In trade show shift, Ambiente to be co-located with other Messe Frankfurt shows

FRANKFURT, Germany—German trade fair Ambiente will be held simultaneously with two other Messe Frankfurt winter trade fairs, Christmasworld and Creativeworld, beginning in February 2023, the show owner announced last week.

The new show grouping, which is a permanent change, will take place under the banner name of “Home of Consumer Goods” and is being billed as a one-stop shop for the global winter ordering season. Previously, the separate shows took place within a few weeks of each other.

The co-located format will take place February 3-7, 2023. Reportedly, Frankfurt hotel rooms were booked solid for that time within a few hours of Messe Frankfurt’s announcement.

Paperworld, a Messe Frankfurt stationery show that also took place in the winter show cycle, will be absorbed into the Home Goods show and its products will be positioned within the appropriate Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld segments. Many of its segments will be folded into a new section called Ambiente Working that will address the combination of home and office life.  The Paperworld brand will be continued outside Frankfurt at locations in Dubai, India and China.

Noting that the global consumer goods industry is in “upheaval,” Messe Frankfurt said that rising online sales combined with declining customer footfall, strained supply chains and their resulting material bottlenecks, and pandemic-influenced travel behavior have all contributed to accelerated global structural change. This is accompanied by rapid changes in consumer lifestyles and behaviors.

“Messe Frankfurt provides answers to the current changes and challenges and redefines the marketplaces of tomorrow,” said Detlef Braun, a member of Messe Frankfurt’s executive board, in a statement. During an online press conference, Braun said Messe Frankfurt is eager to “actively shape the marketplace and create synergies for all parties worldwide.”

The trade show producer will also intensify its focus on global sourcing, with continued expansion of platforms outside China, complemented by new, “near-sourcing” events in selected sourcing countries.

The company is continuing its online ordering platform, Nextrade, which debuted in 2019. Addressing Messe Frankfurt’s desire to “make physical encounters in Frankfurt possible again,” with the surge in online trade, Braun said, “The future remains a mix of both.”