This is the time of the year when I just hold my breath and plunge into a series of markets and trade fairs that just won’t end. Sometimes I wonder if everyone in the home furnishings industry got together and decided that all events must take place between early January and mid-February. I am aware that the mid-year events are declining, making the ones we will attend early on in the year even more important. I guess everyone is ready for something new and fresh when the new year begins, so I pack my bag and just keep going!
I am writing tonight from Frankfurt, Germany. I have arrived today for the Heimtextil trade fair, which begins tomorrow. I will spend a few days trend-tracking here, then return home for a few days. My next trip, on the 19th, takes me to Dublin (for Showcase), Frankfurt again (for Christmas World) and then to Paris (for Maison & Objet). I’m not off the hook after that. I am speaking in Las Vegas at the furniture market, so when I return home from my second European trip on the 29th, it is only for 24 hours (my talk in LV is on 2/1 and is open to the public so come by if you are there and say hello!). I leave again on 2/7 for a third trip to Frankfurt and the Ambiente trade fair.
At the end of each of the European trade fairs, The Trend Curve(tm) creates what we call a Trend Album(tm). That’s a CD-ROM trend report from each venue (you can pre-order Trend Albums on any of the European topics from Janice@trendcurve.com — she can fill you in on pricing), which means that in the air and during the few short hours I get at my desk in between events, I will be writing furiously to tell our subscribers about the colors and trends I felt were important from each venue.
Is it any wonder I need a vacation come March?
Even though I’ll be working hard, this is a time of the year that I love. There is so much to see, learn and think about, since we are always asking ourselves, “If this is what I see today, what does that mean for tomorrow?” THAT is the part I love the best…figuring that out so I can share it with our subscribers and customers. That’s what has kept The Trend Curve going for more than 18 years and what has kept Marketing Directions, Inc. (parent company of The Trend Curve) going for almost 20.