Since 2008 I’ve attended Eurocucina three times and I’ve just completed my first trip to Interzum. As you all know, Eurocucina is held biennially in Milan, Italy as part of the larger i Salone (Milan Furniture Fair) exhibition and Interzum is also held biennially in Cologne, Germany.
I have personally found my trips to these fairs to be so informative and useful and every time I’m here with a group the overwhelming feedback is how valuable each attendee finds these visits. Much of the value comes from the interaction of tour members with each other and the information shared between the parties – it is amazing how different people from within the industry have different opinions about what they see and how it can be interpreted.
Attending an overseas trade show is a major endeavour involving time away from business and family, long-haul flights, and some pretty full-on days at the show where you are on your feet all day traversing the length and breadth of various halls along with thousands of other local and international visitors.
It’s also easy to dismiss many of these shows as irrelevant to the Australian market – after all, some of the products aren’t available in Australia or don’t meet our strict Standards so I can understand why some people may feel it is not worth their while to attend.
But I’d argue that it’s not the individual details which are important – it’s the stimulation of creativity which comes from such visits. It’s the opportunity to view a range of designs or a whole stack of new products which make you think differently about what you do, and how you do it. It’s the chance to share opinions and experiences with like-minded industry colleagues. It’s taking the time to research, investigate, challenge yourself and take yourself out of your comfort zone.
Even for someone like me who writes about the industry rather than works directly in the industry, these trips are invaluable for not only the specific information I gather but the interaction I am able to have with a range of people who all come from different parts of the industry.
If you haven’t been before, I encourage you to seek out those who have and ask their opinions. I suspect you’ll find most are 100 per cent in favour of attendance for a range of reasons.
What has been your experience at overseas trade fairs? Have you been and, if so, where did you go and would you go again?
