My dinner party begins in a few hours. John Currie, Biz Borsch and Mary Sausen, all editorial correspondents for The Trend Curve, will be here. One of our topics will be the European markets at the beginning of 2009. I have heard that many publications are not planning to cover the home décor shows in January and February. The rise in the cost of travel is one reason. Declining advertising revenues are another, leaving some publications without the budget dollars for overseas travel, or even for paying other writers to cover the markets for them.
This is a time when I am glad that The Trend Curve does not rely on advertising to survive. We are strictly subscription based. This model has allowed us incredible edorial freedom over the 20 years we have been publishing. Now it is allowing us to be where our subscriber family needs us to be — at worldwide markets.
The Trend Curve will Europe to cover the early-2009 shows. I’ll begin at Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Germany the second week of January. Next up will be Maison & Objet in Paris, France in the mid-20’s of the month, followed by Christmas World in Frankfurt, Germany. John Currie will be covering Maison & Objet and Christmas World with me. I’ll squeeze in the Las Vegas Market (Mary Sausen will also be there) in February before I head to Frankfurt one last time for Ambiente.
Many people believe that these four European fairs that The Trend Curve will cover provide them with insights and information that will be used all year long. That’s probably why our trend reports form these fair are so popular — not just with people who are unable to attend the shows (and I know there will be many more this year), but also with those who have attended the fairs but want a trend expert to give them a more finely tuned perspective on what was there.
I’m glad we will be able to continue to provide our trend reporting and analysis. If you would like to pre-order any of our trend reports from these trade fairs, you can email Janice for prices and timing. Our trend reports are available on CD-ROM or on-demand digital download. Each trend report contains bullet-point observations, plus over 100 images to show you the trends.