I am so grateful for the opportunity of visit the huge Christmasworld trade show in Frankfurt a couple of days ago. It was my first time.
When I say Christmasworld is huge, I meant it sincerely. This is a big trade show over several hal;ls with each hall bigger than any trade show hall in Australia. Once you add Christmasworld, Stationeryworld, Creativeworld and Ambiente together, three trade shows across one large campus in Frankfiurt, you have a trade event bigger than Spring Fair in Birmingham and much much bigger than anything in Australia. And, yes, size does matter for you are presented an extraordinary range for businesses from those who focus on the low end through to those who focus at the high end.
I’d talked myself out of going previously because of importation challenges. Now we have a viable solution for importation that has worked for a couple of years, I was ready. I was keen to be challenged in terms of what we could sell to Christmas-focussed shoppers, especially all year round.
While the trade show floor did offer what we’d call everyday Christmas decorations, they occupied a fraction of the space. What dominated was European craftsmanship and aesthetic in what I’d call the seasonal decor space. Whereas we might focus on classic Santa decorations for Christmas, the European approach is richer, more diverse and more stylish.
So many times on the trade show floor I saw products I’ve never seen from an Australian supplier that I knew would work. I also saw some products I’ve seen in Australia. I know of some major high end Aussie retailers who have sourced products at Christmasworld previously.
It was interesting talking with people working the trade show booths about what sells where and to hear stories of any business with Australia retailers. My most enjoyable thing to do though was to watch other retailers purchase. It was instructive to see what they had seen, that I had missed. Some insights I picked up were valuable.
So many suppliers at Christmasworld presented products I have never seen in Australia. I have come away with several orders in place and more on the way. I walked 21,000 steps, took over 500 photos and had genuinely meaningful business discussions with many suppliers.
I was surprised at how many suppliers did not use tech on their stands for taking orders. This also fed into some good conversations about software being used in retail. In our type of retail channel in Australia we are more tech advanced than what I heard about in Frankfurt.
Now, if you’ve read this far, thanks, and you’re be right to be annoyed at the little specific detail I have shared. I’ve kept specific details to myself for competitive advantage. Please don’t begrudge me that.
Here are some photos. Looking at them, they do not do the event justice. These first four though show how educational the event is. The first is a very popular display. The next 3 are of the same display showing some small details from the display, demonstrating the educational value of seeing this level of visual merchandising in action.
Here are some other photos:
Any retailer doing reasonable business in the Christmas space should attend Christmasworld at least once.