Tendence 2012: the most important order platform for the second half of the year
 

 

International gift ideas for all occasions in the Giving section

Christmas is just around the corner – which products will customers demand? What are next season’s trend colours going to be? Which shapes and materials are likely to be ‘in’ in the future? Trade buyers will find answers to these and many more questions at Tendence in Frankfurt am Main from 24 to 28 August 2012 when around 2,000 international exhibitors present the latest trends for the coming autumn, winter and Christmas season and offer a preview of the first spring and summer collections in nine exhibition halls.
 
For five days, everything at the most important consumer-goods fair for the second half of the year revolves around lifestyle, living and giving. “In the two main sections, Giving and Living, we present product groups perfectly tailored to buyers’ needs. Another advantage for buyers is the timing of the fair – nowhere else can they obtain a better overview of the latest international trends for the winter season, nowhere else can they place orders for their Christmas business at such short notice”, explains Nicolette Naumann, Vice President Ambiente/Tendence.
 
In the Living section, Tendence presents modern interior design, classic furnishing ideas and stylish home accessories. The Giving section shows the entire range of individual gift ideas: from trendy lifestyle products, via gift articles, stationery, gourmet presents and fashion accessories, to costume and genuine jewellery.
 
Giving: Original and unusual or classic simplicity?
 In the five exhibition halls occupied by the Giving section, trade buyers will find international gift ideas for creative assortment compilation – from extraordinary trend products to traditional gifts. On an area equivalent to nine soccer pitches (65,000 m²), around 1,100 exhibitors from all over the world guarantee an unrivalled variety of products:
 
Youthful, bold and colourful are the gift articles to be found in the Young & Trendy segment (Hall 11.1). There, long-standing exhibitors such as KARE Design, Gift Company, Donkey Products and DFP Design show their trendy products: “Young & Trendy has grown enormously. Design is becoming much more important, especially in the gift-articles sector. Hence, Tendence, a fair of great national and international significance in this field, is exactly right for DFP with its youthful, trendy products”, says Magnus Busch, Business Development Manager at DFP Design. Tendence is also very important for Donkey Products owner Florian Berger: “For us, Tendence is the leading fair for the second half of 2012. It is the only event where we present not just selected new products but also our extensive range in its entirety.”
 
A large number of companies at this year’s Tendence are returnees and they include Jellycat, Sigikid and Trend Import. Michael Beneken of Trend Import describes the reasons for returning to Tendence as follows: “We decided to take part in Tendence again because it is so well known and is held at a central venue. Moreover, the large number of visitors means it is very good for launching new products.”
 
Taking part for the first time this year are companies such as The Green Suitcase from Denmark, Cousins & Co. from France and Rex International from Great Britain. A highlight: the new Icephone from the successful Ice-Watch brand will make its debut in the Young & Trendy segment.
 
At Gifts Unlimited, buyers can find classic gifts and decorative articles from all around the globe, e.g. candles, decorative figures, games, greetings cards and key fobs. To be seen in Halls 9.1 and 9.2, the renowned exhibitors of Gifts Unlimited include Boltze, Depesche Vertrieb, Gilde Handwerk-Macrander, Hoff Interieur, Paper + Design and Trendhaus Handelsgesellschaft.
 
The Gourmet Shop is part of Gifts Unlimited in Hall 9.2. In addition to finest tea and coffee specialities, as well as exclusive chocolates, visitors will also find suppliers of high-grade oils and vinegar including Jameson & Tailor, Tee-Maass, Wolfram Berge, Die Olive – und mehr and Zotter Schokoladen Manufaktur. For owner and CEO Josef Zotter, Tendence represents the ideal presentation platform because, as in the case of his chocolate compositions, it combines design and unique product quality. “At Tendence, we will present our new assortment with a preview of Christmas presents. As always, visitors are naturally welcome to try them for themselves!”
 
More than 200 international exhibitors present a broad spectrum of Personal Accessories and show, for example, the latest trends for bags, scarves, sunglasses, belts and mobile-phone accessories – in other words, all the things that emphasise personal style. Among the companies presenting their new collections are A. Ahmaddy, Brasi & Brasi, lemonfish, Louis & Louisa, Noi Home + Fashion, Top Team Collection, Voi Leather Design, Wilhelm Johann Meier GmbH with the ‘Funbag’ brand, Zip & Friends Company and ZWEI. Discussing the significance of Tendence for these exhibitors, Ulrike Lehmann, ZWEI Press Officer says, “For us as bag makers, Tendence is one of the year’s most important events. There, we encounter the majority of our customers and also make lots of new contacts. Many of our business relationships with foreign customers have their origins at Tendence.”
 
The magnet for all jewellery buyers is Hall 9.2 with the Carat area for genuine and costume jewellery. Over 300 exhibitors present their new products in the fully booked up jewellery area. They include numerous suppliers of precious stones, pearls and genuine jewellery, such as Ruppenthal, Utzerath, Govind Jain, CC Pearls, Di Perle and Alfred Schmiesing, as well as makers of silver, designer and costume jewellery, such as Sim, Tezer, Silberwerk, Dazzl Design, Heide Heinzendorff, Hultquist, Langani, Lilii, Coeur de Lion and Lizas. For Antonia Kalle, CEO of Lilii, Tendence provides the ideal environment for successful networking. “I am always delighted by the variety at Tendence, which offers the best possible foundation for successful business transactions.”
 
Buyers of products in bulk should head straight for Passage Gifts in Hall 10.1 where overseas exhibitors present a wide range of products for giving as gifts. Orders for the Christmas business can also be placed there. And, this year, the stands of companies that can deliver in time for the Christmas period are specially marked.
 
As multi-faceted as the exhibitors is the complementary programme of Tendence, which rounds off the product displays with business platforms, promotional programmes, special workshops, lectures and exhibitions:
 
Window dressing live
 Under the motto ‘Window-dressing live - create your Xmas shop window’, Tendence offers workshops especially for the retail trade in Level 1 of the Galleria. There, Karin Wahl, a professional window dresser and certified trainer for visual merchandising, will offer window-dressing tips for the coming Christmas period and show how, with some small tricks, retailers can transform their shop windows into genuine customer magnets. The workshops will be held daily at 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00 hours. Additionally, visitors to the special show will have the chance to win one of three exclusive window-dressing advisory sessions.
 
Young, innovative, talented: Tendence promotes young people
Young design is a traditional part of Tendence through the ‘Talents’ and ‘Next’ promotional programmes.
In the ‘Talents’ area, 19 selected students, university graduates and young designers show their initial designs and concepts in the international setting of Tendence or, to be more exact, in the Carat segment in Hall 9.3. This year, the ‘Talents’ promotional programme celebrates its eleventh birthday and, to mark this occasion, there will be a special show entitled ‘Talents 10+1’ in Hall 11.0 in addition to the familiar ‘Talents’ area. There, visitors will be able to see presentations by eleven ex-‘Talents’ whose careers received a boost from taking part in Tendence. A larger selection of designers who have launched their careers at Ambiente or Tendence since 2001 will be introduced in the associated book, ‘10+1 Talents – Messe Frankfurt – Eleven Years of Young Design in Progress’.
 
The ‘Next’ area puts the spotlight on young companies with a design background, which have already gained their first business experience and want to obtain a firm foothold in the consumer-goods sector.
 
Another pillar of support for young people is the BMWi area in Hall 9.2. Within the framework of its programme, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie – BMWi) gives young, innovative German companies the chance to take part in selected international trade fairs. The prerequisite for participation is that the companies must have been on the market for less than ten years and have max. 50 employees.
 
Other highlights at this year’s Tendence include the ‘FORM 2012 – the best from crafts and industry’ exhibition in Hall 11.0 with judged products from the competition organised by the German Arts & Crafts Association (Bundesverband Kunsthandwerk – BK). Additionally, the Hessian State Award for German Arts & Crafts will be presented at Tendence. This award, which has been presented annually at the Autumn Fair in Frankfurt since 1951, is given for outstanding artistic or hand-crafted products. Moreover, there will once again be a joint presentation by BK members in the Carat segment (Hall 9.3) and within the framework of Personal Accessories in Hall 9.2.
 
Especially for the jewellery sector, there is the very popular ‘Carat on Stage’ lecture area in Hall 9.3. There, renowned speakers and companies report on the latest trends, communication and marketing topics and production methods in the jewellery industry. They include interior architect and TV personality Stefan Suchanek, renowned author Thomas Wege, who specialises in factors for success in the trade and, Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH.
 
Tendence, the international consumer-goods platform
Tendence (24 to 28 August 2012) is the biggest and most important order and trend barometer in the second half of the year. The range of products to be seen covers all levels of quality and is relevant for all channels of distribution. For the retail trade, Tendence is the most important order platform for the Christmas business while bulk buyers can obtain an initial overview of new products for the coming spring and summer season, 2013. With 2,063 exhibitors from 67 countries and more than 52,000 trade visitors, last year’s Tendence occupied the entire western section of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre with 130,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross) in nine exhibition halls [FKM-certified figures].

Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser with € 457* million in sales and 1,769* employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events ‘made by Messe Frankfurt’ take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2011, Messe Frankfurt organised 101 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
 
Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.