The September 2020 edition of Maison&Objet will no longer be going ahead in its usual physical format, but instead will become a virtual fair.
From 4 to 18 September, Maison&Objet will host a digital show via its online platform MOM (Maison&Objet and more).
Phillippe Brocart, managing director of Maison&Objet, says while we are on the road to recovery, the worldwide travel restrictions are making an international trade fair very difficult.
“Although there are encouraging signs of the pandemic beginning to decrease, we believe there are still far too many uncertainties regarding the travel conditions for international exhibitors and visitors,” he explains.
“Furthermore, the lack of clarity regarding the ability to hold large gatherings in early September in France has played a major part in influencing our decision to call off the September edition of Maison&Objet, despite the fact that 80 per cent of stands had already been reserved by April 2020.”
The online initiative will feature two complementary segments: Digital Showrooms on the MOM digital platform to enable products to be showcased, and Digital Talks on the Maison&Objet website to deliver up content and inspiration.
“Our teams have spent the past few weeks shaping out plans that will allow brands to present their new collections and continue engaging with buyers and specifiers.”
Initially launched in 2016, MOM is a high-performance online platform that connects brands with about 400,000 international buyers. In September, Maison&Objet will be giving those buyers the chance to discover all the latest collections in a new ‘showroom’ format mirroring the way in which stands are presented at the fair.
Maison&Objet will also be presenting an unprecedented program of talks bringing together the industry’s top creatives, trend hunters, architects, designers, stylists, retailers and makers. Online conversations, articles, product selections and interviews, either in podcast format or streamed live, will offer the very latest analysis and insights.
They will focus on how, under the blazing spotlight of lockdown, the home has become a veritable refuge, leading us to question our surroundings and living spaces as a whole.
Each year for the past decade, Maison&Objet has been organising Paris Design Week, a design-led experience that runs alongside the trade fair. This year will be no different, and it will go ahead as planned, running from 3 to 12 September.
Looking forward to 2021, The WORK! and PROJECTS show sectors, initially scheduled for September, will now be part of the January edition of the fair, as well as the installation from Designer of the Year, Franklin Azzi.
“The global lockdown we have experienced is set to accelerate the transformation of workspaces. The WORK! show sector will directly reflect those changes, enriched with designs that were elaborated during the crisis period and becoming a veritable hub for reinventing the modern day workspace,” comments Brocart.
Maison&Objet 2021 will be held from 22 to 26 January.
