector. As might be be expected in view of the trend in the sector, there was a decline in the number of visitors. During the four days of the fair, one less than last year, a total of 38,000 visitors passed through the doors. Last year’s five-day event was attended by 45,477 visitors.
The top 10 nations on the visitor side were Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Belgium, China, Spain, Poland and Great Britain. Altogether, 20% of visitors came from outside Germany.
On over 98,000 sqm of gross exhibition space, 1307 exhibitors from 55 countries presented their latest products for the autumn and winter season and the trends for next spring. The decline in exhibition space was primarily due to a strategically-planned reduction in the number of Asian exhibitors, which mainly affected exhibitors from China, Hong Kong and India – suppliers for the high-volume business.
As part of the repositioning of the fair, the sequence of days was changed to Saturday to Tuesday – a move that was given a warm reception by the majority of exhibitors.
Valuable visual-merchandising tips were also available in 2013 at the workshop entitled Window-dressing live – winter shopping. There, retailers had the opportunity to learn how to turn shop windows into genuine customer magnets and impressive advertisements for their shops. On an area of 200 sqm, window dresser and showroom designer Karin Wahl – winner of the Award for Best Visual Marketing in 2012 – showed specialist retailers three times a day the keys to effective window dressing and successful in-shop displays. “Compared to their competitors from the internet, retailers have the great opportunity to use their products to tell stories and awaken emotions. However, they must also understand that commitment is essential. But that’s not all – they must also invest if they want to generate enthusiasm among their customers,” explains Karin.
Represented at Tendence 2013 were not only established exhibitors but also young designers. With two Talents areas, Tendence once again demonstrated that the promotion of young designers from all over the world is an important aspect of its concept.
The two new trade fairs, Ecostyle and Webchance, were held concurrently with Tendence for the first time. 76 exhibitors presented lifestyle and designer products at Ecostyle (24-26th August 2013) – the first information and order platform for certified sustainable consumer goods in the European retail trade. During the three-day event, over 5000 trade visitors made their way to hall 10.1 to find out about sustainable trends.
At the Webchance trade fair on 24th and 25th August, retailers had the opportunity to find out about successful internet advertising and sales. According to internal figures, around 2000 trade visitors attended the two-day lecture forum with over 20 lectures. Additionally, many visitors took advantage of this chance to hold discussions with the 27 exhibitors from the online business, and to obtain information about online and legal questions at the advisory area.
The next Tendence will be held from 30th August to 2nd September 2014. The next Ecostyle will be held concurrently with Tendence in Frankfurt am Main from 30th August to 1st September 2014. Webchance will also be held parallel to Tendence next year. The Webchance lectures will also be given at several other events organised by Messe Frankfurt in the coming year.
