The next edition of Heimtextil – running from 14-17th January – will feature a Theme Park in Hall 4.0, where a variety of design and future-oriented themes will be staged. This means the Trend Show will move from Forum 0 to the middle of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre.
Heimtextil is branching out in new directions. “The aim is to show everything that reflects the zeitgeist and is important for success in the future”, says Olaf Schmidt, vice president of textiles and textile technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “With our new concept, we will show the current market trends and identify opportunities for progressive undertakings. Something that was initially just an idea and vision is now taking shape.”
The retail trade and marketing are being taken into account as well as research, development, design and product application. With numerous visualisations and activities, the Theme Park will explore today’s mega and micro trends and show how modern interior design can be creatively implemented in different fields.
Under the name Experience, Heimtextil exhibitors and visitors can discover the latest developments in the world of textile design in a more emotional, intensive and comprehensive presentation than before. “We believe that people want to attach an emotional value to their actions. Consumers do not simply want to go into a shop and buy a product. What they want to do is enjoy the shopping experience with all their senses. Specifically, this means a shop must be more than just a sales outlet for products. In the shop, customers should find a visionary setting that grabs them emotionally and, metaphorically speaking, takes their breath away. In this way, tomorrow’s shopping experience will be a real pleasure,” explains Anne Marie Commandeur of Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, the design studio responsible for the planning and management of the Theme Park concept.
An important part of the Theme Park will be the Material Gallery, which includes a selection of the exhibitors’ fabric collections and offers an overview of the latest home-textile trends – categorised by the trend themes for 2015/16. There will also be a Colour Pavilion showing the latest colour trends. For the pavilion, Stijlinstituut Amsterdam will choose trend-setting products from the ranges of Heimtextil exhibitors and display them creatively. Parallel to this, a programme of lectures with renowned speakers will provide supplementary information about the latest trends. Moreover, the designers will create outposts around the fair, to act as showcases for the Theme Park. These showcases will transfer the themes to the individual exhibition halls and not only generate additional impulses but also provide examples of specific applications for the various product groups.
An important part of the new trend concept is the new website. Users interested in the latest trends can obtain inspiration about tomorrow’s design themes. With numerous photos and videos, the website gives visitors the opportunity to find out about the Theme Park at an early stage.
