modebranchen.NU NU International Januar 2020 Interior | Page 34

Carlin is behind the Retail Hub exhibition
Experience the retail hub
of the future at Formex
Formex is celebrating 60 years as a meeting place in he Northern region for
interior design with an up-to-the-minute inspirational exhibition – created by
the international Carlin Creative Trend Bureau.
Lotta Ahlvar, Operative
Event Manager at Formex
BY HELLE MATHIESEN
At Formex on January 14–17, 2020 the focus
will be on the challenges faced by retailers
when the international trend and content
agency Carlin takes over Stockholmsmäs-
san’s Entrance Hall with their Retail Hub
exhibition.
The aim is to both inspire and offer new
insights to exhibitors and visitors by high-
lighting the latest themes in retail, such as
sustainability, the growth of e-commerce
and the interior design industry’s need to
restructure in response. Formex will also be
launching its celebration of 60 years as
being a central meeting place of the Nordic
region’s interior design business.
Carlin was the world’s first trend agency
that was founded to provide the fashion and
textile industry with trend intelligence, and
it currently has a presence in 25 countries.
The Retail Hub exhibition, which they have
created for Formex, considers subjects such
as the relationship between physical and di-
gital retail, a hot topic for the event’s visitors
and exhibitors. For the first time in Formex’s
history, there will also be a store in the En-
trance Hall – POPIN@RETAILHUB.
- We are proud to have been invited by For-
mex to participate at this significant platform
for Nordic interior design. Sweden is one of
the world’s leading countries when it comes
to early adoption of new consumer beha-
viours, sustainability and craftsmanship and
we hope we can contribute with an interna-
tional perspective and learn more together,
says trend analyst Ambre Venissac.
CHANGING BUYING HABITS
- Formex was founded in 1960, at a time
when retailers bought in goods once a year
and the end consumer shopped via bricks-
and-mortar stores. As buying habits have
changed, both for retailers and us as private
individuals, Formex has also developed. In
2020, we will be celebrating our anniversary
by overhauling the exhibition in order to con-
tinue creating value for both exhibitors and
visitors over time, states Christina Olsson,
Project Area Manager for Formex.
Formex’s big 60th anniversary will take place
in August 2020, but the celebrations will kick
off early with an exhibition in January on
dressing the dining table through the ages,
curated by interior stylist Cecilia Tivar. For-
mex has also chosen not to follow the tradi-
tion of a theme that changes from year to
year, and instead return to the exhibition’s
roots and its core values, which can be sum-
med up as ‘love of design and objects’.
- That’s what Formex is all about: love of
design and beautiful things. And of course,
that can encompass a wide range of diffe-
rent values. Today, for example, there is a
focus on sustainability and products that we
really need, but also on meetings between
people and how we do business. In this con-
text, we think that exhibitions are a fantastic
forum, offering so much under
one roof. In the early days of
Formex, the emphasis was on
products made in Sweden and
a fondness for decorating the
dining table, and now we have
come full circle. At the same
time, it is our responsibility as
a meeting place to promote innovation, says
Lotta Ahlvar, Operative Event Manager for
Formex.
POPUL AR THEME DAYS
Last fall, Formex launched a concept of theme
days, where influential experts and leading
figures in each area held talks. As these
proved so popular, they will be returning in
January with the same headings and focus
as in August: Retail, Sustainability, Trends
and Brands.
- The theme days bring something new to
the event, as we serve up knowledge and
inspiration on subjects that are important
to our audience. And we do it together with
strong partners such as Market magazine,
retail body Svensk Handel, ColourHouse,
trend institute Pej Gruppen, the Swedish Pa-
tent and Registration Office and the Swedish
Chemicals Agency. This year the Retail Day
will focus on physical retail, because no mat-
ter how efficient we become, I believe people
will always need to interact with each other in
real life, concludes Lotta Ahlvar.