With the world slowly opening up again, trade fairs are back on with Maison&Objet returning to Paris this month (9-13 September) for its first live event in more than 15 months.
While there was a decline in exhibitor numbers for obvious reasons with travel restrictions still in place for many countries, more than 48,000 buyers still attended the fair with 28 per cent of visitors coming from abroad including Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain.
“The success of this edition is primarily down to the exhibitors who took the risk of joining us, along with the retailers and interior designers who travelled to the event despite the disruption caused by the pandemic,” says Philippe Brocart, general manager of Maison&Objet.
“The courage they showed paid off more than anyone could have imagined, not only in terms of the amazing buzz we all experienced on finally reconnecting, but also, and above all, with record orders for some.”
Indeed, after seemingly endless months of nothing but virtual encounters, many pointed to the importance of in-person engagement and how crucial it was for anyone working in the decoration and design sector to be able to discover and actually touch and feel new collections.
The September edition also gave everyone the opportunity to discover Maison&Objet’s most recent project, the Maison&Objet Academy. This streaming channel, available on subscription, features content for industry professionals, giving them access to training, inspiration and the chance to explore all the exciting new finds and previously undiscovered gems unearthed by the trade fair’s experts.
“This exciting new project is the direct result of the efforts the Maison&Objet organisers made throughout the pandemic to optimise the digital offering via the MOM digital platform (Maison&Objet and More).
“The work they did to help brands launch their collections at specific times and underpinned by specific themes met with enormous success, but it was the popularity of inspiring content and online training opportunities that encouraged the Maison&Objet teams to add this new string to their bow, with the Academy.”
September’s event delivered on absolutely every level, confirming this edition as the one that marks a bounce back to business.
“These five full days of making connections and doing business also demonstrated the power of the trade fair media, and more generally of the in-person engagement that digital solutions can never fully replace.”
The next Maison&Objet will be held from 20 to 24 January 2022 and will feature a new ‘In the City’ itinerary, taking in some of the French capital’s design showrooms, galleries and pop-up stores.
