As Covid-19 continues to disrupt the scheduling of trade fairs around the world, the organisers of Maison&Objet have decided to move the physical fair from January to March 2021.
Originally scheduled for 22 to 26 January 2021, the international lifestyle show will next year combine online and physical events throughout the first quarter of 2021. The season will conclude with a physical trade fair in Paris from 26 to 30 March.
“Maison&Objet announces a revitalising start to 2021,” the organisers state in a recently released press release.
“A season fully packed with online and physical events to stimulate trading activity in the home decor, design, crafts, and the lifestyle industries, with a return of the trade fair to Paris Nord Villepinte from 26 to 30 March 2021.”
Following the success of the Digital Fair in September 2020―which brought together 4,292 brands and nearly 215,000 unique international visitors―research shows that the home décor sector is significantly less impacted by the pandemic than other industries, in fact, some might say this sector has seen a boost as people are spending more time at home than ever before.
The research also indicated there is still a need to meet physically, to touch the actual products, have face to face opportunities with new clients and discover new collections.
“Reflecting on the various possible options and taking into account the uncertainties related to the current context, the community largely favoured the end of March as a time for the long awaited reunion and the physical presentation of new products.
“This fair will be framed as the sum of a physical event and an online activation. Several support options will be developed so that exhibitors can extend the presentation of their booths after 30 March through customised digital tools (videos, interviews, etc), previewing a new trade fair model.”
So what will be on offer in the first quarter of 2021?
● A series of digital fairs addressing themes by market sectors, leveraging functionalities and increased usage of the MOM platform in order to pursue and to optimise online product selections and referencing processes.
● A physical exhibition from 26 to 30 March, with an enhanced format through the creation of multimedia content, enabling an extended digital presence for exhibitors, emphasising the impact of their participation and offering an extension of the post-exhibition experience.
● An off-site tour in Paris, in parallel with the fair, for brands who wish to present their collections in a showroom or in a pop-up.
